All professional women welcome, whether members or guests.

Wednesday, 1 Feb, 7-9 pm

Hotel NH President. Largo Augusto 10 (MM San Babila, Duomo)

You’ve made plenty of New Year’s resolutions over the years – maybe even one or two for 2012. Some you’ve kept and others – not so much. How can you increase your likelihood of success?

Mile stones are mini-goals that help measure your progress and keep you motivated because they break down ambitious aims into less intimidating chunks. You’re more prone to follow through and ultimately achieve your objectives.

In addition to learning to set effective mile stones and then practicing in small groups, this event is focused on making valuable contacts to expand your professional network – bring plenty of business cards!

Networking 7 – 9 pm/ Presentation 7:45-8 pm
Hotel NH President. Largo Augusto 10, (MM San Babila, Duomo)

Drinks 10 euro each (one drink per person minimum), light buffet included

Members and guests, please register in the calendar section of EPWN (www.EuropeanPWN.net)

For more information, please send an email to networking@pwa-milan.org

Wednesday, 25 January 2012, 7-9.30 p.m.
Entrepreneur, Ready-For-Board Woman and PWA Member Joyce Bigio presents:
“Personal Marketing & PR: Seizing Opportunity Every Day”

What do successes in securing a job, engaging new clients and obtaining a prestigious post all have in common? They all depend on treating the objective as your personal priority project and realizing that nobody else will do it for you: you are a company of one.

Success in any of these three pursuits requires a committed action plan that includes:

• clarifying goals
• planning an “attack”
• execution and follow-through
• continuous networking with purpose

Meet Joyce Bigio: successful business owner, “Ready-For-Board Woman” and networker extraordinaire.

Her current focus is twofold: actively seeking positions on company boards, while continuing to grow her client base in a competitive industry.

Joyce will share how she never misses an opportunity to communicate:

• who she is
• what she does
• what she’s looking for
• what she has to offer

She’ll share practical tips that you can put to work for yourself in creating and maintaining your reputation so that you stand out in a crowd and become a reference within your sphere.

Join PWA for a motivating and energising evening as Joyce shares her ongoing professional journey: the challenges, experiences and successes she’s encountered along the way.

About Joyce:
Joyce Bigio is the founding partner of International Accounting Solutions, specializing in CFO services, outsourcing of the accounting function and temporary accounting staff.

A long-time resident of Milan, Joyce is originally from USA, where she graduated from the University of Virginia and qualified as a Certified Public Accountant with Arthur Andersen, spending 10 years in the audit divisions in Washington and Milan. She then joined Euromobiliare as controller of this investment bank. In the early 90’s, she worked in London with Waste Management, first as head of European reporting, then in their merger and acquisition department. In 1998, she was appointed CFO of Italy for Sotheby’s and served on the Board of Directors in Italy and Switzerland.
She currently serves on the Board of Simmel Difesa S.p.A., the Italian subsidiary of Chemring Plc, a company quoted on the London Stock Exchange. In 2010 she was identified by Professional Women’s Association and Bocconi University amongst the top 200 women in Italy qualified to serve on Boards of Directors.

In addition to PWA, she is a sustaining member of the British Chamber of Commerce, on the organizing committees of ANDAF (Assoc. Nazionale dei Direttori Finanziarie) and IAIA (Italian Association of International Accountants) and AiiA (Associazione Italiana Internal Auditors).

NH Hotel President, Largo Augusto 10 (MM San Babila, Duomo)
Networking Cocktail: 7 – 8 pm Presentation 8 – 9:30 pm

Members and guests, please register in the calendar section of EuropeanPWN.

For more information, please send an email to speakers@pwa-milan.org

All professional women welcome, whether members or guests.

Wednesday, 11 January 2011, 7-9 pm
Hotel NH President. Largo Augusto 10 (MM San Babila, Duomo)

Networking is a fundamental part of building good business relationships and a tool to further enhance your professional success. Group Networking is a fun, effective, low pressure way to add valuable contacts to your business network while practicing a new skill introduced in each exercise.

In this workshop we will focus on setting SMART Goals:

• S = Specific
• M = Measurable
• A = Attainable
• R = Realistic
• T = Timely

This event is focused on making valuable contacts to expand your professional network – bring plenty of business cards!

Wednesday, 11 January 2011
Hotel NH President. Largo Augusto 10 (MM San Babila, Duomo)
Networking 7 – 9 pm – Presentation 7:45-8 pm

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

Drinks €10 each (one drink per person minimum), light buffet included

Members and guests, please register in the calendar section of EPWN (www.EuropeanPWN.net)

For more information, please send an email to networking@pwa-milan.org

REMINDER: PWA 2012 Membership renewals can be paid at this event in cash (sorry, no checks). Credit card membership renewal payments can be made online by logging into your account.

All members, partners and friends are welcome

Wednesday, 14 December 7-9 pm

For our last meeting of 2011, we are inviting all of our members and guests as well as THEIR guests (yes, we are welcoming male partners, friends and colleagues to celebrate the holiday season with us)

This month we will again be practicing Group Networking – interacting in small groups to meet several people at the same time. You’ll meet many new contacts in a short time, and it’s a fun, effective, low pressure way to add contacts to your business network. Networking is a fundamental part of building good business relationships and a tool to further enhance your professional success.

After a brief introduction – including tips for maximizing the time – you will spend 15 minutes with your group members exchanging information on who you are, what you do, and perhaps most importantly, what you are looking for.

This event is focused on making valuable contacts to expand your professional network – bring plenty of business cards!

Networking 7 – 9 pm/ Presentation 7:45-8 pm
Hotel NH President. Largo Augusto 10, (MM San Babila, Duomo)
ENTRANCE FEE FOR MEMBERS AND GUESTS: 9 euro (includes first drink) payable by cash at the event.
Light buffet included

Register for the event here

For additional information email speakers@pwa-milan.org

Wednesday, 23 November, 7-9.30 p.m.
Entrepreneur & EPWN Paris Member Margaret Milan presents:
“Success Story: Garage Start-Up, French Style”

Join PWA to hear the story of successful entrepreneur and fellow European Professional Women’s Network member Margaret Milan.

Margaret will talk about her experience over the past twenty years, building her business, Eveil & Jeux, from scratch to France’s leading educational toy brand with sales of € 150M. The company is unusual in that its sales are equally split through retail stores and the web providing a unique window on the fast changing retail environment.

She will share stories of the fast growth, entrepreneurial first decade, including the sale of the company to France’s luxury and distribution group PPR, as well as the transformations of the past decade in the face of the on-line revolution.

There will be ample time for questions for Margaret on her professional and personal journey as she built the business with her husband, Gilbert.

About Margaret
Born and raised in Scotland, educated in England (BSc Engineering, Warwick) and the United States (MBA Harvard), Margaret Milan has lived in France since 1979.

Her initial experience was in consumer marketing with Procter & Gamble (Pampers, Always). After a short break to enjoy her young daughters (now 23 and 26), Margaret set up her own mail order toy company, Eveil & Jeux. From an archetypal garage start-up in 1990, the company grew rapidly to become France’s leading educational toy brand with sales of €150M in 2010. The company was sold to the French distribution group, Pinault Printemps Redoute in 2001.

She returned to the company with her husband, Gilbert Milan, in 2006 to carry out the fundamental transformations necessary to compete in the fast-changing retail and on-line environment. They also accompanied the sale of Eveil & Jeux by Fnac to its new owners, ID Group, in 2010.

Margaret was one of the initiators of European Professional Women’s Network and was President of the European Federation from 2005 to 2007.

NH Hotel President, Largo Augusto 10 (MM San Babila, Duomo)
Networking Cocktail: 7 – 8 pm. Presentation: 8 – 9:30 pm

Entrance: Free for members, 25 euro for guests, payable in cash at the event.

Please register in the calendar section of EPWN (EuropeanPWN.net).

For more information, please send an email to speakers@pwa-milan.org

All professional women welcome, whether members or guests.

Wednesday, 9 November 7-9 pm

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? Do you wish you’d been able to connect with more of the other attendees?

This month we will again be practicing Group Networking – interacting in small groups to meet several people at the same time. It’s similar to the concept of Speed Networking, except it’s for making business connections with a group of others instead of one at a time. You’ll meet many new contacts in a short time, and it’s a fun, effective, low pressure way to add contacts to your business network.

After a brief introduction – including tips for maximizing the time – you will spend 15 minutes with your group members exchanging information on who you are, what you do, and perhaps most importantly, what you are looking for.

This event is focused on making valuable contacts to expand your professional network – bring plenty of business cards!

Networking 7 – 9 pm/ Presentation 7:45-8 pm
Hotel NH President. Largo Augusto 10, (MM San Babila, Duomo)

Free entrance for members, €10 for guests, payable by cash at the event.
Drinks 9 euro each, light buffet included

Register for the event here

For additional information email networking@pwa-milan.org

Wednesday, 16 November 2011, 7- 9.30 p.m.
Management Consultant and PWA President Monica Pesce presents
“How to prepare and deliver effective presentations”

You have a great business idea and a credible business plan; now you need to approach potential investors, business partners, and suppliers.

Or, you’ve launched a significant project in which you’ve invested enormous quantities of time and energy; now you’re invited to present it to an influential group of your higher-ups, colleagues and peers.

In both cases, you need to shine if you’re going to succeed in capitalizing on the opportunity!

It’s vital to identify the key information you need to communicate and then to convey it effectively in a poised manner.

This special workshop will teach you how to:

• select the significant information
• structure your presentation clearly and concisely
• get your audience’s attention
• professionally showcase your business idea and sales pitch
• identify the topics you CAN’T leave out
• avoid presentation ”don’ts”

About Monica:
Monica Pesce is Associate Partner at VVA Consulting and President of PWA Milan. As project manager for institutions including the European Commission, Italian companies and private equity funds operating in various sectors, Monica has more than 11 years of management consulting experience as well as extensive expertise in strategic thinking and go-to-market strategies.

This workshop will be limited to 12 participants. PWA members will be given priority to register through Tuesday, October 8. If space is still available, registration will then be opened to non-members.

Payment in advance is required in order to confirm your place: online with a credit card at www.europeanpwn.net, via bank transfer or in cash at the November 9 PWA Networking Aperitivo (based on availability).

Registration 6:30-7, Workshop 7-9:30 p.m
Blend Tower Business Center, Piazza 4 Novembre 7 (MM Centrale)
€30 for members, €45 for guests, includes snack break

For additional information, please contact speakers@pwa-milan.org

All members welcome

Friday, 18 November 2011, 7.45-9 am

Bar Zucca, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele angolo Piazza Duomo
(MM Duomo)

Are you a new member of PWA and would like to know how to get the most out of your membership? Have you been a member for a while, but don’t feel like you know enough about the association?

Join PWA at this members only event where Membership Director Viviana Cavalli will give a presentation about membership benefits, programs and activities, and PWA’s vision and mission in a relaxed and informal setting.

New Members Breakfast Meeting 7:45-9 am

Bar Zucca, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele angolo Piazza Duomo, (MM Duomo)

Members only, €10 fee, payable by cash at the event directly to the bar, includes light breakfast.

Please register in the calendar section of EPWN (www.EuropeanPWN.net)

For more information send an email to membership@pwa-milan.org

Wednesday, 19 October 2011, 7-9.30 p.m.
PWA Milan presents:
“Helping Women Succeed: Introducing PWA Entrepreneurship Club”

Are you an entrepreneur looking for the support and tools to get to the next level? Are you ready to be an entrepreneur but need some help getting started?

Join PWA on Wednesday as we present our upcoming solution to both of these challenges:

• PWA Entrepreneurship Club. PWA Member Laura Gaillard Giordani will present an overview of our about-to-be-launched program for sharing ideas, experiences and connections with an aim to inspire, inform and motivate . Laura brings her expertise as professor of Entrepreneurship and Organizational Behavior at Bocconi University; author of Organizing Entrepreneurship, and initiator of The Entrepreneurial Lab which brings together Bocconi students and real-life entrepreneurs.

We’ll also be updating you on recent PWA activities and milestones:

• New Members Breakfast series
• 2012 Mentoring Program
• Nominations of women to Director positions in Italian company Boards, following their sponsorship by PWA in our Ready-for-Board-Women initiative.
• Development of the PWA Coaching Service

Join us in this interactive evening – PWA is excited to present a variety of opportunities for women to cultivate their skills, increase their knowledge, showcase their talents, gain visibility, and expand their network.

Entrance: Free for members, 25 euro for guests, payable in cash at the event.

Please register in the calendar section of EPWN.

For more information, please send an email to speakers@pwa-milan.org

This presents a challenge in structuring our activities in such a way that we cover all of our members’ needs. When we began our mandate in 2011 the willingness to put a special focus on the specific needs of existing and potential entrepreneurs was an objective shared by the incoming PWA Board, given that our activities had traditionally been less concentrated in this area.

That is the reason why we have three specific events this fall targeting our entrepreneurs, be they budding or full-fledged:

• October 12 – our sold-out skill-building workshop on how to prepare your venture’s financial plan, held by financial management consultant and PWA Member Lynn Chasson
• November 16 – a second workshop aimed at developing your skills in making effective presentations once you have your business plan, run by partner-level consultant and PWA President Monica Pesce
• November 23 – our monthly speaker meeting focusing on the story of two decades of successful entrepreneurship in a changing world, featuring accomplished businesswoman and past President of EuropeanPWN Margaret Milan

 This is only the beginning. There are a number of new special programs and events to come in 2012!