Hosted and Facilitated by the Businesswomen S Association of South Africa

A BRICS ROUNDTABLE: Tapping into the opportunities for Women in Business Hosted and facilitated by the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa INTRODUCTION

Are South African Women in Business taking full advantage of the opportunities that the grouping of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) nations presents?

BRICS has been a topical point of discussion over the past few years, capturing the imagination of corporate South Africa post the invitation of the country to join this grouping in December 2010. This has been especially the case with regards to promoting greater commercial flows between the five countries, particularly trade, investment and tourism flows. With the 5th BRICS Leaders Summit held in Durban, at the end of March this year, the opportunity for South African businesses as well as women in business exists to leverage this platform that positions the country as a first-tier emerging market, to attract global investors, strategic partners and access new markets – all of which means new business opportunities, new foreign investment, the creation of much-needed jobs, and ultimately growth.

One of the outcomes of the Durban summit was the creation of the BRICS Business Council to serve as a platform to strengthen and promote economic trade and investment ties between the business communities of the five BRICS countries. The Council specifically identified the development of women and youth-owned businesses as one of its key goals going forward. With South Africa chairing the BRICS grouping for the next year, the council has the ability to shape the interaction between various spheres of business among the BRICS nations, making it more inclusive and setting the stage for deeper commercial interaction between these markets.

As a result, the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa will be hosting a BRICS Roundtable: Tapping into the opportunities for Women in Business on Thursday May 16th, 2013 to unpack opportunities available to women through BRICS and to identify ways in which these opportunities can be accessed.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ROUNDTABLE

. To bring together a group of opinion formers, analysts, government and influential participants in order unpack the outcomes of the recent BRICS Summit; . To understand and contribute to the discourse around the opportunities available to women in the context of the BRICS grouping; . To drive the conversation around the role of women within business and commerce in the BRICS; . To use SA as a gateway for women to access business opportunities within Africa, South Africa and the other BRICS nations; . To learn from the success of other BRICS member countries that have seen both large and small businesses significantly leveraging the opportunities that membership and its access to new markets brings; . To identify opportunities that will allow South African business women access to a highly influential and powerful network and highlight opportunities for businesses to maximise the vast potential benefits that come from being a member country. THE ROUNDTABLE

Date: Thursday, 16th May 2013 Time: 12h00 – 14h30 Venue: Nedbank, 135 Rivonia Road, Sandton – Executive Dining Room RSVP: Busi Mkhabele [email protected] by Friday, 10 May 2013

Program: Panel Participants COMPANIES: . Frontier Advisory - confirmed . BWA – confirmed . UN Women – confirmed . Oxfam GB - confirmed . DTI - TBC . BUSA - TBC . IWSFA - TBC . DBSA - TBC Moderator: Bronwyn Nielsen Key Note: Dr Martyn Davies, CEO, Frontier Advisory and BWA President Ms Liepollo Lebohang Pheko