by Monique Svazlian, Mentoring Program Coordinator

By now it is likely you have heard about the upcoming PWA Mentoring Program, scheduled to launch in the spring. As we continue planning the program, we are already hearing from many of our members interested in participating. Considering this is a first-time program for the Milan network, we would like to clearly communicate the steps on how to apply and what to expect from the process in order to make it as straightforward as possible. You can download the program brochure here PWA Mentoring Program Brochure

Step 1) Fill out the PWA Mentoring Program Application Form – Mid-March to Mid-April
The application forms will be available on the PWA website beginning mid-March, and the application period will last until mid-April. Keep an eye out for more communication from us informing you when the forms become available on-line. This is the only way to apply for the program – you will be asked to fill out a Mentor or Mentee Profile, depending on the role you are applying for, which will help us find you the right match.

Step 2) Attend the workshop “Identify Your Mentoring Expertise” – April 7th
Whether you believe you could be a Mentor or not, this optional workshop will help you identify the expertise you have to be a Mentor. We all have useful experience, backgrounds and training that can be potentially helpful for others. Through this mini-workshop, which will take place at the April Networking Aperitivo, you’ll identify your “Inner Mentor” which will gear us all up to participate fully in the program. It is open to all members and guests, and is not a prerequisite for becoming a Mentor.

Step 3) Receive email notification: Match successfully identified – Early May
At the close of the application period (mid-April), we will evaluate all applications received. Pairs will be matched based on the level of relevance between objectives stated by the Mentee and available Mentor experience and skills. If we are able to identify an appropriate match, you will be notified via email by the beginning of May.
Note about Participation: As this is a first-time program and we would like to ensure a high-quality service to members, we are limiting the Mentor/Mentee pairs to 10-12 in total. Given the level of interest expressed in the program so far, we anticipate the possibility of receiving more applications than we can fulfill in this first round. Applicants who are not successfully matched will be notified by email that they have been placed on a waiting list for the next edition of the Mentoring program, planned for early 2011.

Step 4) Attend the PWA Mentoring Program Launch Event – May 19th
The official Mentoring Program Launch event will be open to all program participants, PWA members, and guests. The event will be the first time you officially meet your Mentor/Mentee partner, as well as hear from a panel of speakers and testimonials from our Honorary Mentors.

Step 5) Attend the Mentoring Program Skills Training Workshop – Late May
This half-day workshop, an essential component of the program, will be geared towards developing skills to ensure your success as a Mentor or Mentee. We will cover active listening and other communication skills, do’s and don’ts of good mentoring, topics to bring to the mentoring sessions and how to get the most out of your Mentoring relationship.

Step 6) First Mentoring Program period – June-November
The actual Mentoring sessions will begin in June and last for six months. Mentoring pairs will meet for one hour or more per month, in person, via phone or video-conference.

Step 7) Check-in’s and satisfaction survey – June-November
We will be checking-in with each Mentoring pair throughout the program to ensure the Mentoring relationships are running smoothly. Coaching on the mentoring process will be available to those interested. Further, a survey will be carried out at the end of the first period to gauge participant satisfaction and gather ideas for future improvements.

Post-program publication – December
Finally, we will be collecting participant feedback at the end of the program to include their takeaways, experiences, and recommendations to others in an official PWA Mentoring post-program publication.

If you have further questions about the application process or about the program itself, please don’t hesitate to contact us at professional@pwa-milan.org
• Valerie Ryder, Mentoring Program Leader and Professional Development Director
• Monique Svazlian, Mentoring Program Coordinator

All professional women welcome, whether members or guests.

Wednesday 7 April 7-9 p.m.

Location: Grand Hotel et de Milan
Via Manzoni 29
MM Montenapoleone

Whether or not you believe you have the skills to be a Mentor, this mini-workshop will help you identify the useful experience, background and training you have which can be potentially helpful for others. Our expert coaches will help you recognize your “Inner Mentor”, pinpoint your individual expertise and get us geared up for the PWA Mentoring Program. Beneficial for members and guests of all levels.

The evening will be facilitated by Valerie Ryder and Monique Svazlian, certified professional coaches, PWA members, and the driving force behind the Mentoring Program.

Valerie Ryder, ACC is an Executive Coach and Consultant specialized in career progression, value-based leadership development, and management competencies for women in international environments. She is recognized for her insight, supportiveness and practicality in assisting the women with whom she collaborates to clarify and achieve their professional objectives. Visit www.ryderassociates.com for more information.

Monique Svazlian, CPCC is a Leadership & Business Coach, focused on growing emerging women leaders and high potentials within organizations. Her passion for creating positive social change coupled with her background working for Fortune 500 technology companies gives her unique insight to the innovative working strategies needed to compete in today’s global climate. For more information, go to: www.highestpath.com.

Drinks 10 euro each, buffet included

Guests, please send an email to networking@pwa-milan.org

“Give and take” Networking Aperitivo

When you leave a networking event, what do you take home with you? A fistful of promises of help from others? A “to-do” list of commitments that you’ve made to those you’ve met? A wish that you could have interacted more effectively?

PWA’s “Give and Take” networking aperitivo will focus on balancing exchanges. What do you have to offer or share that could be of value for others? What are you searching for that someone else might provide the key to? Come prepared with your personal list that might include:

• Advice
• Information
• Professional services
• Resources
• Local discoveries
• Feedback on ideas
• Goals for 2010

PWA Event Directors Hema Mali and Kristina Tool will facilitate this interactive evening focussing on attendees’ two-way exchanging of concrete information and resources.

Wednesday 13 January, 2010, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Grand Hotel et de Milan -Via Manzoni, 29 (MM Montenapoleone)
Drinks 10 euro each, light buffet included

Free for members, €10 for guests, payable by cash at the event

Members, please register in the calendar section of www.EuropeanPWN.net

Guests, please register by emailing networking@PWA-Milan.org

When you leave a networking event, what’s your inner dominant thought? Are you enthusiastic about the interesting people you connected with? Or are you wondering why you bothered to show up – again?

We’re all drawn to certain types of people – and we all attract particular types. Recognizing hidden opportunities at social and business events can help us to make conscious decisions to achieve the results we seek. Armed with preparation and this self-awareness, we can make every networking event fun and rewarding.

During this special networking aperitivo, Leadership Development expert and PWA Member Angie Katselianos will introduce the universal principles and forces that govern attraction and explain why we’re drawn towards some individuals and what attracts others to us.  After her brief presentation, the rest of the evening will be dedicated to putting those laws to the test and participating in the underlying ‘magic’ to make multiple new connections!

Wednesday, 7 October, 2009, 7-9 p.m. (Presentation at 7:15)
Grand Hotel et de Milan -Via Manzoni, 29 (MM Montenapoleone)
Drinks 10 euro each, light buffet included

All professional women welcome whether members or guests.

Members, please register in the calendar section of EPWN

Guests, please send an email to networking@pwa-milan.org  

Discover Angie’s 4 Ps in  The Platinum Approach to Networking at  Platinum Performance

Wednesday 9 September, 2009, 7-9 p.m.
Location: Grand Hotel et de Milan
Via Manzoni, 29
MM Montenapoleone

Network in a comfortable atmosphere, make new personal and business contacts and get to know other PWA members. All professional women welcome, whether members or guests.

Members, please indicate your attendance in the calendar section of EuropeanPWN www.europeanpwn.net

For guest reservations or for more information, please contact: networking@pwa-milan.org

by  Kristina Tool

PWA hosted a special event on Wednesday, July 1st, which gave the audience a sneak preview of the annual WIN Conference to be held this year in Prague, Czech Republic on October 8-10. This was the second event for PWA held in the Grand Hotel et de Milan on Via Manzoni, and one of the events where we welcomed male guests.  

Kristin Engvig, former PWA president, and WIN (Women’s International Networking) Founder and CEO introduced the WIN Mobilizing Women Tour panel for Milan: Lorella Zanardo, who has worked in marketing for Unilever in Milan and Paris, as marketing director for Gruppo Mondadori and now heads her own consulting group, Sportgate, Sarah Brady,  Director of Product Communications and Consumer Design for Whirlpool and Nancy Fina, professional fashion photographer.

WIN’s mission is to inspire women worldwide and Kristin noted that WIN is fortunate to be able to do so through working and listening to local women’s networks around the world and share the information through meetings and conferences.  She presented facts and figures on how both women and the global economy benefit from placing more focus on women and the way women work.  While the panelists came from different countries and different professions, common themes in their presentations included, adapting to new ways of thinking, generosity, and the viewing of women only as physical objects.

Lorella Zanardo shared her work as writer and director of the documentary Il Corpo Delle Donne. The documentary has received worldwide media coverage due to its revealing examination of how Italian television views women’s bodies. The documentary has struck a chord with many who view it and Lorella credits the success of this project due to having a passion for it, time invested and the web.  As Lorella started to place a critical eye on Italian television, she was shocked by what she saw but it motivated her to dedicate a tremendous amount of time to creating her documentary . Despite family and professional obligations she was able to devote the hours needed to develop the documentary. Between word of mouth and the ease of sharing information on the internet Il Corpo Delle Donne has been able to reach an international audience. In addition, Lorella believes that giving generously comes back to you; part of the success of the documentary can be attributed to those who expressed their appreciation, through emails, and offers of ways to help get the message out to others.

Sarah Brady continued the evening’s presentation by describing her move to Italy from England 18 years ago to work with Olivetti and the progress of her career with different companies. Like many expats, she discovered that things were not always easy living as a foreigner, but as an outsider she could view many situations more objectively.  In facing new and unexpected challenges Sarah noted that she required depending on others and in turn has felt a strong desire to pass on this generosity. Helping other women professionally is one way in which Sarah has been able share the benefits of her experience. Her position at Whirlpool has enabled her to create female initiatives within the corporation.

As an American fashion photographer living and working in Italy, Nancy Fina, has a great deal of experience on how men view women. With assignments that had her working with the top models and agencies in the world, she shared stories about how men had certain ideas on the picture, often with strong objectification of the female and  her opposing point of view on how to do the shot. Noting that in Italy the men hold most of  the power she has worked to express her subjects from a female’s point of view.  Nancy finished up by encouraging the group to attend the WIN conference for it’s ability to inspire. “It’s not like going to a beauty farm for your body, its like going to a beauty farm for you soul.”

The audience had an opportunity at the end of the evening to make new connections with each other. Kristin provided some tips on objectives for the mini networking session in which the audience broke up into up into smaller groups. People were able to introduce themselves and get to know others better in the spirit of making new and beneficial connections.

NETWORKING EVENT –

PWA
invites you to the
Summer Party
All professional women and guests welcome.
________________________________________

Wednesday, 8 July 2009, 8-10 p.m.
Canne al Vento
Via Rosolino Pilo, 14
(MM Porta Venezia)
________________________________________

Come and enjoy a meal with members and guests (spouses and partners welcome) in a relaxed atmosphere for networking and socialising over delicious Sardinian fare.

Cost for members: 35 Euro
Cost for guests: 40 Euro

Payment in advance is required to reserve your place. Members, please reserve by paying online in the calendar section of www.EuropeanPWN.net or by cash at a prior PWA event.

For guest reservations, bank details to pay by wire transfer, or for more information in general, please contact: networking@pwa-milan.org

Space is limited, so don’t miss out!

ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED

All professionals welcome whether members or guests

W.I.N. Mobilizing Women Tour with Kristin Engvig

We are living in times where focusing on opportunities are vital. New, wiser, ways of being and leading in the world are required to navigate in unknown waters. As we open ourselves to new solutions, women and the feminine have a key role to play.

Kristin Engvig, W.I.N. Founder and CEO will be joined by a panel of inspiring women to discuss how together we can start transforming ourselves, organizations and society with wisdom and conscious action.

The W.I.N. annual Global Leadership conference will this year be held in the historic city of Prague, Czech Republic, from October 8-10. This meeting hosted by PWA will give you a taste of what W.I.N. and the conference offers.  Kristin Engvig will lead a panel of special guest speakers to discuss and debate:

• Needs and aspiration of women living and working in Italy
• Inspiring women who put wisdom into action
• Feminine values as the key to transformation.

Previous stops on W.I.N.’s discussion tour include London, Geneva, Lausanne, Abu Dhabi and, most recently Tokyo.

About Kristin

Kristin started her leadership journey in 1998 when she founded W.I.N. in Milan. She has designed the visionary programs of all W.I.N. forums. Women leadership has become her passion and leads the leadership journey at W.I.N. Kristin is known for her innovative thinking, picking up trends early and encouraging women to live creatively and shape their own future. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and for organizations and companies. Kristin has worked as an international marketing and strategy consultant in Europe as well as Japan. She holds a BA from Oslo and a MBA from SDA Bocconi. Previously she held positions with JP Morgan, Citibank and the Norwegian Export Council, served as vice president of SDA Bocconi Alumni Association and was president of PWA.

About W.I.N.

Founded in 1998 in Milan, Italy, W.I.N. (Women’s International Networking) was the idea and vision of Norwegian social entrepreneur, Kristin Engvig. Over the past 10 years W.I.N. has facilitated cross-border networking, empowered and developed leaders in order to advance the situation of women working internationally and is now one of the world’s leading international professional women’s networks. The annual leadership forum manifests the emergence of a collective and truly global leadership journey being made by modern women today www.winconference.net

Cocktails 7-8 p.m. / Presentation 8-9:30 p.m.

Grand Hotel et de Milan Via Manzoni 29, (MM Montenapoleone)

€10 for members, €30 for guests, payable by cash at the event.

For guest reservations, please contact networking@pwa-milan.org

By Kristina Tool, PWA Speaker Director

PWA member Angie Katselianos, consultant, executive coach and head of Platinum Performance International, shared her expertise in assisting her clients in achieving peak performance with her presentation, Successful Networking Strategies: Reaping What You Sow.

Angie began by stressing that networking is a process – and in order to benefit most – we must look at in phases. She outlined steps and provided targets to be achieved during the three phases of networking: preparations before the event, making contacts during the event itself and follow up actions after event.

Some of the strategies provided included taking the time to develop a memorable and meaningful introduction before you go to an event, assessing body language to understand which people are open to being approached once you enter the event and finally, making sure that you follow up promptly with your contacts post event.

Attendees had a chance to put into practice some of the tips provided during the presentation. An exercise was assigned where participants sought out a partner they didn’t know, learned about what their partner was seeking and presented what they were looking for to their partner – all within the recommended ten minute time limit.  Participants in the exercise noted that the ten minutes went by quickly, but were reminded that it was the ideal time frame to make an initial contact in order to follow up later and still have time to make additional contacts.

In addition, Angie discussed the importance of giving referrals and the “Seven Levels of Referrals”; with each level requiring more effort and time on the part of the referee, thereby increasing the potential strength and value of the reference.

In stressing that the most effective networking is an ongoing process, Angie reiterated the importance of continually cultivating our relationships, so that we have a strong network in place when needed.

PWA invites you to a Networking Aperitivo
All professional women welcome, whether members or guests.
Wednesday 10 June, 2009, 7-9 p.m.
Location: Fiori Oscuri, Via Fiori Oscuri 3 (Brera)
Network in a comfortable atmosphere, make new personal and business contacts and get to know other PWA members.

Members, please indicate your attendance in the calendar section of EuropeanPWN www.europeanpwn.net

For guest reservations or for more information, please contact: networking@pwa-milan.org