Sharon Gai

Sharon Gai es una canadiense nacida en China que tiene más de 10 años en comercio electrónico, marketing digital y creación de marcas.

El haber inmigrado a temprana edad a un nuevo país en donde no hablaba el idioma local, la llevó a desarrollar habilidades como la adaptabilidad y resiliencia, además de despertar su creatividad, por lo que puede hoy conectarse tanto con Oriente como con Occidente.

Sharon se graduó con honores en la licenciatura de Desarrollo Internacional de McGill y tiene una Maestría en Gestión de la Información de la Universidad de Columbia, además fungió como Global Shaper en el capítulo de China del Foro Económico Mundial.

Comenzó su carrera en comercio electrónico en una compañía integradora de sistemas de Fortune 500. Luego fue seleccionada para formar parte de la Academia de Liderazgo Global de Alibaba, un programa creado por Jack Ma con una tasa de aceptación del 0,3 %, que contrató a líderes globales para globalizar los grupos empresariales internos de Alibaba.

Mientras trabajó en Tmall, la plataforma de comercio electrónico más grande de China, asesoró a grandes marcas emergentes de Internet en la elaboración de su estrategia de marketing digital y comercio electrónico en línea en China. Ocupó el cargo de Directora de Cuentas Clave Globales en Tmall demostrando grandes cualidades de liderazgo implementando estrategias omnicanales para Xiaomi, Adidas, AS Watson, P&G y H&M.

Ha sido conferencista magistral en más de 100 eventos para empresas de retail y comercio electrónico como Shoptalk, Ecomworld, Etail y Ecommerce Asia, con más de 40,000 asistentes, así como presentadora ante gobiernos y jefes de estado sobre los desarrollos de la industria tecnológica en China. Además, ha aparecido en CCTV, Techcrunch, Retail Asia, The Next Web y Singularity University.

Es la autora del libro «Ecommerce Reimagined: what we can learn in retail and ecommerce from China».

Culture Fluid: the new way to thrive in an ever-changing world

The world is shifting at speeds that are now faster than ever. From ChatGPT displacing thousands of jobs to cashless societies and digital currencies, we live in what Sharon calls a VUCA (Volatility, Uncertain, Complicated, Ambiguous) time. This is when businesses must adapt to a newer way of thinking. Sharon provides a fresh take as someone who has worked in the top companies in the US and China. She has led teams from Gen X to Gen Z, across various diverse backgrounds and types of companies. Apart from being a DEI speaker where she coined the term “Culture Fluid”, she uses the same agile methodology in a business setting, opening companies and projects that have beat competitors and disrupted industries. Culture Fluid shows how businesses can be agile to fit the changing tides for a VUCA time ahead. Sharon uses first-hand experience and actionable insights to present a compelling vision of the future world and leaves the audience with tools and an approach to develop a strategy to succeed in the shifting landscape of the 21st-century tech-driven and digital economy.

In this keynote, you will learn:

• The key macro-trends that are disrupting our world today
• An overview of what your industry will look like in the near and distant future
• Five key strategies today’s most successful players are adopting to prepare for tomorrow
• How to evolve into a more agile and disruptive competitor
• Tools and a process for developing concrete ideas for a strategy and approaches that could disrupt the industry


How AI will disrupt e-commerce and retail

The rapid growth of e-commerce, fueled by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), is transforming the retail landscape, impacting various aspects of the industry. AI is revolutionizing personalization and customer experience through tailored product recommendations and improved customer service. It streamlines inventory management and optimizes supply chain processes, enhancing cybersecurity and fraud prevention. Additionally, AI plays a crucial role in payment processing, pricing strategies, visual search, social media marketing, sentiment analysis, content generation, and virtual and augmented reality technologies integration. By understanding these AI-driven developments, senior executives in large retail and e-commerce businesses can prepare their organizations to thrive and remain competitive in an increasingly AI-driven retail landscape.

In this keynote, you will learn:

• Trends in AI that will improve customer experience and foster loyalty
• AI-driven tools, leading to cost savings and increased efficiency
• Frameworks to think about other technologies that disrupt the retail industry
• Clarity and direction on immersive and interactive shopping experiences, setting businesses apart from competitors

The Dark Side of AI: Anxiety, Isolation, and Job Displacement

Discover the essential tools for thriving in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) with this workshop. This immersive experience will empower you to face the challenges and uncertainties brought on by AI's rapid advancements, transforming potential threats into opportunities for growth and success. Join us as we delve into the complex world of AI and its impact on mental health. Together, we'll unravel the intricate web of anxiety, social isolation, and job displacement that may arise from these technological advancements. We will guide you through thought-provoking discussions and interactive exercises designed to help you develop effective coping strategies and build resilience in the face of uncertainty. Don't let AI's potential pitfalls hold you back from achieving your full potential. Arm yourself with the knowledge and skills necessary to embrace the AI revolution with confidence, and turn the challenges of the digital age into opportunities for personal and professional growth.1

In this keynote, you will learn:

• Examine the potential negative consequences of AI on mental health, including increased anxiety, social isolation, and job displacement
• Discuss coping strategies for dealing with the uncertainty and stress related to AI advancements

Unraveling Asian American Misconceptions and Breaking Barriers

From the rise of Asian hate crimes to the disintegrating relations between China and the US, Asian Americans are suffering from stereotypes and prejudice from classrooms to work offices. What are the origins and effects of these myths on individuals and communities? Sharon will share her Asian American experience as she uncovers the roots of these stereotypes and their impact on Asian Americans. This hour-long workshop will empower you with the knowledge and tools to challenge and dismantle these misconceptions, fostering a more inclusive and equitable environment for all. Learn how to recognize and address the Model Minority myth, the Bamboo Ceiling, and the Perpetual Foreigner stereotype, and be part of the change in breaking down barriers for Asian Americans.

• Addressing the Model Minority myth and its implications on Asian Americans
• Understanding the Bamboo Ceiling and how it impacts career progression
• Exploring the Perpetual Foreigner stereotype and its consequences on identity and belonging
• Empowering ourselves and others to challenge and break free from harmful misconceptions

How to Build Resilience in Chaos

In Nassim Nicholas Taleb's book, Antifragile, he spoke of three mythological creatures. The Roman myth of Damocles describes a fragile situation: a single horse hair suspends a sword over Damocles' head - shocks will have catastrophic results. The legend of the Phoenix describes a mythical bird that rises from the ashes after its destruction. The phoenix is robust because it returns to its original state after a shock. Finally, the myth of the Hydra describes a multi-headed serpent with a special power: each time a head is cut off, two grow back in its place. The Hydra is antifragile because shocks make it stronger.

Ever been in a situation where you feel like the world seems to be plotting against you? You’ve lost control? And feel rising anxiety? What seemed like one thing wrong might end up seeming like everything’s wrong. Learn how to adjust your mindset in this hour-long workshop on How to Build Resilience in Chaos. Learn the difference between internal and external locus of control and recognize which situations we can influence and which we can’t. Resilience is the ability to withstand, recover, and bounce back in the midst of stress, chaos, and ever-changing situations. Being resilient is especially important in today's VUCA world. VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. where everyone is worn down, uncertain about the future, reactive, and short-tempered. The good news is that resiliency is a skill that can be learned and improved with practice. In fact, to be an effective leader today, this is an essential skill for career success. This workshop is filled with specific, practical frameworks and tools to boost your mental toughness when facing fast-paced, difficult, ever-changing, and ambiguous situations.

• Tools used to cope with ongoing stress so it doesn't affect your personal life or health
• Keeping yourself and your team motivated for the long road of change initiatives and shifting priorities
• Instead of fearing change, learning how to embrace change
• Remaining poised under pressure: how to instantly calm yourself and others from frustration or anger


How to work with globally distributed teams

We love the days when we wear PJs as work outfits. We also miss the days of the bustling office. How is the new persistent way of work affecting our workforce, productivity, and our relationship with our coworkers? In the future, more jobs will be outsourced to either cities with cheaper labor or sometimes to other countries. Companies will need to learn to function with more distributed teams. Before, there were happy hours and in-person team bonding activities to keep up employee engagement. In the WFH and hybrid age, how can remote teams still feel connected with their colleagues? How can satellite offices in other time zones stay connected and sustain motivation? In this workshop, Sharon showcases knowledge management frameworks from organizational behavior that answer how best to manage WFH and hybrid environments as leaders, managers, and employees. This workshop will teach HR practitioners, company owners, and employees how to stay connected in an increasing WFH or hybrid environment.

• How to create the same sense of “togetherness” as an in-person team as leaders and managers
• Knowledge management frameworks for distributed teams – what is the best communication mechanism, text, email, call, in person, and for what situations
• Fun activities team leaders can initiate for distributed teams

Culture Fluid: How to be a bridge in a divided world

So there is EQ and IQ, but ever heard of CQ? CQ stands for cultural intelligence and is the ability of someone to navigate different cultures, whether at work, at home, or generally in society. If you’ve moved countries, been an ex-pat, been on an exchange, learned a new language, or just traveled abroad, most likely you’ve been met with some sort of cultural shake-up. Being culture fluid enables us to traverse between cultures more easily by being more empathetic to those from another culture, a skill that is more and more needed in an increasingly globalized world. In this 60-minute workshop, Sharon will take the audience through her journey of growing up as an immigrant and then returning to her birth country to work for the largest local internet company. She shares stories of workplace microaggressions she has experienced in both places and what she did in each instance. Open discussions will follow where participants can also share their stories and the group is given the chance to assess what are the best courses of action to take in the future. She ends the presentation by showcasing how she answers the question – where are you from?

• Learn how to be the bridge in a team with different cultures
• Cultural intelligence and its importance in the workplace
• How to take advantage of diverse cultures in teams