The WOWS factor

Deutsche Bank's Women on Wall Street® conference - or WOWS, as it's known - is the premier event for women working in finance. Every year, more than 2,000 people from all parts of the industry meet for inspirational, thought-provoking conversations on topics of relevance to women's careers. Inside the vast conference room at the event venue, it's hard to imagine a time before WOWS. Yet as co-founder Mona Lau recalls, WOWS had to carve out a niche in a landscape in which diversity was not prominent. "There were no real opportunities for women to meet senior role models and to network with women and clients across the industry. This was why we created WOWS," she says. Two decades later, WOWS remains relevant. The founding idea and spirit - to inspire and motivate women to achieve goals for themselves and for the bank - have helped to shape the career paths of thousands of women. This years milestone event celebrated the community of professional women that WOWS has built over the past 20 years. The theme, "Collective Wisdom", honoured the experiences, stories and words of advice shared during this time and recognised women's contributions to complex economic, social and educational issues. For the first time ever, the event was made available via webcast to Bank employees across the region.

There are now Deutsche Bank-sponsored conferences for women in Frankfurt, London, Milan, Singapore and Sydney that trace their roots back to WOWS. The Women in Asian Business Conference was introduced in 2011 and has attracted more than 1,200 people representing over 200 organizations since then. The theme of this year's conference, held in September in Singapore, was "Leading with Inclusion".

The first WOWS conference took place in 1995, and provided the model for every event since. From the beginning, the WOWS team decided to open the conference to the rest of Wall Street. The caliber of speakers has been central to the appeal of WOWS. Year after year, influential women who have led the way in their industries have shared their experiences and advice on how to cultivate career success.

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