Conference Committee

Meet the team behind the conference, including the Chair, Convenor, and expert reviewers, whose leadership and insights ensure a successful event.

Conference Committee at the Future of Women Conference 2027

The 10^th International Conference on the Future of Women 2027 (FOW 2027) marks a significant milestone, celebrating a decade of bringing together scholars, activists, policymakers, activists and practitioners committed to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment across the globe.

At the heart of this landmark edition is the Conference Committee of the International Conference on Future of Women, a distinguished group of experts whose leadership and insight guide the academic direction, program quality, and strategic vision of the conference. As the intellectual and strategic backbone of FOW 2027, the committee ensures that every aspect of the conference from thematic focus areas to speaker selection is shaped by critical feminist scholarship, global gender priorities, and the 2027 conference theme: “Narratives of Strength: Gender, Power, and Transformation in a Changing World.”

Through a thoughtful process of reviewing global trends, recognizing emerging gender challenges, and prioritizing diverse voices and perspectives, the committee works to ensure that the Future of Women Conference remains a powerful platform where dialogue inspires meaningful change. Their guidance helps shape key discussions on women’s leadership and decision-making, gender justice, economic empowerment, social transformation, and inclusive policies that strengthen opportunities for women and girls worldwide.

As we celebrate the 10th edition of the Future of Women Conference, the Conference Committee continues to champion a shared mission: amplifying women’s voices, fostering transformative dialogue, and building a more equitable and inclusive world for the generations to come.

Conference Chair

Prof. Anita Singh

Centre for Women’s Studies and Development
Banaras Hindu University
India

Conference Chair

Anita Singh is Professor in the Department of English & Co- coordinator, Centre for Women’s Studies and Development at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. She received Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Scholar Fellowship for the year 2013-2014 at the University of Virginia, USA. She was a Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study at Shimla, India (2018–2020). Her book “Staging Feminisms: Gender, Violence and Performance” was published by Routledge in 2021. Her other recent publications include the two edited volumes Gender, Space, and Resistance: Women and Theatre in India, (2013) and Hero and Hero Worship: Fandom in Modern India (2020). She has completed a Major Research Project sanctioned by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, on “Staging Gender: Performing Women in Ramlila of Ramnagar”.

Dr. Singh has published interviews with Indian women performers in the Asian Theatre Journal, contributed in four chapters in the Routledge Handbook of Asian Theatre, ed. Siyuan Liu (2016), and was the Guest Editor for the special issue of the Journal Gender Issues (Springer) 2018. She has also served as the conference Chair for The Future of Women conference held in Malaysia (2018), Colombo, Sri Lanka (2019) and in Bangalore (2020) and is the President of The Asian-African Association for Women, Gender and Sexuality (AAAWGS).

Steering Committee Members

Prof. Alka Singh

Strategic Outreach

Vasanta College for Women
Admitted to the Privileges of Banaras Hindu University
Krishnamurti Foundation
India

Prof. Alka Singh is currently the Principal and Professor of English in Vasanta College for Women, Rajghat, Varanasi. Having teaching experience of more than four decades, she humbly accepted the position of the Principal in 2015. She is holding Ph.D., M.A., B.Ed., PGDTE, and PGCTE (CIEFL) Degree and has expertise in Gender and Subaltern Studies, British Literature, Indian Writing in English and Contemporary Literature in English. An egalitarian in principle she is an ardent supporter of education that stems from a level of consciousness of the humane self. Her major publications include Margaret Drabble’s Novels: Narrative of Identity, Contemporary Issues of Identity, Marginality and Space, Studies in English Literature: A Compendium of Colloquiums, Nature on Centre Stage: A Collection of Short Stories in English and Hindi. Her research papers are published in reputed journals. She is the Member of Editorial Boards of certain academic magazines and journals published by college and other academic Institutions. She is the Member, Board of Studies, Veer Bahadur Purvanchal University, Jaunpur and Member, Editorial Board, Conference Proceedings of Future of Women, TIIKM, Sri Lanka. She is also member of Steering Committee Future of Women, TIIKM, Sri Lanka. She is the External Member, Internal Complaints Committee, Income Tax Department, Varanasi and Chairperson, Internal Complaints Committee, Rajarshi School of Management and Technology, Varanasi. Currently she has been nominated as Member, Executive Committee, Asian African Association for Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Sri Lanka. She is a member of two NGOs, namely KIRAN Society (For Disabled Children) and ASHWA (For Cancer Patient). She is a recipient of various awards for Academic Excellence, Social Services, Education and also the Young Excellence Achievers award. She had been a National Player in Basket Ball and represented State in Hockey. Her remarkable literary acumen and humanitarian outlook are ennobling.

Ms. Pauline Kirk

Professional Engagement

Femvestorsglobal
Singapore

Pauline Kirk is the COO of Ellect, a global leadership and connection platform committed to supporting 100,000 women into leadership and board roles by 2030. With more than 25 years of international leadership experience across APAC, Europe, and the UK, Pauline has led large-scale operational transformation initiatives for organisations including BHP, Deloitte, Marks & Spencer, Toll Group, and Officeworks. She is also an Amazon Bestselling Co-Author of Phenomenal Women Who Boss Up, mentor for the National Association of Women in Operations (NAWO), and a passionate advocate for women supporting women through leadership, mentorship, financial confidence, and meaningful connection. Prior to Ellect, Pauline founded FemvestorsGlobal, a purpose-led financial education platform focused on improving financial literacy and confidence for women globally.

Prof. Dr. Victoria P. Valenzuela

Strategic Outreach

College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
Bulacan State University
Philippines

A professor from the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy of the Bulacan State University, where she also earned her Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Her Master’s degree in Public Health, majoring in Biostatistics, with completed academic requirements, was earned at the University of the Philippines, Manila. Her Master’s degree in Public Administration and her Doctor of Public Administration were completed at the Bulacan State University. She earned her EXECUTIVE COURSE in Public Management Research, 1) Public Management Research Design, and 2) Mentoring and Coaching in Writing a Research Study at the Development Academy of the Philippines.
Among her work achievements is being the Dean of the Graduate School of this esteemed University from 2012 to 2016. After two years, she became the Director of the Community Affairs Office. She also had a short stint as the Executive Assistant to the University President of BulSU in 2016. She also became the Head of the UgnAy research component under the Research Management Office and served as the Head of Community Affairs at the University. Currently, a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Singapore in Public Administration.
Actively a Board member of the Association of Schools for Public Administration (ASPAP, Inc.), a member of the Philippine Society of Public Administration (PSPA) and East Regional Organization of Public Administration (EROPA), a former President of GEACCUP, now the Graduate Education Association of Public Higher Education Institutions (GEAPHEI). Presently, a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Multidisciplinary Applied Business and Education Research (IJMABER) and became a Subject Matter Specialist (Research Reviewer for Division III) of the Bulacan State University. The project leader of Barangay Nagbalon Project from 2022 to present, and Project HoPe (Happiness of Older Persons).

Dr. Bhushan Sharma

Community Engagement

Independent Researcher
India

Dr. Bhushan Sharma is an Independent Researcher from India (Orcid id: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5662-7521). She resumed her studies after a long gap, completed M.A. English (2014) with an M.M.S. scholarship, and earned her Ph.D. in 2020. She authored a book: The Outsiders Within: A Dalit Feminist Standpoint in the Life Narratives of Dalit Women.

She has been the Guest Editor for the three Special Issues (in a Scopus-indexed journal):

1. “Casteing Gender: Intersectional Oppression of Dalit women” (2021).

2. Special Issue on the 7th World Conference on Women’s Studies: Transnational Feminisms: Contexts, Collaborations, Contestations–Toward a Liveable Planet.

3. Co-edited, “Celebrating Unheard Voices of Charismatic Women in Indian Writing in English.”

She has served as the Session Chair, Evaluator, and Scientific Committee Member at “the World Conference on Women’s Studies” since 2022 and as a Steering Committee Member at the “International Conference on the Future of Women” from 2021 to present. She has reviewed research papers at numerous journals indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, and SCI.

Conference Convener

Mr. Isanka P. Gamage

Co-Founder & Managing Director
The International Institute of Knowledge Management
Sri Lanka

Conference Convener

Isanka P. Gamage is a Global South Knowledge Diplomat, global collaborator, and entrepreneur, and the Co-Founder and Managing Director of The International Institute of Knowledge Management (TIIKM).

Through TIIKM, he has been at the forefront of elevating Global South voices onto global academic and policy platforms, fostering meaningful collaboration between the Global South and the Global North. His leadership spans education, knowledge management, research and development, and international conference management.

Isanka has convened over 375 international conferences, founded three international journals, and built global knowledge platforms supporting sustainable development and interdisciplinary research. His work has connected Nobel Laureates, ministries, diplomats, industry leaders, and an academic network of over 450 universities and 2,000 scholars worldwide.

He serves on the Board of Studies of the Institute of Management Sri Lanka, is a certified NLP practitioner, and delivers mindfulness-based leadership and wellbeing programs internationally.

Currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration at the University of Kelaniya, his mission is clear:
to transform conferences into platforms for lifelong collaboration and real global impact—especially for the Global South.