Women Corporate Directors gather in London for second annual European Institute
LONDON, March 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Around 100 current and aspiring women board members will gather in London on March 4th and 5th, for the second European Institute meeting of the Women Corporate Directors (WCD), the global community representing over 3,500 women board members who sit on over 6,500 boards worldwide.
The theme for this year's European Institute meeting is 'The role of European Companies in the New Global Economy'. Confirmed senior Board level speakers include:
- Marina Brogi – Member, Supervisory Board, UBI Banca
- Noel Haworth – Chairman, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
- Liora Katzenstein – Founder and President, ISEMI Entrepreneurship Ltd
- George Magnus – Senior Economic Adviser, UBS Investment Bank
- Hilde Wampers – Director of Group Tax, Belgacom
- Sophie Bellon – Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Sodexo
- Janet Voute – Vice President, Global Head of Public Affairs, Nestle S.A.; Director, Bamboo Finance
- Tessa Bamford – Non-Executive Director, Wolseley plc and Barratt Development plc
- Nancy Calderon – Global Lead Partner, KPMG
- Barbara Kux – Director, Umicore, N.V., Total S.A., Pargesa Holding S.A., and Firmenich S.A.; Supervisory Board, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
- Gulsum Azeri – Chief Executive Officer and Director, OMV Petrol Ofisi AS; Executive Vice President, Trakya Cam Sanayii AS; Director, Izocam Ticaret ve Sanayi A.S
- Isabelle Allen – Global Head of Sales and Markets, KPMG
- Anjali Bansal – Managing Director, Spencer Stuart
Susan Stautberg, CEO and founder of WCD says:
"Women make up less than 18% of board members for Europe's largest public companies according to the European Commission1. This constitutes a massive waste of potential and a loss of economic growth potential. We need a step change and WCD is determined to play an active and constructive role developing networks for women leaders."
Susan continued:
"This European Institute meeting brings together women board members, with the opportunity to learn from board members of some of the world's leading public and private companies. This year's agenda brings together an exceptional group of speakers, including some of the world's leading women Board members, talking not only about their experiences as female business leaders but sharing their wider macro-economic and governance insights."
Over the course of a two day program delegates will discuss techniques to enhance their impact and effectiveness as board members. Susan Stautberg and Nancy Calderon, co-authors of the acclaimed 'Women on Board; Insider Secrets to Getting on a Board and Succeeding as a Director' will lead a discussion with a number of high profile women board members sharing their insights and practical advice for the next generation of women board members.
Isabelle Allen, KPMG's Global Head of Sales and Markets, says: "Never before have Boards faced such an array of challenges. There is ample evidence to demonstrate the value of diverse thinking to solve complex issues. So for me promoting better representation of women on boards is about equipping European companies to be more successful in the new global economy."
About Women Corporate Directors
WCD is a rapidly-growing international community of women who serve on boards of directors. With over 3,500 members, in 67 Chapters worldwide, who serve on over 6,500 boards, WCD has served as a catalyst for new thinking and networking. WCD has become a champion for women directors and a vital source of expertise and, in addition to developing a trusted community to share best practice among women directors has also helped secure Board and Advisory Board positions for women business leaders around the world.
WCD's standard is that 85% of women in WCD are directors of public or large private company boards. The other 15% have or will soon serve on public boards and currently serve on private, mutual funds or major non-profit boards.
For more information about WCD visit www.womencorporatedirectors.com
About KPMG
KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 155 countries and have more than 162,000 people working in member firms around the world. The independent member firms of the KPMG network are affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative ("KPMG International"), a Swiss entity. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.
For more information about KPMG visit www.kpmg.com
1 Gender Balance on Corporate Boards, published by The European Commission, March 2014
http://ec.europa.eu/justice/gender-equality/files/documents/140303_factsheet_wob_en.pdf
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