Members from the IWG Secretariat and Global Executive travelled to Tokyo, Japan, last week to represent the network at two events ahead of the Annual General Meeting 2024.
Secretary General Lisa O’Keefe MBE arrived in Karuizawa to lecture at the annual Japanese Women Leaders Academy (29-31October), where she used the opportunity to present to the 30-strong cohort about Leadership and Collaboration. Lisa shared her personal perspectives from her career in Executive Leadership and Board positions within the UK sport sector, using examples throughout her career including her time at Sport England where she was integral to the development of the globally recognised ‘This Girl Can’ campaign. She talked through the process of designing the campaign, ensuring that it was insight-led at every stage, and how collaborating with other organisations to build the brand was a key to its success.
The IWG also participated in the Japanese Center for Research on Women in Sport (JCRWS) 10th Anniversary International Symposium which took place at Juntendo University on 2 November.
Addressing an audience of 150 delegates from around the world, including academics, athletes, senior leaders and stakeholders within sport, Annamarie Phelps CBE OLY, Chair of the IWG UK Secretariat, delivered a keynote speech on the subject of ‘Recent Movement of Women in Sport and The Global Summit 2026 in UK’.
During her presentation, Annamarie pointed to the insight from the UN which indicates there will be at least another 130 years until gender equality is reached and drew out the key deliberate actions of male allyship, long-term investment, gender budgeting and quotas to help expedite the progress. She also highlighted the role of the IWG and the power of the network to support organisations seeking to address gender imbalance within their sports.
Following Annamarie’s keynote, Lisa took to the stage to chair a panel which included Dr. Etsuko Ogasawara, Dr. Rosaura Méndez Gamboa, Carolyn Ngiraidis and Louisette-Renée Thobi from the Global Executive, along with Abby Burton, Head of Strategic Communications at IWG. The Global Executive members shared their perspectives from their regions and networks, exploring the barriers women face, the importance of safe-guarding and the value of leadership programmes, such as the Japanese Women Leaders Academy. Abby then shared with the delegates how the IWG captures the stories and learnings from around the world to share with the wider network.
Reflecting on the week, Lisa said: “It was a real privilege to be invited back to present at the Japanese Women Leaders Academy. I’m proud to have been involved with the programme since 2015, and it’s fantastic to see the successful impact it is having in creating women leaders, with over 300 women participating in the Academy since its inception 10 years ago.
“I’m also really pleased IWG had the opportunity to be well represented at the JCRWS 10th Anniversary Symposium. It was a pleasure to share more about our work, and to hear directly from our Global Executive members who were able to provide an international perspective on gender equality in sport.
“A huge thank you to Etsuko for not only inviting the IWG to these events, but also for hosting our 2024 AGM. I look forward to providing an update on the AGM, along with other IWG activities while in Tokyo, over the coming days.”