Environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements can create new career and business opportunities for women, but poorly designed compliance systems may also place disproportionate burdens on women-owned enterprises, speakers observed at a seminar held at United International University (UIU) on August 18.
The School of Business and Economics (SoBE) at UIU organized the seminar, titled “Navigating ESG & Climate Mandates: Risks and Rewards for Female Professionals and Women-Owned Firms,” as the third event in its monthly NEXUS Seminar Series.
Delivering the keynote lecture, Afifa Raihana, senior environmental specialist at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), explained how ESG and climate-related requirements are reshaping business strategy, investment decisions, market access, competitiveness and long-term resilience.
She highlighted new career opportunities emerging for women in areas such as environmental and social management, cleaner production, renewable energy, ESG reporting, sustainable finance, environmental consulting and climate-risk assessment.
To take advantage of these opportunities, she stressed the importance of combining technical knowledge with communication, stakeholder engagement and policy literacy.
Raihana also cautioned that complex environmental and social compliance requirements can impose disproportionate costs on women-owned firms with limited access to finance, information and technical expertise.
At the same time, she argued that effective compliance can strengthen business credibility and facilitate access to corporate supply chains, export markets, public procurement and sustainability-linked finance.
The keynote lecture was followed by a panel discussion featuring three distinguished professionals from the healthcare, construction and education sectors.
Priti Chakraborty, senior vice-president of the Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI), emphasized the importance of aligning academic education with real-world sustainability practices so that young people are better prepared for changing workplace and business requirements.
Drawing on her experience in the male-dominated construction industry, Fahima Shahadat, country manager for Bangladesh at Menard Group (France), discussed the professional and social barriers faced by women seeking to enter technical fields and advance into leadership positions.
She called for stronger collaboration among universities, employers, policymakers and professional networks to help women professionals and women-led businesses respond to evolving global standards.
Sabrina Shaheed, principal of Sir John Wilson School, underscored the importance of introducing environmental responsibility, entrepreneurship and leadership development before students enter university.
She argued that schools can help girls develop confidence, problem-solving abilities and responsible risk-taking from an early age.
Convenor and moderator of the NEXUS Seminar Series Prof M Niaz Asadullah, said: “NEXUS was created to bridge academic learning and professional practice by bringing leading industry experts and practitioners into direct conversation with UIU students and faculty. The ESG transition illustrates precisely why this bridge is necessary: universities must prepare students not only to understand emerging global standards, but also to apply them in ways that support competitiveness and inclusive growth.”
Prof Salma Karim, director of the BBA Program at UIU, delivered the welcome remarks.
The NEXUS Seminar Series is a monthly initiative of the School of Business and Economics at UIU.
