[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]GM Korea Company held a women’s conference to foster global female talent and strengthen their global network at the Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel on November 1.

GM Korea and Kyobo Life co-hosted as the second annual GM Korea Women’s Conference. Under the theme of “Empathy and Messenger of Communication,” the one-day forum brought together 350 female employees from GM Korea and Kyobo Life as well as 100 female leaders from local and global companies such as Starbucks, 3M Korea, Citibank and the Sungjoo Group to discuss issues of importance to women.

“The GM Korea Women’s Conference offers an important forum for our team members to hear from their counterparts in a range of industries,” said GM Korea President and CEO Sergio Rocha. “GM Korea actively supports our female employees and listens to their collective voice. We are creating equal opportunities for women in the traditionally male-oriented automotive industry. This is benefiting both our employees and our company.”

The topics of the one-day conference included “Requirements for Women to Succeed,” “Success of Women Viewed from the Perspective of Men” and “Communication for Success.” Attendees shared their experiences and thoughts on the competitiveness of women and the utilization and fostering of a female workforce.

The participants, which included the winners of an English essay contest for female high school students in Seoul and Incheon, learned from successful female leaders about their paths to success and obtained insight on how to advance their own careers.

In June, GM Korea was named a 2012 Best Family-Friendly Company by Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in recognition of its effort and achievements in nurturing female talent and expanding opportunities for young female employees to work at GM around the globe.

GM Korea has about 900 female employees, which is triple the number that it had when the company was established in 2002. The GM Korea Women’s Committee was launched in 2005 to maximize the development potential for female employees and to increase their contribution to the company.

The GM Korea Women’s Committee sponsors a series of activities such as a mentoring program involving senior and junior female employees, and regular meetings with successful female leaders. It is also engaged in planning, product development and marketing programs to reflect the preferences of women. In addition, it supports the recruitment of new employees.