To deepen business cooperation and promote women entrepreneurship among BRICS countries, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) held the 2023 BRICS Women's Leadership Forum on June 5 in Beijing.

Diane Wang, Member of BRICS WBA China Chapter, Founder, Chairperson & CEO of DHGATE Group, attended the panel discussion themed "She Leads in Digital Transformation", along with Nobukhosi Dlamini, CEO of Bahati Tech, Mônica Pinhanez, CEO of Zeka Digital Education, Jingjing Xu, Chair of the Board, Meridian Smart Health Technology Beijing Ltd and Ayesha Nazneen, COO of Apollo Telehealth Services. Shen Yueyue, Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the All-China Women's Federation chairperson, Ren Hongbin, Chairman of CCPIT, Siyabonga C. Cwele, South Africa's ambassador to China, Lebogang Zulu, rotating chairperson of BRICS WBA, Group CEO of AV South Africa, and business representatives from BRICS countries including South Africa, Russia, Brazil, India, attended the forum.

MyyShop stages numerous budding women entrepreneurs

"We have to face the severe situation that there are still high barriers for women to gain knowledge," said Diane during the forum, drawing participants' attention to a survey carried out last year by the APEC Business Advisory Council in which 63% of women respondents from MSMEs reported a lack of professional skills while more than 50% expressed a strong need for training in digital tools. "All parties are in action, but I would like to reiterate to strengthen multilateral cooperation in the digital capability building for women, help women to access digital skills in a practical way to realize entrepreneurship," she added.

To lower the barriers for women to participate in e-commerce to an absolute minimum and provide a powerful digital tool for young women entrepreneurs to grow their social commerce business, DHGATE launched MyyShop in 2020 as a pioneering social commerce platform. MyyShop provides digitalization tools and step-by-step support to empower creators, influencers, and individual entrepreneurs with social influence to effortlessly monetize their influence on social platforms. Put simply, users can "Share to Earn" by selling through shoppable feeds or leveraging influencer marketing on social platforms.  

Diane shared the story of Sonya, a Russian woman's story to allow participants to have a full picture of how MyyShop works to help women stand on their own feet. Sonya is an international student studying in China. She once modeled part-time but gave that up when COVID-19 hit. Fortunately, she started to learn e-commerce knowledge and skills on MyyShop and tried to recommend wigs to her followers, which were shipped by MyyShop suppliers. Now, her monthly revenue is above USD 400,000, which not only allows her to pay her tuition fees but also allows her to partly support her family.

"This is a touching story that makes us believe that if we provide training to women and connect them with resources, they can better participate in the digital economy and make themselves better off. "

For women entrepreneurs, MyyShop addresses complex supply chain challenges in cross-border e-commerce using innovative technology and services. This enables women to leverage their strengths and actively participate in the digital economy with equal opportunities.

"We should strive to harness and utilize the latest technology. I look forward to seeing more women-led entrepreneurial enterprises effectively leverage the power of social networks and new technologies," said Diane, pointing out the infinite potential of digital transformation.

A new women empowerment community to come

Diane appealed for different organizations among BRICS countries to cooperate with and promote outstanding women role models to inspire more women worldwide, foster an environment of public opinion that supports women entrepreneurs, and let women see the limitless potential of the digital economy.

To encourage the global women community to stand up, raise their voices, and break old stereotypes, Diane is in the process of establishing an international women empowerment community. "The road for women to form and grow a business is long and difficult," said Diane, who founded DHGATE in 2004.

"If someone can guide budding entrepreneurs as mentors, allowing them to learn from their valuable experience, such women are more likely to succeed," she added. This community will serve as a platform for women to support each other, giving them the opportunity to learn new skills, acquire new resources, realize their potential faster and better, and let the world see "Her Power".

This new community initiative follows the APEC Women Connect platform initiated by Diane in 2016. As an APEC-endorsed program, the platform aims to empower women, especially young women, to realize entrepreneurship through digital solutions, including inspirational sharing, practical learning, effective recognition, and awards.

"We will continue to persist with this project and continuously expand its influence to drive and assist more women entrepreneurs," said Diane.

During the 2023 BRICS Women's Leadership Forum, the BRICS Women's Development Report for 2023 was also published to provide an overview of the current state and progress of women's development in these countries.

About DHgate

Founded in 2004, DHgate has become the leading B2B cross-border e-commerce marketplace in China. Through our global operations and offices, including in the USA and UK, we reach millions of people with trusted products and services. As of December 31, 2022, DHgate served more than 59.6 million registered buyers from 225 countries and regions by connecting them to over 2.54 million sellers in China and other countries, with over 34 million live listings on the platform annually. For more information, please visit dhgate.com and follow @DHgate.com

About MyyShop

MyyShop is a pioneering social commerce platform launched by DHGATE Group that allows effortless selling on social media. MyyShop aims to provide content creators with online store creation tools, as well as AI-powered, tailored product recommendations that their audience won't be able to resist, allow them to sell with confidence knowing the products are in demand and backed by a world-leading supply chain that delivers to increase earnings quickly. For more information, please visit MyyShop.com and follow @MyyShopOfficial