Sungjoo Foundation Committed To Women's Causes, Supporting Education And Mentoring#
As Jing Daily noted earlier this week, charity is in at the moment in China among the country's upper crust, but charitable donations are increasing among major companies as well. This week in Beijing, at the Global Summit of Women 2010, Sung-Joo Kim, the owner and CEO of the luxury leathergoods brand MCM, announced a new philanthropic initiative and pledged a donation of US$1 million to the Global Summit of Women over the course of 10 years in its aim to develop the next generation of women leaders. Kim's new charitable organization, the Sungjoo Foundation, "is committed to enabling women to realise their potential through education, mentoring, and by supporting charitable causes."
Kim's reasons for kicking off these high-profile endeavors in Beijing are likely driven in no small part by MCM's stronger push into the China luxury market. Earlier this year, the company built its first free-standing duty free outlet in Chongqing, increasing its China-based locations to four, and Global Travel Retail Director Gerry Munday said MCM plans to open "dozens of new stores" throughout the country in the next two years.
The official announcement of the launch of the Sungjoo Foundation was made during the Global Women’s Leadership Awards Gala Dinner at Beijing's Marriott City Wall Hotel, attended by global leaders from all sectors of society, including Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Hon. Maud Olofsson, Vice President of Vietnam Hon. Nguyen Thi Doan, Chile Minister for Women Hon. Carolina Schmidt, First Lady of Tanzania Salma Kikwete, and 250 women leaders from China such as senior government officials, top executives and CEOs.
As it has every year the company has attended, MCM donated conference bags to all Summit participants and hosted a pop-up store and a Design Show showcasing its Spring/Summer 2010 collection.
MCM also collaborated with internationally renowned Brazilian neo-pop artist and artistic activist Romero Britto to produce a limited-edition scarf in honor of both Sungjoo Group and the Global Summit of Women’s 20th anniversaries. The pure silk scarf collection consists of two scarf designs which were sold during the Summit, and whose proceeds went to the Global Summit of Women.
