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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Voices of Experience: Christine Komola, Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance for Staples

By Liz O’Donnell (Boston)

Christine Komola spent a recent Thursday morning at the dentist with her daughter. “But I missed her last appointment,” she says. Komola, Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance for Staples, says you need to be “very, very organized” to manage work/life balance. “I like to be spontaneous” she says, “but I learned I have to be deliberate in what I do. I am very scheduled and I pre-plan. Scheduling was a learned behavior for me.” Komola considers herself to be lucky. She enjoys what she does and who she works with and she counts on her business associates and even her clients to help her manage the demands of work and life. In fact, she credits flexible bosses and a strong team with her ability to navigate the demands of work and life. “The world is so virtual, it’s unbelievable,” she says referring to the non-stop demands of working for an international organization. “The computer, the Blackberry and the cell phone are always on.”

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In Case You Missed It: News Round-Up

martin.jpgContributed by Martin Mitchell, director of eLearning for 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

  • Satyam Computer Services, the scandal-hit Indian outsourcing company where the financial statements were fudged by the CEO, is to invite formal bids from potential suitors. This is despite the fact that the accounts are unlikely to be restated for some months. Goldman Sachs and Avendus Capital are the advisors.
  • Genentech, the US biotechnology group, launched a vigorous defense against Roche’s planned $42bn takeover. Roche is attempting to buy the 44% of the company it does not currently own at $86.50 per share and Genentech’s chief executive claimed the bid undervalues the entity and success might stifle its innovative culture. Later in the week, Roche raised its offer to $93 per share after discussions with big Genentech shareholders.The possible future ownership of LCH.Clearnet added a third possibility, with the revelation that LCH.Clearnet is working on a proposal to buy out its roughly 120 shareholders as part of a conversion to an user-owned facility. There are two further possibilities – a merger with US clearer the DTCC and a rival possible bid from a consortium including eight banks, Icap and the London Stock Exchange.
  • Analysts are speculating over whether Anheuser-Busch InBev will sell its Russian and Ukrainian business to raise cash to help pay down debt and focus more on its American beer brands. The business is thought to be worth around $6bn and possible buyers include SABMiller.
  • Dow Chemical’s takeover of Rohm and Haas is looking increasingly likely again. An original deal foundered when Dow’s potential sources of finance suffered after Kuwait’s state-owned oil company backed out of a joint venture. After the withdrawal of the deal by Dow, Rohm and Haas embarked on a lawsuit that is due to start on Monday. However, the companies have announced that they are ‘in discussions relating to the merger of their companies and the pending litigation’.

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International Women’s Day

Happy International Women’s Day to the readers of theglasshammer.com!

While Sunday is not generally a publishing day for us, we could not let this day pass without acknowledgement as career advancement can only happen once basic rights are in place for women.

I must admit that I personally had not paid much attention to the events of International Women’s Day in before launching The Glass Hammer. But here are some things I’ve since learned: the first International Women’s Day was established in 1910 to honor the movement for women’s rights and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for women. It was actually marked for the first time on March 19th of the following year, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. In recent years, International Women’s Day has become a day on which we focus on the advancements that have been made and acknowledge the acts of ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of women’s rights. If you want to know more, then have a quick look at this short video with three young women explaining what the day means.

The theme for International Women’s Day this year is “Women and Men United to End Violence Against Women and Girls.” Visit the official site to read up on various global news on the subject ranging from harrowing tales of the struggle to more upbeat coverage of evolved people doing good things. Laurie Curry from Right to Play writes one of those inspiring pieces when she asks two simple questions: “Have women made enough change?” and “Are things as good as they are going to get?”

“I think that by definition, there will always be change; this will never stop. But what I find compelling is the amount of progress that women have made and that those who’ve had the opportunity to progress, continue to lead the charge and champion this chance for others. Some women pursue this quietly and discreetly and others, in a more vociferous way. Some speak out and others take action. Some spend time with women or girls who need support and others perhaps educate boys on the role that they can play. It’s inspiring to see so many people working in their own personal way to further social and economic prospects for women.”

I met one of those inspiring people last week when my friend and fellow blogger Cleo Thompson of PwC invited us to PwC’s event marking International Women’s Day. I had the pleasure of hearing Gita Patel of Stargate Capital speak about her Trapezia Fund for women. I won’t say anything more as we will be publishing something on this later this week and I don’t want to spoil the surprise. Keep reading this week for full event coverage!

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Ms. JD’s Third Annual Conference: Avenues to Advancement

Partner or Public Servant?

Competitor or Collaborator?

Flex-Time or Full-Time?

On-Ramp or Opt-Out?

Announcing Ms. JD’s Third Annual Conference: Avenues to Advancement

Ms.JD’s Third Annual Conference on Women in Law: Avenues to Advancement will highlight the choices available to women in the legal profession, the changing definitions of success, and the personal and professional infrastructure that best promotes retention and advancement of female attorneys.

Save the Date!! Registration will be open soon so be sure to join the mailing list for updates and additional information about featured speakers!

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On the StartingBloc

Taryn_Miller_Stevens_1_.jpgby Tina Vasquez (Los Angeles)

What are the chances that Josephine Karianjahi, a Kenyan national, and Pennsylvania native Joel Thomas would ever meet under normal circumstances? Surely, slim to none.

Thanks to StartingBloc, a global organization that educates, empowers, and connects emerging leaders to drive innovation across sectors, not only were these two able to meet, but they were also able to join forces and make the world a little bit better.

StartingBloc’s signature program is called the Institute for Social Innovation and it takes place annually in one of three locations: Boston, New York and London. The institute is a fellowship program that mainly consists of a four-day conference in which students are provided with training, education, and the networks necessary to turn any career into a socially responsible one. It was at the 2007 Boston Institute that Joel Thomas met Josephine Karianjahi and decided to leverage her networks in Uganda and Kenya, thus expanding Nourish International, which provides the infrastructure and support for college students to implement long-term solutions to eradicate poverty worldwide.

The planning of these amazing, global events falls on the shoulders of philanthropist Taryn Miller-Stevens, who acts as Director of Programs for StartingBloc. Amazingly, she is one of just two full-time staff members. If enthusiasm could be transformed into manpower, Steven’s could run the organization herself. “When I read the word StartingBloc, hear the word StartingBloc, or say the word StartingBloc, there is an overwhelming rush of excitement and passion that builds up inside me. It [StartingBloc] has insane potential and I don’t want to stop working because that potential is just dangling in front of me waiting for us to give it legs and make it run,” Stevens said. Though she works hard to organize and implement all of StartingBloc’s programs, the organization is also in debt to its staff of over fifty volunteer alumni who also play a major role in keeping the organization running.

Since its inception in 2003, StartingBloc has graduated 850 Fellows from over 40 countries, many of whom have moved on to use the network as a way of establishing social enterprises in their communities and to secure socially-responsible careers. Just a few years ago, Stevens herself was one of these students hoping to make a difference and she was making strides well before she was turned on to StartingBloc. “I attended Tufts University where I was able to combine my varied academic interests by majoring in American Studies with a concentration in Corporate Citizenship and minor in Entrepreneurial Leadership Studies. My studies were complimented by my work in the Tisch Citizenship and Public Service Scholars Program, wherein my final two years I organized conferences on poverty in Massachusetts and socially responsible business,” Stevens said.

Stevens first heard of StartingBloc through a friend who participated in their Institute for Social Intervention. “My friend said I should apply for the program and that people she met through StartingBloc were doing incredible socially minded work in different sectors all over the world. I applied and was fortunately accepted,” Stevens said. Afterwards, things would never be the same. “After participating in StartingBloc’s inaugural Global Institute for Social Innovation at London Business School, I returned home with a new sense of purpose. In just four days my life was transformed; my peers and the speakers whom I heard from and met inspired me like never before,” the philanthropist said.

After graduating from college, Stevens did everything from interning in the Reebok human rights department during the company’s acquisition by the Adidas Group to working as a nanny and assistant basketball coach at her alma mater. Out of the blue and only two weeks into her coaching job, she received a call from StartingBloc’s Executive Director that would once again change her life, just as the Institute had. “After a trip to New York and several interviews with board members, I was hired by StartingBloc and worked from Boston during the winter of 2007-2008. Following the 2008 New York Institute and the best season in Tufts Women’s Basketball History, I made the best move of my life and landed in New York for StartingBloc,” Stevens said.

Stevens, who grew up in suburban Connecticut, has come a long way since her days at her family’s turkey farm. Now, based in Manhattan, she helps run a global network for socially minded leaders, all of whom are doing their part to change their small portion of the world. Though she’s traveled far and experienced a lot, what her parents instilled in her on her small family farm shaped who she became as a person and what became important to her. “My parents have worked their entire lives to make a better life for their family and community. They gave me a strong foundation for everything that I hold close to my heart- family and relationship values, community and team building, business, as well as experiencing new things and people. I wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for them,” Stevens said- and neither would StartingBloc.

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