“Tapping into talent: The promise of Business Recovery” was the title of the conference: a great opportunity to listen to charismatic and inspiring speakers and share with them thoughts and actions.

Give a look at some pictures from the conference here.

Current members can renew their membership for 2011 at 100 euro by paying the dues online via credit card between December 1^st and December 31^st 2010.

If you wish to renew your membership at 100 euro all you have to do is log in to the platform after December 1^st and you will find a  message on the top of the home page notifying you that your membership is about to expire. All you have do is click on the link and you will be directed to the online payments for PWA Milan Network.

I would also like to inform you that starting January 1^st 2011, no grace period will be allowed. This means that if you don’t renew your membership before the end of December, you will not have access to the platform or to your profile starting from January 1^st. Furthermore, if you decide to renew your membership after that date the new membership fee (125 euro) will be charged.

New members that decide to join PWA Milan during the month of December, paying either online by credit card or cash during the Christmas Party on December 1^st , will be charged 100 euro.

We are happy to witness the best improvement since the first release in 2004 (+ 21% versus 2008), however in most countries the starting point is so low that even a double digit growth does not bring the percentage above 15%.

If you want to read the report, the press release and the media coverage, click here.

If you want to know more about the event click here.

On behalf of the EuropeanPWN Federation we congratulate Magali! President Council EuropeanPWN

Magali writes to all Presidents

“Thank you so much for all your congratulations. I am awed to be part of such a wonderful organisation and would like to thank you all at EuropeanPWN!  Special thanks go to Jennifer who has been giving me her unconditional support since July 2009 and to Marijo who has brilliantly negotiated this great scholarship!  I will be using the week-end and the next few days to plan for this incredible opportunity! Warm and excited greetings from Oslo!”   Magali

If you want to read more click here.

To qualify you must have been an active EuropeanPWN member for at least 2 years, reside in a country where the EuropeanPWN has local representation, and have definitive admissions to an IE master program.

For more information about EuropeanPWN Scholarship is available at this link.

Read the interview “3 domande a…Mirella Visser” (interview in English)

The Financial Times, has published an article by Michel Ferrary, CERAM‘s Professor, “Why women managers shine in a downturn” that presents the results of an interesting research conducted on companies from the French CAC 40 that correlates the number of women in the company’s management and the share price performance in 2008.

The European Commission has launched an EU-wide campaign to help tackle the gender pay gap, please find some interesting reports on the topic, plus our President Mirella Visser as part of the “EU network of women in decision-making”.

Il Corriere della Sera has also published a series of articles on women in powerful positions and the Italian path to success. If you wish to read the articles, clik on the links below (articles in Italian).

“Donne e manager? Più facile nelle multinazionali d’Italia”

“Ora più coraggio: servono quote «soft»”

  “L’ onda parte dal «personale»“

First, before presenting the 10 steps, I should clarify that the path to a board position is a long one – typically lasting more than 5 years once you have consciously “taken the decision” – and implies the definition and implementation of an action plan.

The 10 steps are summarized in the word leadership that according to the charismatic, energetic and vibrant Cristina Molinari, guest at WIN of SDA Bocconi, is simply a tool to reach power, a word we women seem to be afraid to pronounce:

Life management
Education
Ambition
Development needs
External activities
Resistance management
Strategic networking
Help
Insipration
P R & promotion

Our life, and our professional life in particular, is not something that happens but is a stream of decisions that bring you to a specific goal.

The first decision you need to take and declare to yourself is “I want to be on a board within this number of years” and, once you’ve made that decision, you then need to define a plan so tha you achieve this goal. “Men always move according to a plan and they define it in early stages” Mirella says “I recall that when I was in college all my men colleagues already had a plan about where they wanted to go and when, while girls where thinking short term”.

When we talk about education we are not just referring to academic education – finance and accounting are essential for board members! – but also becoming more informed on what is happening in the world and the economy. You need to read at least one business/financial newspaper; know what is happening where; and who is who in your sector. You need to be ambitious to build your career to get ready for a board position and be strong in your ambition so that you understand why you want it: does the challenge drive you; is it power?

The route to the boardroom involves continuously identifying your development needs and doing something about them (note, this applies to every career irrespective of whether you want to become a board member or not). How often do you assess yourself, analyse your skills, strengths and weaknesses and objectively pinpoint your development needs? External activities will give you visibility and may bring you into contact with the right people; be part of your community and get actively involved.

Prepare yourself for resistance. You might be the first – and only – woman on a board and you need to be ready to face (conscious or unconscious) resistance from men and women in getting there. You need to stay true to yourself and be effective in getting your voice heard.

We are all aware of the power of networking but strategic networking is something different. Strategic networking is networking you plan and put in action with a specific goal, for example, I’ll go to that event to meet that person; I’ll speak at this conference to gain visibility and introduce myself – as an expert, a professional – to all the key players. We are all human and we all need help at times so strategic networking also involves creating a network of supporters!

Identify areas in which you are weak and find a mentor to help you address them. Women in leading positions usually have between 3 and 5 mentors at a time and always have a mix of both men and women.

Find your sources of energy and inspiration: how will you stay sane when the pressure gets too high?

And last, but not least, increase your visibility and promotion. Be that through networking, head hunters, internet (google yourself regularly and make sure what’s online is what you want the world to know about you) but tell everybody you know that you want to become a board member.

Tips from the head hunter

• Your degrees is the base but think about specific executive courses that might help your career and bring connected benefits – new networks, the “brand” of the business school in your CV etc
• Specific courses on being a board member are not necessarily required, but they might help you be ready for the interview
• Your CV is critical and be clear on any gaps: if you took a break to take care of your kids just state it clearly
• Try to translate every position you had into numbers and clearly state roles and responsibilities
• Ask a male friend to read your CV and ask him to send you his
• Define your talent, values and beliefs; they need to match those of the Company
• Prepare a two sentence statement on your contribution to the company and to the board

Monica Pesce