Issue No. CCVI; April 2, 2013
THIS ISSUE’S HIGHLIGHTS:
I. GLOBAL SUMMIT OF WOMEN 2013 UPDATE
II. WOMEN ON CORPORATE BOARDS
III. TWO MORE WOMEN TAKE HELM IN BALKANS
IV. WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS VIEW OF 2013
I. GLOBAL SUMMIT OF WOMEN 2013 UPDATE
“Women around the globe recognize that the Asian region’s explosive growth will drive the global economy and Malaysia is a critical part of that growth” states Irene Natividad, Summit President. “There is huge interest from women in business worldwide to come to Malaysia to connect with its wealth of women in business and to be a part of this year’s Summit.”
Countries with large groups of women joining the Summit include Vietnam with a delegation of 40 women in business and government led by their Vice President, Nguyen Thi Doan; Poland with over 30 women attending led by their Deputy Head of State Ewa Kopacz; South Africa with a delegation of 40 women entrepreneurs led by Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Elizabeth Thabethe; and Kazakhstan with over 30 women entrepreneurs led by Advisor to the President and Chairperson for the National Commission on Women and the Family Gulnara Abdykalikova. Other countries with strong delegations include Australia (which will have its largest delegation ever in the history of the 23-year Summit), China, the Congo, France (led by its Minister of Women’s Rights Najat Valloud-Belkacem) Iceland, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Spain, among others.
Vice President of Vietnam Nguyen Thi Doan, Deputy Head of State of Poland Ewa Kopacz, South African Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Elizabeth Thabethe, and Chair of the National Commission on Woman and Family Gulnara Abdykalikova are some of the women leading entrepreneurs to the 2013 Global Summit of Women.
Countries with large groups of women joining the Summit include Vietnam with a delegation of 40 women in business and government led by their Vice President, Nguyen Thi Doan; Poland with over 30 women attending led by their Deputy Head of State Ewa Kopacz; South Africa with a delegation of 40 women entrepreneurs led by Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Elizabeth Thabethe; and Kazakhstan with over 30 women entrepreneurs led by Advisor to the President and Chairperson for the National Commission on Women and the Family Gulnara Abdykalikova. Other countries with strong delegations include Australia (which will have its largest delegation ever in the history of the 23-year Summit), China, the Congo, France (led by its Minister of Women’s Rights Najat Valloud-Belkacem) Iceland, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Spain, among others.
B2B Meetings at the Summit
In addition to the Summit program and networking opportunities, an additional opportunity to connect to Malaysia’s dynamic businesswomen awaits. The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), an arm of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, is organizing a one-day schedule of business-to-business meetings (B2B) in conjunction with the Summit on June 6. Open only to Summit registrants, the B2B sessions offer Summit delegates an opportunity to establish business linkages with potential buyers and sellers and to explore trade and investment collaboration with Malaysian women-owned businesses. To register for the B2B sessions, click here.
Delegations from countries ranging from China to Poland and Kazakhstan to South Africa are among the 1,000 women leaders in business and government joining the 2013 Global Summit of Women in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from June 6-8. Primarily a business forum for women in the public and private sectors, the Summit’s 2013 theme – Women: Creating New Economies reflects women’s pivotal impact on the global economy as entrepreneurs, consumers and workers.
Egyptian vendors at the 2006 Global Summit of Women WEXPO (above) and A Mexican vendor at 2005 Summit with Summit President Irene Natividad and former Mexican Undersecretary of Labor Patricia Espinosa Torres (below).
WEXPO
Another aspect of the Summit which allows for business women to showcase their products or services and to connect with other Summit delegates is WEXPO (Women’s Expo), a part of the Summit since 2004. If you are participating in the Summit and would like to maximize your business’ visibility to the Summit’s 1,000 delegates, reserve your booth while space is still available.
II. WOMEN ON CORPORATE BOARDS
Women Directors Make Better Decisions Than Men
Women who serve on corporate boards are more likely to “rock the boat” and be more open to new ideas than their male counterparts — skills that often translate into better decisions and financial success for the company, according to a new study recently published in the International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics. The survey of over 600 board directors in Canada found that women were more likely to use “co-operation, collaboration and consensus building” when dealing with complex decisions, while male directors more often made decisions by using “rules, regulations and traditional ways of doing business.” The result — women directors often contributed to a company’s success, raising the question of why women are still in the minority in corporate boardrooms, not only in Canada but globally as well. (Financial Post, 3/25/13)
Investing in Companies with Gender Diverse Boards
Morgan Stanley’s wealth management division is starting a new portfolio as of April1 which seeks to invest in companies with commitment to including women on their corporate boards. Only companies with at least three women board members will be included in the portfolio. The creation of the portfolio’s strategy follows multiple studies showing a correlation between the presence of women on a company’s boards and the company’s financial performance. (The New York Times, 3/8/2013). This is a for-profit version of socially responsible investment funds pioneered by the Calvert Fund and Pax World.
Global Summit of Women / CWDI Addresses Issue of Women on Boards
Corporate Women Directors International (CWDI), an off-shoot of the Global Summit of Women, opened its 10th Stock Exchange on March 12 at the Zurich Exchange with over 80 women business leaders. CWDI organizes these Market Opens to showcase the wealth of women’s business leadership present in the country and to draw attention to the need to accelerate board diversity on corporate boards globally.
A Forum on Board Diversity moderated by the U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland Donald S. Beyer, Jr. followed the Market Open. Joining the U.S. Ambassador and CWDI Chair Irene Natividad for the Forum were the CEO of Egon Zehnder Damien O’Brien, former Vice Chair of FINMA and Board Director of the German Stock Exchange Monica Maechler-Erne, and CEO of DiamondScull AG Carole Ackermann. To view a video of the Zurich Market Open, click here
The 2013 Global Summit of Women tackles the topic of women on boards with a debate on the issue of quotas at the Summit on June 7 in Kuala Lumpur. The debate features women board directors and corporate governance experts discussing “Quotas and Targets vs. Voluntary Initiatives”. In addition, the Summit will hold a Roundtable to take a practical look at “Best Practices in Accelerating Board Diversity”, in which successful strategies from the public and private sector will be shared.
III. TWO MORE WOMEN TAKE HELM IN BALKANS
In the Balkans, historically a politically-conservative region, women are increasingly taking top leadership posts, and two more recently were named to head governments. Forty-two-year old financial expert Alenka Bratusek became Slovenia’s first Prime Minister on March 20 and Zeljka Cvijanovic, former Minister of Economic Relations, was designated to lead the government of the Republic of Srpska, the ethnically Serb mini-state in Bosnia.
Alenka Bratuszek of Slovenia and Zeljka Cvijanovic of Srpska, a Bosnian mini-state, are two of the new female Balkan leaders.
One reason for the dissolution of the male-dominated governments in the region is a desire to meet European Union standards on gender equity. For instance, Serbia and Montenegro have recently passed laws to increase the numbers of women in leadership positions, part of a slate of efforts to convince the EU they belong in the bloc. (Washington Post, “In Economic Crisis, Women Emerge as Leaders in the Macho Balkans”, 3/24/13)
Bratusek and Cvijanovic join Atifete Jahjaga, President of Kosovo, as women government leaders in the Balkan region. Jahjaga, a strong advocate for more women in leadership positions, will be speaking at the Opening Ceremony of the 2013 Global Summit of Women on June 6 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
For a complete listing of current women Presidents and Prime Ministers, visit www.globewomen.com.
IV. WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS VIEW OF 2013
Despite tough economic times, women entrepreneurs are optimistic about business opportunities in 2013, according to the “2013 State of Women-Owned Businesses” survey released by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) in the U.S. Women business owners also plan to invest more or the same in hiring this year as in 2012, which should have a positive impact on the economy.
When asked about their biggest challenge in running their business, about 40% said that it was gaining new customers. To gain more customers, most are planning to invest more in marketing.
To assist women entrepreneurs with their challenges, the 2013 Global Summit of Women features an Entrepreneurial Track which offers hands-on, solution-oriented sessions with successful entrepreneurs from throughout the world. Topics addressed in the Entrepreneurial Track include: “Pitching to Investors: Financing Your Business for Growth”, “Doing Business in the Asia Pacific region: Do’s and Don’ts”, “Dealing Successfully with ‘Failure’”, and “Learning from Successful Exporters.”
BE A PART OF THE FOREMOST GLOBAL ECONOMIC FORUM FOR
WOMEN IN BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY
JOIN THE 2013 GLOBAL SUMMIT OF WOMEN
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA
JUNE 6-8, 2013
REGISTER ONLINE AT:
http://www.globewomen.org/summit/summitregistration2013.htm
Kuala Lumpur, site of the 2013 Global Summit of Women
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CONTACT US
Global Summit of Women
1100 G St. NW, Ste. 700
Washington, DC 20005 USA
tel: 202-835-3713 / fax: 202-466-6195
email: summit@globewomen.com
