2024 Summer School for Female Leadership in the Digital Age kicks off in Warsaw

Top female talent has arrived in Warsaw as the city hosts this week the European Leadership Academy’s fourth edition of the Summer School for Female Leadership in the Digital Age, a Huawei programme designed to empower young female leaders to thrive and lead Europe into an inclusive and sustainable digital future.

Students were welcomed by Selina Wen, Chief Representative of Huawei to the European Institutions, who spoke of how the company had proven that it was possible for women to take important leadership positions: “Our CFO, our Rotating Chairwoman and even the Global Head of R&D are all wonderful female leaders,” she said. “At Huawei, we don’t close our eyes to existing challenges: we acknowledge them and tackle them, and we encourage others to do so as well. As part of the ICT industry, we hold on to our commitment: Tech for her, Tech with her and Tech by her.”

The School kicked off with the Inaugural Ceremony at the Old Orangery in Warsaw, where high-profile female leaders and mentors including top business executives and policymakers inspired them to seize the opportunity.

Berta Herrero, Director of the European Leadership Academy and Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Huawei Europe, reminded the students that “leadership is not about exercising power over others – it’s about inspiring,” adding that “in a world where you can be anything, be the person who builds bridges.” She made it clear that “every ground-breaking innovation must begin with an ethical consideration,” stating that “we need ethical pioneers who embody integrity and responsibility.” She encouraged future leaders to “be the architects of a future where technology serves humanity.”

The 29 students – representing each of the 27 EU Member States, the Western Balkans Six and Ukraine – come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including engineering, medicine, humanities and social sciences, but they are united by their desire to make a difference. Selected by an independent jury, they have each received a full Huawei scholarship to attend the School and are the living embodiment of the company’s motto Leave no one behind.

Addressing them at the Inaugural Ceremony, Violeta BULC, former EU Commissioner for Transport and former Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia shared valuable life lessons with the students and encouraged them to shape a better future: “Technology is beautiful. As a computer engineer, I love technology. But technology is a tool, not just a goal; it has to be used right. It's our perception of the capacity that technology has to make humanity better what can help make our lives better.”

Androulla Vassiliou, former EU Commissioner for Education and Health reflected on her career and said: “Modern technologies evolve very rapidly and we must try to keep up with such changes. As European Commissioner I promoted the digital agenda and the need to open education to new technologies. Countries that failed to follow our advice and did not equip schools with new technologies face extreme difficulties during the pandemic, which had very negative consequences for many students throughout Europe.”

Gabriela Morawska-Stanecka, Senator and former Vice-President of the Senate of Poland encouraged the students to pursue their goals: “Everything is possible; if you are focused on your goals, when you know what you want, you can achieve your dreams.”

Hosted by former BBC journalist Chiyo Robertson, the ceremony paved the way for a week of learning, sharing and expanding horizons in a safe and supportive environment. The upcoming days are filled with masterclasses, debates and teamwork activities on a broad range of topics, from the impacts of generative AI to public speaking, all through green digital skills, entrepreneurship and leadership essentials.

Full details of the Summer School for Female Leadership in the Digital Age, including previous editions in Lisbon (2021), Prague (2022) and Valencia (2023) can be viewed here: https://www.europeanleadershipacademy.eu/