Indira Naidoo-Harris, AVP, Office of Diversity and Human Rights at the University of Guelph, has been invited to speak at the 2023 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Naidoo-Harris will share her experiences and perspectives while promoting gender equity and inclusive, integrated leadership as part of the Unlocking Eve and InTent delegation at the gathering of world leaders.
From Jan. 16 to 20, the World Economic Forum annual meeting “Cooperation in a Fragmented World” will address the state of the world and discuss priorities for the year ahead.
Diverse voices reimagine what is possible in global leadership
Naidoo-Harris will participate in a panel exploring the important role and unique contributions of women in health equity. She will also speak about integrated leadership for a balanced world at a gathering of global leaders that includes representatives from the World Health Organization, pharma CEOs, academics, media and non-profit health care organizations.
“When we have diverse voices at the table, we can tackle even the most complex of problems,” Naidoo-Harris said. “These are challenging times, and we have an opportunity now to not only rebuild but reimagine. A new model of leadership is needed – one that balances resiliency with compassion and decisiveness with vulnerability.
“Creating communities that support everyone is our key to success.”
Unlocking Eve, a non-profit organization that debuted at the 2022 World Economic Forum, aims to advance women in decision-making roles globally and promotes a new model of integrated leadership for a balanced and healthier world.
This year, the Canadian pilot joins senior and emerging leaders in health care and academia for a two-day workshop focused on exploring narrative identity and learning to consciously deploy an array of leadership characteristics.
The organization is committed to increasing the number of women in health care leadership and decision-making roles to 50 per cent by 2030.
“We know that having women in leadership roles makes a difference,” said Naidoo-Harris. “Women change the conversation and according to the United Nations, their presence is strongly correlated with innovation and investments in health and education.
“It’s time to heal the world through integrated, compassionate leadership.”
Equity, diversity and inclusion at U of G
Naidoo-Harris was selected by Unlocking Eve as one of 15 impact leaders from its 2022 Integrated Leadership Experience. Participating in the World Economic Forum is “a lifelong dream” for the former broadcast journalist and Ontario cabinet minister recently named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women for 2022 by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN).
At U of G, Naidoo-Harris has helped lead the development of an annual Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Enhancement Fund to support inclusion projects on campus and has made integral contributions to the University’s Anti-Racism Action Plan, and its multi-year accessibility plan. In 2022, U of G released its Anti-Racism Policy Statement, a first for Ontario universities.
The World Economic Forum gathers the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Established in 1971, the not-for-profit foundation in Geneva, Switzerland, is independent and impartial, striving to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest while maintaining high standards of governance.
Contact:
Meghan Sinclair
msincl03@uoguelph.ca