In Case You Missed It: News Round-up

martin.jpgContributed by Martin Mitchell of the Corporate Training Group

In case you were too busy to have kept up with all the news, contributor Martin Mitchell has gathered some important market events from last week to help you start this week well informed:

Mergers and Acquisitions

  • The aircraft leasing unit of troubled insurer AIG is about to be sold. Three bids have been submitted for International Lease Finance Corp for just short of $5bn. Two of the consortia are thought to be Thomas H Lee and the Carlyle Group, and Onex and the Greenbriar Equity Group.

  • Private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) is the clear favourite to acquire Oriental Brewery from Anheuser-Busch InBev for around $1.9bn. The Korean beermaker is being sold to help Anheuser-Busch InBev pay down debt.

  • The US Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has abandoned its attempt to take over Europe’s largest independent clearer LCH.Clearnet. The two boards were unable to agree a basis for consummating the deal. The abandonment will provide a boost to the consortium of 11 banks and interdealer broker Icap that are working towards a bid.

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The CIO Leadership Event

Against the backdrop of a global economic recession and alarmingly unpredictable markets, enterprise CIOs are juggling short-term tactics with long-term strategy as they look toward 2010 to revitalize their businesses. Some CIOs are even discovering a silver lining in the current downturn in the opportunities to re-prioritize projects that streamline business processes, optimize IT spending or refocus on engaging customers more directly.Companies with strong financial positions are acquiring competitors to grow marketshare, so IT must be agile enough to rapidly integrate new businesses into current operations. Business process redesign (BPR) is emerging as a No. 1 priority at many organizations, and the expanding CIO role is trending strongly toward business leadership skills. CIO magazine’s State of the CIO 2009 research shows more than two-thirds of enterprise IT leaders already have significant responsibilities in business units beyond IT.

From a technology standpoint, 2009 will spark heightened interest and ongoing investments in IT solutions that strengthen companies moving forward — such as business intelligence and data analytics, data center/storage virtualization, videoconferencing, Software as a Service offerings and a host of web-based software and services. Farther out on the horizon, but definitely catching CIO attention, are cloud computing models that promise even greater control over variable IT costs.Through interactive workshops, detailed case studies and presentations by peer CIOs, this CIO Leadership Event will deliver actionable, immediately useful ideas to help senior IT/business executives keep their companies running, drive sales, boost customer engagement, manage risk and drive greater process efficiencies across the board.

CIO magazine and the CIO Executive Council’s fifth annual Ones to Watch award identifies the rising stars in IT. To be honored, these future CIOs must have demonstrated leadership, driven innovation and delivered value to their business; in short, they will soon be able to head up their own IT organization.

Register here

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Simmons School of Management Leadership Conference

A forum where women can learn from the wisdom and experience of others and gain inspiration to achieve their own personal and professional goals. This year’s 30th anniversary will feature Diane Keaton, Maxine Clark, Dr. Antonia Novello and Charlayne Hunter-Gault.

There will be a business ethics panel featuring Lynn Brewer, Cynthia Cooper and Cindy Olson on what has changed and what has not after the Enron and Worldcom collapses.

Please go to here for a full agenda and registration information.

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LaidOffCampNY

  • A free two-day gathering of individuals in a career transition who are looking to gain perspective, discover new passions, or reinvent their careers.
  • Educate, empower, and connect entry and mid-level digital media, advertising, publishing, technology, and financial services professionals.
  • Panels, workshops, demonstrations, and discussions topics include:
  • The art of interviewing, legal and accounting needs of new businesses, alternative working spaces, budgeting for the downturn, building your personal brand, affordable health insurance, implications of accepting a shorter workweek, unemployment insurance, and becoming a freelancer.
  • You do NOT have to be unemployed to attend!

For more information click here

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Mentoring Teens a World Away

IMG_1597_1_.JPGBy Natalie Sabia (New York City)

Cheryl Pollard never imagined herself as a mentor, especially to someone thousands of miles away. A former vice president of merchandizing and product development for Water Works, Pollard learned about Infinite Family, a not-for-profit that connects mentors from all over the United States with orphans and other vulnerable children in Africa through video conferencing, from a member of her church. “I never really mentored anyone before,” said Pollard, “so I was excited to give it a try.”

Mentors have to complete a training program which teaches them the finer points of mentoring as well as the technical training necessary to provide the mentoring via the computer. The mentors then set up a re-occurring weekly appointment for the video conference with their mentees. Pollard said, “Liba and I talk every Saturday at 8:00am and, if something comes up, we e-mail to stay in touch.

Pollard has been paired with Liba, a 12-year-old refugee from Zimbabwe, for over two years now. Liba relies on Pollard as both a mentor and a friend in which to confide. “Liba has become so special in my heart and a part of my life,” said Pollard. She is deeply affected by the way that the friendship has had a major impact on Liba. “At first I was asking her so many questions. I didn’t understand that we didn’t always have to be talking to fill the silence,” said Pollard. It took time for Liba to warm up to Pollard, especially because they come from such opposite worlds. “Liba was so shy at first and now she sings and dances,” said Pollard, whose favorite thing now is to turn on her iPod and let Liba dance. In 2007, Pollard even had the opportunity to go to South Africa to meet Liba in person. “The moment I saw her it was as if we’ve always known each other, she just hugged my waist,” said Pollard.

“I always thought of myself as a generous person, but now it’s a whole different feeling to know I am in her heart everyday.” Barbara Draimin, Director for the City of New York Department of Social Services is happy to be mentoring these “at risk” South African teens as well. “It gives me the chance to meet a young person and know them from a different perspective.” Draimin, the original founder of NYC community based organization called The Family Center, was approached to become a mentor during the early days of the program by a member of Infinite Family who knew of her through the non-for-profit community. Draimin eagerly accepted the challenge.

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Working Mothers 2nd Annual Spring Luncheon

The Working Mothers Committee invites you to attend our 2nd Annual Spring Luncheon. Come meet the talented and exciting women in the financial services business sector of New York City & New Jersey. This luncheon is an opportunity to share and discuss the challenges many women, particularly working mothers, encounter each and every day. All are welcome to attend- new and expecting mothers, seasoned mothers and empty nesters.

The Working Mothers Committee encourages all new attendees to consider joining this dynamic organization.

Register here

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Passions: Girl Scouts of the USA

connie_lindsey[1]_1.jpgby Elizabeth Harrin (London)

Connie L. Lindsey joined the Girl Scouts almost forty years ago at her church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her mother couldn’t afford to buy her uniform, but her church and her troop leader ensured that she had one. She credits Girl Scouting with helping her understand that she was a young girl who mattered. Today Lindsey exemplifies an approach to servant leadership that tells girls what her troop leader told her over forty years ago: “Young lady, you matter – and don’t let anybody in this world tell you that you don’t.”

“I became a Girl Scout because it provided a place where acceptance was the norm and opportunities for personal growth were plentiful,” says Lindsey. That was about 40 years ago. Lindsey is now the organization’s highest-ranking volunteer: National President of Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). “The values Girl Scouts embraced matched my own and reinforced my desire to learn about others and our world.”

As National President, Lindsey serves the girls and the Scout Movement by providing guidance to GSUSA’s executive team and the board in three vital areas: policy, fundraising, and strategic direction. “My role affords me the opportunity to visit our Girl Scout councils, which is one of the most rewarding parts of my work,” she says. “I love talking with our girls, volunteers, and staff—and understanding how they put the principles of servant leadership—leading others by first helping them to be their best—into practice among themselves, their families, and their communities.”

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