Forbes Vietnam: Challenge the Norms to Move Forward

April 2021

Forbes Vietnam: "Some people argue that no one can help women, but they themselves have to be brave enough to get out of their comfort zone and take on the challenges. What is your opinion regarding this?

​

Irene: "There’s of course value in building up women’s confidence, and encouraging them to take on challenges.  

But increased confidence by itself won’t solve the problem – (and note that overconfidence in women is not accepted, but can be admired in men).   If the systems and the unconscious biases and social norms that surround women don’t change, increasing confidence itself won’t solve the problem."   

Irene Ohler on her brainchild “Ba Trieu’s 21st Century Daughters”

August 2020

When being asked what the most lovely thing of Vietnam is, Irene Ohler, founder of LightPath Group said that it stayed in the dynamic spirit and bold thinking ingrained in the young generation. "I will surely miss these two things so much when we go back to my homeland someday" - sharing with TheFace Magazine Vietnam. [Read more]

Crashing through Bamboo ceiling

October 2016

Bà Triệu, meaning Lady Triệu, was a 3rd century warrior who raised an army to fight the Chinese occupation of Việt Nam.

​

“I will not resign myself to the lot of women who bow their heads and become concubines,” the national heroine is said to have declared.

​

More than 1,700 years later, a woman named Irene Ohler went to a seminar in Hà Nội entitled “The Rise of Vietnamese Women CEOs”. Ohler, a coach who specializes in developing women’s leadership, says she was dumbfounded to hear a male panelist say that “women make good deputy CEOs because they are so caring”. [Read more]

Austrian helps to raise Women's voice inVietnam

December 2018

After spending six years in Việt Nam, Irene Ohler has fallen in love with the nation’s culture and people. She has been particularly taken by the women in Việt Nam thanks to their strength, resilience and beauty.  

​

The experience inspired her to set up the Women’s Story Telling Salon and introduce a women’s leadership development programme titled Coming Into Your Own. She has also written a book a book about female leadership: Ba Trieu’s 21st Century Daughters. [Read more]

Forbes Vietnam article on the Women's Storytelling Salon

March 2017

Forbes Vietnam features the Women’s Storytelling Salon in a speacial March 2017 issue celebrating International Women’s Day. [Read more]
 

“Ba Trieu’s 21st Century Daughters” bring Vietnam's Image to the World

"Ba Trieu's 21st Century Daughters" bring Vietnam's image to the World. 

Clearly understand the aspirations of Vietnamese people

June 2017

One of the reasons we decided to stay in Vietnam is that we can clearly see the aspirations of Vietnamese people to continuously develop and improve their lives and their family's lives. [Read more]

Mrs. Irene Öhler – the Wife of New Zealand Ambassador: “I would like to retire in Hanoi.”

– Không dễ để một người phụ nữ có thể đứng lên cởi mở chia sẻ câu chuyện của cá nhân mình trước đám đông, bà đã thuyết phục họ như thế nào?

​

– Đúng vậy, phụ nữ nói chung và đặc biệt là phụ nữ Việt Nam thường khá kín đáo và không thích nói về mình trước đám đông. Chúng tôi cũng một vài lần gặp phải sự từ chối. Nhưng cảm giác được người khác lắng nghe thật sự rất phấn khích, như thể có một sức mạnh nào đó giúp những người phụ nữ rút gan ruột chia sẻ tận đáy lòng câu chuyện của mình.

​

Vietnam-UK Women in Business 2019: Supporting Women in Business and promoting Trade and Investment

Some 200 supporters of the Vietnam-UK relationship, sponsors and selected guests from a wide range of companies and organisations packed the Wilton Suite in the South Bank Centre on the evening of 2 October to attend this ambitious event. The culmination of many months of work led by VUKN Committee Member Bao Ha Pham, it proved a great success. [Read more]

Panel moderation at Forbes Vietnam Women's Summit 2018  "Shaping the Future" 

08 October 2018

The biggest event about women leadership and women empowerment in Vietnam, The Women’s Summit by Forbes Vietnam is a platform for networking, exchanging ideas and building up collaborations to help women to maximize their capabilities, to reach new heights, and to shape our future.

​

The Summit features keynote speeches, one on one interviews, and panel discussions by inspiring, successful women in different fields, focusing on issues that are most important to women today: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Education, Environment, Health and Happiness.

Panel moderation at inaugural Women in Vietnam #WOMENVN2018 Conference organised by the Australian Consulate General in HCMC

16 October 2018

 Young leaders and decision-makers shared their experiences and expertise about leadership, mentoring, support networks and women’s health at the Women in Việt Nam Conference held on Tuesday in HCM City.

Organised by the Australian Consulate in HCM City, the two-day event, which began on Monday, was designed to mark Vietnamese Women’s Day on October 20.

Targeting final-year female university students and recent graduates, the event was held to enhance participants’ understanding of the importance of women’s representation in leadership and shine a light on health and well-being challenges facing women. [Read more]

Keynote speech at AmCham HCMC Women in Leadership Inaugural event

April 2019

In Vietnam, women are leading and driving the workforce. According to the United Nation’s International Labor Organization, approximately 72 percent of the labor force in Vietnam are women, this leads comparable statistics globally.

The Women in Leadership Inaugural event is a morning seminar focused on professional and personal development providing a unique interactive format focused on actionable tips, access to high-level networking and sharing from local female business and community leaders. [Read more]

Speaker at EuroCham event ‘Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling’ in Hanoi

3 October 2018

The number of women in leadership roles is an increasingly hot topic. Yet, despite high rates of participation by Vietnamese women in the workforce, the higher up the corporate ladder we look, the fewer women we see.  

So, how do we create a mindset to enable women to break the bamboo ceiling? And, how do we as organisations help to support that? [Read more]