KYOTO -- Business leaders from 11 countries agreed Friday to create a network to help women entrepreneurs around the world.

The consensus was reached at the 9th Women Entrepreneurs International Exchange Program 2001, attended by about 40 female business leaders and executives.

Yuri Konno, CEO of Dial Service Co. and head of the forum's organizing committee, said she plans to make the committee serve as the secretariat for creating a network of female business leaders.

"It is important to exchange information among female business leaders in different countries," Konno said.

The comments came in response to a request by one of the participants, Chun Young Sun, president of Communication Good Place Co., in South Korea.

In the symposium, titled "Era of Creation and Innovation," business leaders and executives touched on the many difficulties facing them and emphasized the importance of strengthening networks. They also said that the role of the female entrepreneur is becoming more important.

Shi Qingqi, executive vice president of the China Association of Women Entrepreneurs, said in a keynote speech that female entrepreneurs in China face a lack of market knowledge.

"Women entrepreneurs are still in a cradle stage," Shi said, pointing out that most of them have only been in business since 1995. But she also said that as the China market grows, opportunities will also increase.

Lorna Bender, vice president of alliance at KnowNow Inc. of the U.S., stressed the importance of creating networks and maintaining good relationships with others to succeed in business.

"I believe that one of the constants in succeeding in business is the value of the network and relationships sustained over the years," Bender said. "Those relationships, and the ability to create new ones, are an entrepreneur's greatest asset."

Bender started her career at Hewlett-Packard before moving to Netscape Communications during the boom in the high-tech industry in the U.S.