IPWS (International Professional Women’s Society) is a volunteer-run, nonprofit platform for dynamic women with diverse professional backgrounds to connect.
Through our community and events, we build networks, foster personal growth, and develop professionally. We warmly welcome all professional levels, all nationalities and all genders as members to our organisation and participants to our events.
Connect. Grow. Inspire. Lead.
Our Vision
Empowering female professionals to shape the future of leadership worldwide.
The organisation is run by a volunteer Board of Directors, Board Advisors, Committee Members, Interns and Volunteers. Read more about IPWS operations by visiting ipwsconnect.com or click ‘read more’ at the end of the post.
At a Glance
2018 marked IPWS’ 25th anniversary.
In the 2017-18 season, we organized more than 30 events.
We have a growing reach of more than 8,000 professional women.
300 people attended our signature event, the Leadership Summit in 2018.
We host the annual Women Leadership Awards in China.
We are part of the Mentor Walks program.
We are engaged in long term partnership with 43 other communities in Shanghai.
Learn more about IPWS by reading our Annual Report 2017-2018
Our History
IPWS was founded in 1993 in Shanghai by 13 professional women who wanted to mingle with like-minded women. The group began meeting casually for a coffee each month, and over the following 12 months, thanks to word-of-mouth, IPWS had expanded to 80 members. Since then, the organisation has continued to grow and develop in response to the changing times and evolving role of professional women in China.
In March 2016, the organisation re-branded from EPWS (Expatriate Professional Women’s Society) to IPWS (International Professional Women’s Society) to reflect the society’s evolution to a global community of women with an international outlook.
Our Events
We host events monthly, as well as support partner events. Our monthly series, the IPWS Thought Activator is a networking based event, with a twist. We come together each month around a specific topic or question and network with other women (and men) through meaningful conversations. We hold four larger events throughout the year, with our annual, signature event, the IPWS Summit at the end of May.
Connect with IPWS
Tune in the community by joining us on WeChat (scan the QR code below), LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook @ipwsconnect
Official WeChat Account
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