Latest news with #femaleEntrepreneurs
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan to promote startups by women as part of push to stop rural outflow
The government will promote startups by women nationwide as it seeks to curb an outflow of women from rural areas, a draft package of measures for gender equality said Monday. The government will hold seminars and lectures based at regional gender equality centers set up by local governments. The draft, released at Monday's meeting of the Council for Gender Equality, headed by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, will be formally adopted at a joint meeting including the government's Headquarters for the Promotion of Gender Equality by the end of June. The draft refers to an urgent need to make rural areas more attractive for women amid an accelerating overconcentration of people in Tokyo. Seeing fewer job prospects for women in the countryside as a problem, the central government will improve consulting systems for business startups in rural areas and help them establish networks with local economic associations and financial institutions. The government will also take measures to help prevent female entrepreneurs from being harassed and facilitate matching companies with people possessing skills the companies want. Japan plans to establish an independent administrative institution for gender equality within fiscal 2026. The new institution will have a database of experts to be sent for seminars at regional centers and will receive aid to be funded with state grants to local governments. On the proposed selective dual surname system for married couples, under debate in parliament, the draft said the central government will keep working to expand the use of maiden names and publicize this. Meanwhile, the government also compiled a draft plan to develop female human resources in technology fields, including intensive support measures to be implemented over three years. Specifically, courses on artificial intelligence will be added to the list of job skill improvement courses eligible for tuition subsidies under the employment insurance system.
Gulf Business
4 days ago
- Business
- Gulf Business
Succession planning for female entrepreneurs in the region
Image credit: Getty Images Succession and wealth planning are complex topics for any business owner — but for female entrepreneurs in the Middle East, the journey can come with added challenges. From family dynamics to access to quality advisors, the road to securing long-term financial stability often requires both professional and personal resilience. Tim Denton TEP is the SEO of the DIFC Private Banking office for Habib Bank AG Zurich and also the head of the bank's Wealth Structuring practice. He has been involved in wealth structuring for over 25 years, with 21 of those spent in Dubai. A qualified Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP), Denton is a longstanding member of STEP Arabia and currently serves his second term as its Chair. Tim Denton TEP is the SEO of the DIFC Private Banking office for Habib Bank AG Zurich. What are the challenges to planning for entrepreneurs in general? One of the biggest challenges at the outset is persuading an entrepreneur, who will typically be fairly young for such conversations, that they need to consider succession planning. It's not just about the possibility of them meeting an untimely end while running their business, but also the suitability of the current holding structure if the business grows or an exit is planned, either via a private sale or IPO. What are the additional challenges for female entrepreneurs? For female business owners, a significant challenge can be accessing good advisors and high-quality information. Being given the space by parents or male siblings to make independent decisions, without needing to follow 'family guidance', can also be difficult. At HBZ, we've run a successful week-long 'G3' event for several years, bringing together the 30-40-year-old family members of our clients. We've seen excellent female participation. Sessions on business structuring are always lively, and the closed-door discussions with a family dynamics specialist have been especially appreciated. What are the benefits of UAE common law foundations? Recent changes in the UAE through common law foundations in the DIFC and ADGM have been a major step forward in succession planning. The vision of the UAE's rulers in enabling such legislation is to be applauded — transforming a once difficult area into one with robust, accessible options. These foundations are like incorporated entities but with no shareholders. No one owns the foundation, so if someone passes away, assets are unaffected. Entrepreneurs can hold their businesses under a foundation and clearly outline what should happen after their death — ensuring continuity without court processes. The vast majority of wealth structuring discussions I have with clients now involve UAE foundations. What about liquidity planning and financial protection for families? Entrepreneurs must also consider how their family would be left financially if they pass away. Many businesses are closely tied to the founder and may fail without them. High-value life insurance (or Jumbo insurance) offers an affordable solution, providing funding and protecting both family members and business partners. It allows a business to buy out a deceased partner's shares — a win-win for both parties. Any closing thoughts? There is good advice available and some great solutions — but don't wait until your business is 'big enough'. The cost of delay could be much higher.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Why Female CEOs Are More Qualified Than Male CEOs. Plus: How To Keep Better Track Of Your Best Ideas
This is this week's ForbesWomen newsletter, which every Thursday brings news about the world's top female entrepreneurs, leaders and investors straight to your inbox. Click here to get on the newsletter list! Graduation season is in full swing, and if you have a loved one walking a stage in a cap and gown (even if that stage is at the local pre-school), congratulations! A lot of work goes into reaching these moments, so it's important to take a little bit of time and celebrate. We have a bevy of recent grad coverage across including the latest list of America's Best Employers For New Grads (I won't give the full ranking away, but I will say No. 11 surprised me). Leadership contributor Margie Warrell wrote a handy guide to 'Adulting 101,' and fintech contributor Nandan Sheth wrote about the college debt that many Gen-Z workers are shouldering, and what employers can and should do about it. I always recommend sending these stories to the 18- and 22-year-olds in your life and also taking some time to read the advice yourself. Even if you're a decade (or four) removed from your most recent graduation, it never hurts to be reminded to brave awkward moments, find the treasure when you trip, and above all, bet on yourself. Cheers! Maggie P.S.: Nominations for the 2025 U.S. 50 Over 50 will close in ONE WEEK, so your time is running out to tell us about someone who should be on our radar! Head to this link here to tell us about a woman you think should be on this year's list. Full nominations criteria are on that page but the most important bit to remember: We're looking for people who were born in 1974 or earlier. BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - APRIL 21: Mel Robbins reads her smash hit book "The Let Them Theory," a #1 ... More New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestseller in the studios of her production company, 143 Studios on April 21, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo byfor Mel Robbins) At 56, Mel Robbins describes herself as being in a 'peak moment.' She first gained wide recognition with her 2017 book The 5 Second Rule, based on a behavioral technique she developed during what she has called her 'rock bottom' in her 40s, a period marked by both personal and financial crisis. That book went on to sell millions of copies and established her as a voice of action. With her newest book, 'The Let Them Theory,' Robbins examines the weight we carry out of habit and asks what it means to release what was never ours to manage. 'This isn't about letting go,' Robbins told Moira Forbes in a recent interview. 'I've never been able to let anything go. But when you say, 'let them,' you're not giving in. You're opting out of the noise. You're stepping back into your own life.' Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser (Photo by) Are female CEOs in their position due to 'preferential treatment' and not merit, as those who attack DEI like to say? A new analysis from Women's Power Gab shows the very opposite is true: Women who become CEO are not only qualified but may also be more experienced than their male peers. In fact, women were 32% more likely to have served as company president before becoming CEO, while men were more likely to advance from division head or COO. This month, Tory Burch has unveiled an ambitious new pledge: To generate more than $1 billion in economic impact through female entrepreneurs by 2030. The commitment that signals a new chapter for a Burch's foundation, which has already helped hundreds of women-led businesses across the country. 'Women are great investments,' Burch told Forbes. 'Diversity is what I find beautiful and also good for business.' New research from the American Association for Cancer Research shows good and bad news in the fight against breast cancer: Mortality in U.S. women aged 20 to 49 dropped significantly between 2010 and 2020. Yet at the same time, incidence rates are on the rise, which the AACR authors say is due to no single reason. A bill seeking to close a loophole in Texas' sexual assault laws has been struggling to become law—in spite of broad bipartisan support. That bill has finally been scheduled for a hearing on Thursday. Earlier this week, Texas State Senator Angela Paxton and advocate and survivor Summer Willis joined ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath to explain why this bill matters for women not just in Texas, but across the country. In other policy news: President Trump signed the Take It Down Act to force platforms to take down deepfake nudes, revenge porn and other types of non-consensual intimate imagery. Building on that momentum, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reintroduced the DEFIANCE Act to allow victims to sue those who created or shared these explicit images. 1. Go with your gut, even when it's ahead of technological advancements. Alice Chang got the idea for AI-powered 'try on' technology for makeup (think of virtual shade matches for foundation that you use before you add something to your cart) almost a full decade before we all started talking about AI all the time. As she told ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath, she persisted in building a company based around this tool—and today, that company, Perfect Corp, is used by hundreds of beauty retailers around the world. 2. Keep track of your best ideas. In most companies, great ideas have a vanishing half-life: A project team wraps a phase and notices a pattern, or a sales call reveals language that perfectly captures a client's problem, but then… the idea fades. It doesn't get logged or tested. This is why you need an idea dashboard—and how to implement one. 3. Understand why your homeowner's insurance is so expensive, and what you can do about it. Throughout the country, homeowners are assessing how they can afford the rising cost of insurance. This exclusive Forbes deep dive explains why prices are rising and what, if anything, we can all do about it.
