The Financial Women’s Association Of San Francisco: “Growing a Career in Finance”

Join us for this evening event to hear Cathie Lesjak, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Hewlett-Packard, discuss the path she took to become CFO of one of the world’s largest IT companies and share the lessons she has learned along the way. In particular, Cathie will focus on career development, which is an integrated part of HP’s culture and something about which Cathie is passionate. She will share the “yellow brick road” to her current position and describe how seeking out mentors and putting yourself in challenging situations will help you grow in your career.

Click here to register online.

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Estate Planning in a Down Economy: Take Advantage of the Financial Crisis

MBorrelli_1_.JPGContributed by Melissa Borrelli, Esq. of Hanson Bridgett LLP.

Most people know that they should have an estate plan in place; however, making estate planning a priority is difficult even in the best of times, let alone during times of financial crisis. While the benefits of estate planning are well known – including providing for your family and friends, avoiding probate, reducing estate taxes, helping a favorite cause, and planning for incapacity – the advantages of estate planning in a down economy are less familiar.

By making strategic estate planning decisions now, while asset values continue to drop and interest rates are at all time lows, individuals are able to pass more to future generations and reduce or eliminate estate taxes. Estate planners have a number of tools that take full advantage of a bad economy, including:

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Ask-A-Recruiter: Three Common Job Search Bobbles

istock_000005168521xsmall1.jpgContributed by Caroline Ceniza-Levine of SixFigureStart

The ball pops out of the shortstop’s glove, even though it went straight at him. “Oh, he bobbled it,” the sportscaster calls. It’s not a career-ender, but it may get the runner on, and maybe that runner will score. In the end, the bobble may be costly. Job search bobbles are small and may fall under the radar. But, they can be costly, so try to avoid them:

Presentation counts. Mickey Mouse dress socks peek from under a candidate’s slacks as he sits down. The candidate doesn’t get the job, as the employer interprets his choice of socks as a lapse in professional judgment. (True story, and this happened at the meeting when our client was going to make this candidate an offer!)

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Monthly Meeting of the Foreign Women Lawyers’ Association (FWLA) (Tokyo)

The FWLA is very pleased to have Joy Fuyuno as its special guest speaker on March 10th. Joy is a partner and member of White & Case’s Tokyo Antitrust and Competition Law Practice Group and will explain the requirements and enforcement provisions under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and why we should be aware of such requirements even though our companies and our clients are engaging in business outside of the United States.


RSVP: fwla.events@gmail.com by March 6th (Friday)

FWLA meetings are open to the public. Everyone — men and women, lawyers and those interested in the law or simply the featured topics of discussion — are always welcome to attend our meetings so please invite your friends and colleagues to attend this exciting presentation. Guests do not need to accompany a member.

Fee Structure
Members Y3000; Full-Time Student Members Y1500; Non-Members and Guests Y5000; Student Non-Members and Guests Y2000 (please present student ID).

Venue Access
The FWLA would like to thank White & Case for their generous invitation and use of their conference room and facilities.

Contact
If you have any questions about meetings or the venue and how to get there, please do not call White & Case as they will not be able to respond on behalf of the FWLA. Please email the FWLA at fwla@gol.com or contact any of the executive committee members. If you have difficulty on the night of a meeting, please call Jay Ponazecki on her mobile at 090-6187-5514.

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Networking For Professionals: High Speed Networking New York

Network with other professionals, one on one, a few minutes at a time. Leave with a pocket full of business cards and a ton of new business connections! Includes: Light Hors D’oeuvres. Cash Bar.

Contact Amanda Nissman 212-227-6556 for more information or

adminNFP@networkingforprofessionals.com

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Gender-Bilingual Companies

morice_mendoza_1_.jpgContributed by Morice Mendoza, Editor, www.Women-omics.com

Imagine a board discussion at a large multinational company. One of the directors, a smart forward-thinker, makes a presentation in which he says that the company could achieve a 112% higher return on invested capital if it made one transformational change to its organisational structure and culture. The board would jump at the chance to make such a difference to its performance, ensuring the change programme is a number one priority.

Now, put this discussion against the context of the current economic climate in which the smartest brains in the financial world have managed to shed billions of dollars worth of corporate value because of their over-extended risk-taking behaviour. Also, set this against the context of several decades of management thinking, which has put shareholder value above everything else, even if it meant getting rid of 100,000s of employees or damaging local communities.

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Work Life Conference

Work Life Conference
Collaborations for Change: Innovations in Challenging Times

Look ahead one year, five years, ten years—what do you see? This conference will provide a guided tour of the trends and innovations that are shaping the future of work. Our goal is to provide the cutting-edge information, promising practices and tools that shift our perspective from defensive to offensive and equip us to take on challenges and seek out opportunities rather than simply respond.

Agenda highlights include:

Who are the “Millenials”? A Look at the Next Generation of Employees
Scott Cowen, President, Tulane University

What’s New in Work Life: Five–Minute Spotlights
Moderator
Maureen Corcoran, Vice President, Diversity, Prudential Financial

Luncheon:The Conference Board Work Life Leadership Council’s Media Award and Moving into the Future Awards
Maryella Gockel, Ernst & Young, Co–Chair, Work Life Leadership Council
Nina Madoo, Marriott International, Co–Chair, Work Life Leadership Council

Transforming Company Culture: Innovative Collaborations for Increasing Employee Engagment and Embedding Flexibility
Sharon K. Klun, Director, US Work/Life Initiatives, Accenture
Richard S. Westphal, Director, US Retain Talent, Accenture
Maryella Gockel, Flexibility Strategy Leader, Ernst & Young

Are You Connected? An Introduction to Social Media and Its Potential for Work Life
Morra Aarons–Mele, Principal, Women and Work Consulting

Lessons from Working Around the World
Maria Ferris, Director, Global Workforce Diversity Programs, IBM Corporation
Peter Linkow, President, WFD Consulting, Research Leader, Research Working Group on Managing a Distant Workforce, The Conference Board

The Latest in Flexibility
Barbara Taylor, General Counsel and BDO Flex Chair, BDO Seidman, LLP
Cali Williams Yost, Chief Executive Officer, Work+Life Fit, Inc.
Barbara Pagano, Co–founder, yourSABBATICAL.com, EdgeQuests, Inc.
Elizabeth Pagano, Co–founder, yourSABBATICAL.com, EdgeQuests, Inc.
Martha T. Blaine, MBA, Executive Director, Community Council of Greater Dallas

Corporate Social Responsibility
Sandra Turner, Director, EY Assist, Ernst & Young
Elyse Rosenblum, Vice President of Workforce Readiness, Corporate Voices for Working Families
Marci Koblenz, Co–Founder and President, Center for Companies That Care

Interactive Media: A New Way to Create Change that Sticks
Eric Brown, Co–founder and Chief Executive Officer, ImpactGames LLC

Visit the website to register and for rates.

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Take control of your destiny…

Gita_Patel_High_Resolution_Picture_1_.jpgby Jane Carruthers (London)

In case you didn’t know it, International Women’s Day took place this year on Sunday, March 8th. While it’s unlikely that many menfolk remembered to mark the date with cards or flowers, enlightened businesses globally are pushing the celebratory boat out to show their commitment to the women in their workforces.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) feted the event on 4th March with a presentation on ‘Taking control of your destiny’ at its London headquarters. With a timely chime on the topic of women seizing the reins of their own careers, PwC is also currently exploring whether or not women are being more severely affected by the current downturn than their male counterparts.

As part of its global push to keep gender issues at the top of the agenda, PwC produced a thought-provoking film entitled ‘Closing the gender gap’ in November 2008. Exploring the inherent challenges of creating a workforce that mirrors the population as a whole, the film describes the benefits to business and society when it does so. In a fascinating coda, invited to imagine what their work world will look like in 2050, a group of young girls state their dreams and ambitions. It is for them both a daunting and an exciting prospect.

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Speaker Event and Networking Organisation Expo with drinks & canapés

Morgan Stanley’s Firmwide Women’s Network and the European Professional Women’s Network London request the pleasure of your company at “Connecting For Business – Presenting the New Ariadne’s Thread” where you will hear about the latest EPWN book, learn from a panel of leading networking experts and meet with a range of networking organisations at the Expo: LinkedIn, WeAreTheCity.com, City Women’s Network, Women in Banking & Finance, Women in Technology, Girl Geek Dinners, Soroptimists International and London European PWN.

To register please complete the EPWN enrolment form by Monday 2nd March 2009.

There is no fee to attend, however, as a gesture of commitment, should you wish to make a charitable donation to Breakthrough Breast Cancer we would suggest £5 to £10 via the JustGiving link on the RSVP which you will receive once you have enrolled.

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National Women’s Enterprise Task Force event

A national Women’s Enterprise Task Force event is being held on 9 March in London to mark International Women’s Day, which has been observed since the early 1900’s.

Organised by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), this event is held in partnership with BERR and the East Midlands Development Agency, on behalf of the Regional Development Agency network.

We are delighted that a Minister will join us as keynote speaker at the event, which will be attended by up to 75 invited guests from across the UK, the US and the EU.

All speakers will highlight the importance of supporting and sustaining women’s enterprise as a key driver of economic recovery, at both a national and international level. They will also promote the benefits of international trade as an opportunity for women business-owners and as an element of global economic recovery.

The event will also mark the anniversary of the Government’s Enterprise Strategy and one year on, we will review the successful implementation of key women’s enterprise activities referred to in the report. This includes the Women’s Business Centres’ regional pilots and the WE Connect procurement scheme, which facilitates women-led businesses access to corporate supply chains.

For further information regarding this event, please contact Elizabeth Heritage, Women’s Enterprise Task Force Manager on 01483 501354 or at elizabethheritage@seeda.co.uk

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