The Fortune Most Powerful Women International Summit in London wrapped up yesterday. So today’s WMPW is a special edition dedicated to the conference.
Read on to see what speakers had to say about Brexit, the Orlando shootings, where Facebook will find growth, what Uber wants, and the latest trend in retail.
But first, I’d like to pass on one of my favorite lines from the two-day confab. It came from Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, the United Arab Emirates’s minister for tolerance.
Asked by Fortune‘s Nina Easton how female entrepreneurs can overcome the fear of failure, Al Qasimi said it’s important to remember that when we fail, we “fall forward.” “A lot of times, we actually learn more from our mistakes than we learn from our successes,” she said. With that in mind, she urged the audience to encourage women to pursue the careers they want. Sage advice in my book.
LADIES IN LONDON
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| Going for it |
| When former Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko was asked to run for prime minister, she turned to Christine Lagarde for advice. According to Jaresko, the IMF head told her to "grab the girl by the hair" and try her best. Jaresko isn't prime minister, but she took the tip to heart. |
| Fortune |
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| Standing up to racism |
| Nawal Alhawsawi, known as "The Rosa Parks of Saudi Arabia," is fighting racism, sexism, and discrimination against people with disabilities. She earned her nickname after standing up to being called an Arabic racial slur. |
| Fortune |
ALSO SAID
| Too many regs |
| Priceline Group exec Maelle Gavet said tech startups in Europe are being held back by the European Union’s varied regulatory schemes. Any startup that wants to grow on the Continent must deal with legislation that differs from country to country. |
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| Uber wants regs |
| Maybe Uber isn't the rebel it appears to be. Jo Bertram, regional general manager for Uber in the U.K., Ireland, and the Nordics, said, “contrary to popular belief, Uber actually wants to be regulated.” |
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| Lesson from Orlando |
| UAE minister for tolerance Sheika Lubna Al Qasimi said the Orlando shooting shows that Islam has been "hijacked by ISIS." Now, she says, the global community must work together to confront and fight terrorism. |
| Fortune |
DID YOU HEAR?
| Facebook's future |
| Facebook could be very different in five years. Looking to that time horizon, Nicola Mendelsohn, vice president for Facebook in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the social network would “definitely” be mobile, and would “probably be all video.” |
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| Humans are scarier than animals |
| Meet Megan Hine, the survival expert who is more afraid of humans than other creatures. |
| Fortune |
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| Beyond stuff |
| Mary Portas, founder of the communications agency that bears her name, had a tip for anyone thinking of investing in the retail business: the new generation of shoppers no longer trusts big brands and puts a premium on experiences over stuff. "If you’re getting behind any businesses, look at the ones that are going for experience," she said. |
| Fortune |
PARTING WORDS
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| —Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, on Britain's upcoming vote on whether the country should leave the European Union |
