On November 9, 2025, the 7th IEEE Women in Engineering China Leadership Summit (IEEE WIE CLS) was held at the Zhongguancun Exhibition Center in Beijing. Numerous outstanding women gathered to discuss the development and breakthroughs of female leadership in the wave of Artificial Intelligence.

The summit was hosted by IEEE WIE Beijing Affinity Group, IEEE China Council, and IEEE Beijing Representative Office, with support from IEEE WIE Shanghai Affinity Group, IEEE WIE Harbin Affinity Group, IEEE PCCC WIE Committee, the Beijing Society of Image and Graphics , China Society of Image and Graphics Women Science and Technology Workers Committee, and sherewires.

The summit featured 7 keynote speeches and 4 panel discussions, attracting over 100 attendees from academia, industry, and the investment community. Participants collectively explored how to break gender barriers and unlock the potential of women in the innovation ecosystem against the backdrop of AI profoundly reshaping technology and society. The summit focused on the critical role of women in technological development and ethical construction, exploring new, more inclusive and collaborative leadership models. By gathering global experience and wisdom, the event aimed to promote the building of a fairer and more resilient technological future.

The summit officially commenced at 9 am, hosted by Professor Man Zhang, Chair of the IEEE WIE Beijing Affinity Group and Vice Dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

During the opening ceremony, Kathleen A. Kramer, 2025 IEEE President & CEO; Takako Hashimoto, IEEE Region 10 Director (2025–2026) , Director and Deputy to the President at Chiba University of Commerce, Japan; Winnie Ye, IEEE WIE Chair 2025, Full Professor in the Department of Electronics at Carleton University; Yinghong Wen, Chair of IEEE China Council, School of Automation and Intelligence, Beijing Jiaotong University; and Jing Dong, IEEE Asia Pacific Executive Committee member, Chair of the IEEE R10 China Promotion Activities Committee, professor at the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences each delivered remarks. The speakers emphasized that IEEE WIE, as a vital global platform for promoting gender equality in technology, remains committed to empowering female engineers, scientists, and innovators. By building cross-regional and interdisciplinary collaborative networks, the platform continues to expand the influence of women in the global tech ecosystem. The guests expressed their hope for in-depth exchanges and innovative sparks among attendees and wished the summit complete success.

Following the opening remarks, Professor Celia Shahnaz, 2023-2024 IEEE WIE Chair and Non-Voting Member in IEEE MGA Board, delivered a keynote speech titled “AI and Deep Learning for Smart City, Empowerment and Advancement.” Professor Shahnaz introduced her team’s research and the global activities and impact of the IEEE WIE, calling for active participation in empowering women in engineering and technology to jointly promote inclusive innovation and gender equality.

Chen Wei, Executive President of TAL Education Group delivered a keynote on “Educational Innovation and Organizational Development in the AI era.” She shared the positive impacts of AI on company management and the education industry, looking forward to a vision of “love and technology empowering lifelong growth.”

Xingwei Xie, Director of the Department of Clinical Psychology at Beijing Jiaotong University Hospital and Guidance Expert of Beijing Haidian District College Mental Health Service Alliance shared a keynote titled “Let AI save us effort and avoid pitfalls: Liberating the productivity of women in the field of mental health.” She discussed the exploration of AI in mental health, noting that AI needs further development in emotion-capturing capabilities.

Xuehua Li, Dean of the School of Information and Communication Engineering at Beijing Information Science and Technology University, gave a keynote on “Women’s Leadership in the AI Era: Innovations in Scientific Research and Higher Education.” She highlighted the unique advantages of female affinity, empathy, and resilience in education and management.

Following the keynote speeches, the first forum focused on ” AI + Industry – Women – Led Innovative Applications.” Convened by Lei Han (eputy Director of the Journal Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Editorial Director of CSEE JPES, Founding Director and Vice Chairman of the IEEE PCCC Women’s Committee, Publicity Chair of the IEEE WIE Beijing Chapter, and Member of the Women Engineers Committee of the Chinese Society of Electrical Engineering) and hosted by Qianhong Wu (Senior Engineer at China Electric Power Research Institute Co., Ltd.), the forum invited Lin Guan (Professor in Electric Power College, South China University of Technology), Yu Zhihong (Professor-level Senior Engineer at China Electric Power Research Institute Co., Ltd), Dr. Dongmei Zhao (Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at North China Electric Power University), and Dr. Ziqi Wang (Second Department of Market Trading, Beijing Electric Power Trading Center, Senior engineer working in the State Grid Economic and Technological Research Institute Co., Ltd, and Part-time Supervisor for graduate students in China Agricultural University). They shared experiences integrating AI with power technology

The afternoon continued with Dr. Jessica Bian, CTO at RAS Fusion, IEEE Fellow, and a memberof US National Academy of Engineering. She presented “The Art of Strategic Influence—Elevate Your Career with Confidence”, and provided a comprehensive overview of IEEE and encouraged using interdisciplinary strategies to optimize management.

Then, Haixia Zhang, Professor at Peking University, the founder of the International Student iCAN Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, and the initiator and Chair of the iCANX International Scientist Federation shared the speech of “From Alice to Alita: My Journey in the AI Era”. She discussed her research transformation and emphasized the importance of hardware-software integration and cross-national disciplinary exchange.

Qing Li, IEEE APAC Area Manager, delivered a report on “Shaping the Responsible Future of AI: IEEE CertifAIEd AI Ethics Certification Leads a New Chapter,” stressing the core importance of ethical standards in AI applications.

Following the speech, Professor Zhuo Li (College of Smart Materials and Future Energy at Fudan University) hosted AI and Smart Devices. Panelists included Yingying Zhang (Professor at the Department of Chemistry at Tsinghua University), Lan Yin (Associate Professor in School of Materials Science and Engineering at Tsinghua University), Youfan Hu (Associate Professor in the School of Electronics at Peking University), Lili Wang (Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences) and Hua Shen (Assistant Professor of Computer Science at NYU Shanghai). They discussed the application, challenges, and future of AI in interdisciplinary fields like materials and devices.

The forum titled ”Cross-Border Collaboration in the AI era: Reconstructing the Ecological Value of Women’s Leadership” was hosted by Wei Wang (Senior Internet Media Person, Former Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Sina.com, Independent Director of Listed Company). Panelists included Sandy Dong (Head of the Technology Management Department at Guoke Guangxin Jinxing (Beijing) Laboratory Technology; The Scientific Curator and Science Lead at Furry Planet), Nicole Chen (Managing Director for North APAC and Country Head for China at the London Stock Exchange Group), Helen Huang (Zhongguancun IQ Alliance Vice- Chairman and member of Tech-women She Rewires Co-Building Association, expert of ISO / TC 336 Laboratory Design), and Lexie Pan (the First Chinese Global Business Unit General Manager in NI). They discussed achieving personal value, balancing multiple roles, and building unique leadership in the AI era.

The last Student Growth Forum was hosted by Ruoxi Xiang (Lecturer, School of Information Science, Beijing Language and Culture University). Guests included Kunlai Li (Beihang University), Yuhan Wu (Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications), Qiwei Shi (China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences), Jie Mei (North China Electric Power University), JiaHui Jiao (Minzu University of China), and Yingkai Yue (Minzu University of China). The young professionals shared insights on AI’s impact on research and the importance of gender perspectives in technology.

The 2025 IEEE WIE Leadership Summit concluded successfully amidst the warm applause of guests and attendees. This grand event not only highlighted the firm commitment to promoting gender equality in technology but also injected new momentum into the inclusive development of the global tech community.In the future, IEEE will continue to unite and inspire female technology workers, leverage the creativity and cohesion of women, promote their outstanding contributions, and inspire more young women to pursue careers in science and engineering, jointly advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. IEEE is always on the way!