The first edition of the EVE Asia Pacific Program: EVE has once again worked its magic!

The EVE Program has certainly grown since its 2010 arrival in Evian, because at the instigation of Jean-Claude Legrand, VP for HR at L’Oréal and with the support of Marc Benoit, VP for HR at Danone, the entire EVE team came together again in Shanghai for this pioneering edition. Crédit Agricole, Essilor, Accor, Baxter and Pernod Ricard also took part in the adventure.

The challenge was a big one; to succeed in recreating the warm and friendly atmosphere, stimulating content and lively discussions that we had experienced at EVE Evian.

The challenge was met, and the first EVE Asia Pacific was a success. This was thanks to our speakers who were as involved as always, in particular the familiar names to the Program: the energetic Joanna Barsh, the teacher of happiness Tal Ben Shahar and the sworn opponent of stereotypes Valérie Rocoplan. Ms Rocoplan took the opportunity to carry out a study on 72 participants at EVE Asia, and her findings will be the subject of a forthcoming post. Emmanuel Faber, the new Danone CEO, took part in a demanding question and answer exercise with a warm and interested audience.

We had the pleasure of discovering new Asian speakers, experts on particular subjects or witnesses from companies. Katherine Hahn Singer, an adept of Marshall Rosenberg, led the plenary session and a workshop on non-violent communication, while Jin Wang reproduced the Women Matter study by giving the Asian perspective. The top two major stumbling blocks in the progression of women are similar to those in Western countries: “the double burden” of a professional life and a personal life, and the demand for performance “anytime, anywhere”. Women also share the difficulty of putting themselves forward. And the most important element for these countries is the lack of family-focused public policies.

The Taoist Juliann Liu taught us about the rules of Qi Qong, which uses concentration to restore a certain harmony. Jiang Qiong Er, the talented Artistic Director and CEO of Shang Xia, the Chinese Hermes, gave a breathtaking presentation of the most Chinese crafts, forging bridges between modernity and tradition, eastern and western philosophy… Elaine Sun, described as a strong woman during her introduction, wanted to be seen rather as “a soft woman with a strong team” and the testimony of a courageous woman who left for Mongolia to head up one of the largest Chinese dairy groups, Mengniu.
And in conclusion, the incredible year-long expedition to Antarctica undertaken by Rachel Robertson, who endured particularly extreme conditions, where darkness prevails 20 hours a day and where only one airplane can land a team of men and women, committed to a research mission. A real demonstration of what leadership qualities really are!