CEOs AND BUSINESS LEADERS CHAMPION COURAGE, RESILIENCE AND INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP AT 2026 WORLD EDITION OF BREAK THE CEILING TOUCH THE SKY® IN SINGAPORE

43rd international edition celebrates Asia's Most Inspirational Women in Leadership and Global Male Champions for Gender Equality, highlighting the business impact of gender-balanced leadership.

House of Rose Professional's BTC 101 Global Index highlights stronger revenue and profit growth among companies with gender-balanced leadership.

Key executives from the global House of Rose Professional community to convene next in London on November 6, 2026.

SINGAPORE, Oct. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CEOs, C-suite executives, business leaders and changemakers from around the world convened in Singapore on October 12 for the 2026 World Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky® – the success and leadership summit for women (and all allies), identifying the critical leadership capabilities required to build stronger businesses and a better world in an increasingly disrupted global environment.

Hosted by House of Rose Professional® – The Global Leadership Company™, the 2026 World Edition marked the 43rd international edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky®. Under the theme "Lead Beyond Limits: Courage. Growth. Impact," the summit brought together an exceptional cross-section of global business leaders to share insights, experiences and best practices on the future of leadership, organizational performance and success.

Across a full day of CEO dialogue, expert sessions, mentoring and deeply personal leadership stories, one message emerged clearly: the leadership playbook is changing. Winning in the years ahead will demand leaders who can harness AI and innovation, navigate geopolitical and economic uncertainty, build resilient and high-performing organizations, attract and unleash exceptional talent, lead inclusively and demonstrate the courage and adaptability to continually reinvent themselves. Equally important will be the ability of leaders to invest in their own health, wellness and sustained personal performance.

GENDER-BALANCED LEADERSHIP: A BUSINESS IMPERATIVE

At the summit, Anthony A. Rose, Chairman and CEO of House of Rose Professional® and founder of Break the ceiling touch the sky®, shared findings from the company's proprietary 2026 BTC 101 Global Index, examining gender balance across the senior leadership teams and Boards of the world's 500 largest companies.

The research reinforced the business case for gender-balanced leadership. In the 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky® 101 Global Index

• 73% of BTC 101 Index companies reported year-over-year revenue growth, compared to 60% of non-Index companies
• 52% of BTC 101 Index companies reported year-over-year profit growth, compared to 47% of non-Index companies
• In the bottom 100 amongst non-Index Companies, only 48% grew revenue versus year ago and only 44% grew profit

The findings highlight the positive correlation between gender-balanced leadership and business performance, underscoring the importance of accelerating women's advancement into CEO, C-suite and Board positions as a strategic business growth priority.

The discussions at the 2026 World Edition reinforced the growing importance of developing exceptional leaders, unlocking the full potential of diverse talent and strengthening collaboration between businesses and leaders to achieve sustainable growth and positive societal impact.

THE NEW LEADERSHIP MANDATE: COURAGE, INNOVATION AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE

The 2026 World Edition featured Scott Price, Group CEO, DFI Retail Group, delivering the CEO keynote, "The New Leadership Mandate in a Disrupted World," alongside senior executives and thought leaders from organizations including UPS, Bayer, Singtel, ABB, Diageo, DFI Retail Group, Singapore International Chamber of Commerce, Philip Morris, Tata International, Goodyear, McCann and others.

Discussions explored how leaders and organizations must evolve to remain competitive in an era of rapid technological change, geopolitical uncertainty, shifting workforce expectations and increasing pressure to deliver sustainable business results.

Leadership lessons also extended beyond the corporate world.

Joanne Soo, a member of the first Singaporean all-women team to summit Mount Everest, shared powerful lessons on courage, resilience, teamwork and overcoming seemingly impossible challenges in her session, "Conquering Your Everest."

Brian Peters, former Mr. Universe and House of Rose Professional Advisor, explored the connection between physical fitness, personal wellness, resilience and sustained leadership performance, reinforcing the importance of investing in human performance alongside organizational performance.

Together, the sessions demonstrated that exceptional leadership in the years ahead will require a powerful combination of business acumen, technological adaptability, emotional resilience, inclusive leadership and personal well-being.

CELEBRATING ASIA'S MOST INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN AND GLOBAL MALE CHAMPIONS FOR GENDER EQUALITY

A highlight of the 2026 World Edition was the recognition of the 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky® Asia's Most Inspirational Women in Leadership and the 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky® Global Male Champions for Gender Equality.

Selected from a pool of more than 3,000 women considered, the 2026 Asia's Most Inspirational Women in Leadership recognition celebrated exceptional women whose leadership, achievements and contributions are inspiring the next generation of leaders and helping create stronger, more inclusive and higher-performing organizations.

The summit also celebrated exceptional male champions whose advocacy, leadership and commitment to advancing gender equality demonstrate the critical role that men must play alongside women in accelerating progress.

The recognition reinforced a central message of Break the ceiling touch the sky®: building better leadership, better business and a better world requires the active participation and commitment of both women and men.

BUILDING THE WORLD'S BEST LEADERS TO BUILD THE WORLD'S BEST BUSINESSES AND A BETTER WORLD

Commenting on the summit, Anthony A. Rose, Chairman and CEO, House of Rose Professional®, said:

"The future will belong to leaders who combine courage, resilience, innovation and inclusion with the ability to deliver exceptional business performance. Our 43rd international edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky® reinforced a fundamental truth: better leadership builds better businesses and a better world.

Our mission at House of Rose Professional is to build the world's best leaders to build the world's best businesses and a better world. The insights and experiences shared by exceptional leaders at our global forums throughout 2026 are helping us shape the future of leadership and how we can collectively accelerate progress. We look forward to continuing this important dialogue in London on November 6."

The 2026 World Edition of Break the ceiling touch the sky® was sponsored by DFI Retail Group and CEOSource®, the premium retained executive search brand of House of Rose Professional®, focused on CEO, C-suite and Board appointments.

Established in 2015, Break the ceiling touch the sky® has grown into a global success and leadership platform with editions serving the Americas, Asia, India, Australia and New Zealand, the Middle East and Africa, and Europe.

The summit was inspired by Anthony Rose's best-selling book, "Break the ceiling touch the sky® – success secrets of the world's most inspirational women," published in 2014 in honour of his late mother.

The global initiative is supported by a distinguished network of industry partners, including the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce, American Chamber of Commerce, British Chamber of Commerce, European Chamber of Commerce, EU-ASEAN Business Council, Swiss Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, New Zealand Chamber of Commerce and Singapore Council of Women's Organisations, among others.

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP COMMUNITY TO CONVENE NEXT IN LONDON ON NOVEMBER 6

Following the Singapore World Edition, senior executives from the global Break the ceiling touch the sky® community will convene next in London on November 6, 2026, for the 2026 Break the ceiling touch the sky® Europe + UK President's Breakfast Roundtable of Champions, organized by House of Rose Professional® and CEOSource® in partnership with The Wella Company.

The exclusive forum will bring together senior business leaders to continue the global dialogue on better leadership, better business, better inclusion and a better world, sharing actionable insights and strengthening collaboration across the international leadership community.

ABOUT HOUSE OF ROSE PROFESSIONAL^®

House of Rose Professional® – The Global Leadership Company™ builds the world's best leaders to build the world's best businesses and a better world through its integrated portfolio across Talent, Training and Transformation.

Its portfolio includes:

• CEOSource® – its premium, founder-led retained executive search business focused on CEO, C-suite and Board appointments.
• BELIEVE® – its specialist executive search brand focused on exceptional women leaders.
• Break the ceiling touch the sky® – its global success and leadership platform for women and all allies.
• CEOSmith® – its executive coaching and leadership transformation practice.

Since 2014, House of Rose Professional® has empowered more than 70,000 leaders across over 750 organizations worldwide, working with leading organizations across the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand.

MEDIA / BUSINESS CONTACT

House of Rose Professional®

Anthony A. Rose

Email: anthony@houseofroseprofessional.com

Website: www.houseofroseprofessional.com

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