New York conference puts the spotlight on powerful women in luxury

With 2018 marking a century since women won the landmark right to vote, it seems the perfect time to celebrate the female business leaders who are elevating luxury businesses. And so the Women in Luxury conference, now in its second year, is this year putting the spotlight on how luxury businesses are evolving from physical retail to creative, digital spaces. 

The conference, which will be held at UBS bank's U.S. headquarters in New York on 26 September, will gather together high-ranking executives from some of the world's most important brands – including Chanel, UBS, Facebook, Piaget and Apple – to deliver keynote speeches about topics from Women and Wealth: Trends and Opportunities for Managing Wealth, Driving Seat: Women Take the Wheel in Luxury Automotive and Female Executives in Male-Dominated Fields. 

Last year's inaugural conference, created by Luxury Daily, focused on women as consumers, highlighting that women hold around 30% of the world's wealth but can often be an afterthought in major marketing strategy, particularly in the financial sector. The conference also concluded that 77% of female investors are looking to fund companies with diverse leadership, while 90% want their investments to further social wellbeing, impacting a growing investment trend. 

This year will also no doubt continue discussions on China's growing luxury market, following the trend noted in many recent business conferences including London's FUTR Millennial 20/20 digital summit last month. Keynote speaker Raul Rios, senior director of strategy at Walton Isaacson, spoke in 2017 of the high number of Chinese women in leadership positions and the impact that has had on the country's luxury automotive industry.