IE Week Beijing - "HER VOICE" Women Panel: Breaking Barriers

IE is one of the leading European higher education institutions, whose belief in innovation, diversity with more than (92% of international students) and entrepreneurship is an integral part of its drive towards academic excellence. Our learning model puts students at the center, is eminently practical and ensures that they acquire not only the technical know-how but also the mindset and interpersonal skills that are essential for a successful future leader. With its centrally located Madrid campus, international student community, and dynamic learning environment, IE is the perfect place to develop your career. 

Many scholars and policy makers have noted that women have historically been underrepresented in many fields, such as Business, Science, Technology and Architecture.  

At IE, we are dedicated to supporting women reach their professional goals by providing them the platforms to excel and break industry barriers. During this conversation, four outstanding women will discuss how the gender gap in different industries is both a challenge and an opportunity. They will talk about their journey, share personal and professional experiences and explore how a career in Business, Science, Technology, Architecture and Media can lead to lifelong learning opportunities.   

PANELISTS: 

• Tetyana Kretova, Regional Director Asia Pacific at IE Business School 
• Shaohua Di, Founder of PRAXiS d’ARCHITECTURE 
• Xiaoyuan (Charlene) Ren, Founder and Director of MyH2O Water Information Network 

MODERATOR: 

• Heyang Zhou, Host and Producer of Round Table at China Radio International of China Media Group  

HEYANG is the host and producer of China Radio International’s flagship talk show “Round Table”(圆桌议事). With her at the helm, the show has won the top Chinese journalism award “China’s News Award” and the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Prize. The show is the most popular English talk show on Apple Podcast in the Greater China region. Heyang has broadcasted or hosted live events and major conferences such as the Conference in honor of the 40th Anniversary of China’s Reform and Opening-up at the Great Hall of the People, and The Global Fortune Forum. 

ABOUT PANELISTS:  

Tetyana Kretova, Regional Director Asia Pacific at IE Business School 

Regional Director Asia Pacific at IE Business School is an experienced executive with over 14 years of professional experience in international development, marketing, sales and integrated communications. A native Ukrainian she has worked, studied and lived in the USA, Eastern and Western Europe, Central Asia and now Asia Pacific. Tetyana is a well versed professional with strong academic background acquired at American and European Institutions, as she holds a BBA from an America-based International Christian University with emphasis in Marketing, Diploma from the UK Charted Institute of Public Relations and an Executive MBA from IE Business School. After a dynamic corporate career with one of the world’s largest retailing groups METRO Group, she left her executive position to pursue her entrepreneurial journey combined with passion for making world a better place. Since 2013 Tetyana has served as International Development Director in Russia and Ukraine, later in Eastern Europe and Central Asia creating high impact projects. She is a speaker on Career development and Personal Growth and served as a personal advisor to over 500 managers seeking to change their lives. With strong passion for teamwork and positive leadership within the last 10 years she has consulted NGOs on sustainable development, managed personal consulting and in 2016 launched her own fashion startup. 

Shaohua Di, Founder of PRAXiS d’ARCHITECTURE 

Shaohua founded PRAXiS d’ARCHITECTURE in 2009. She graduated from Tianjin University with a B.Arch and Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a professional degree of M.Arch and a post professional degree of S.March.S in Urbanism. In 2003, she received Frances Ward Chandler Prize from MIT. She has been studio critic for architecture department in China Central Academy of Fine Arts. Before establishing her own practice, she worked for Perkins+Will and Qian Men 23 renovation project in Beijing. 

Shaohua adopts an ingenious and harmonious approach to integrate architecture and its surroundings based on her understandings of the site’s cultural and physical context. She strives to create extraordinary spatial experiences by using economic, eco-friendly and local materials and available means of construction. Regardless of project scale, she seeks to fully realize architecture’s practical values while fulfilling it with spirit, and to create clean details. 

Xiaoyuan (Charlene) Ren, Founder and Director of MyH2O Water Information Network 

Charlene Ren is the founder of MyH2O Water Information Network, a crowd-based platform that connects clean water resources to rural communities. Water and sanitation data from over thousands of villages have been collected since 2015, and solutions have been delivered to over thousands of beneficiaries. She received her B.A. in Physics from Vassar College and dual M.S. in Environmental Engineering & Technology and Policy at MIT, with a thesis focused on the water and sanitation monitoring policy structure in rural India. She was selected as 1 of 4 Chinese representatives for Homeward Bound 2018 fellow, an initiative focused on raising profiles of women leaders in STEM, ending in a 3-week training expedition in Antarctica. She’s also a 2016 Echoing Green Fellow (33 out of over 2000) and Forbes “30 Under 30” Class of 2019 in the Social Entrepreneur category.