by Gini Dupasquier,  PWA Professional Development Director & Mentoring Program Leader 

 The 2013 edition of the PWA mentoring Program is now up and running. The Program received huge interest and this year it will involve a record number of 106 women divided into 53 mentor-mentee pairs.

On May 6^th we held a special evening dedicated to our Mentors, with the goal of sharing best practices and useful hints on how to manage the mentoring relationship. With the help of Valerie Ryder, an experienced professional, we discussed what the most important skills a Mentor should have. We then learned from the direct experience of three Mentors from last year and how they helped their Mentees define and break down their goals. Many thanks to the excellent contribution of Annarosa Borzacchiello, Liana Dugaro and Andrea Cairella.

On May 15^th, we held the official kickoff workshop involving all participants. That was the occasion for the pairs to meet for the first time, break the ice and start their relationships. Over the next 6 months, from May to December, they will meet to work on professional development objectives defined during the workshop.

Are you wondering how the pairs were matched?
The job of matching was long and carefully thought out. In March each applicant sent us her CV and the application form, indicating the specific areas in which she desired the support of a mentor: the more details provided, the more likely we were to find a good match with a mentor with the competencies and / or professional background particularly suitable to that specific mentee. Similarly, mentors sent us their experience and their strong areas in which they felt they could contribute.

We read and re-read all the CVs, forms and information and slowly the individual pairs came to light.  When we were undecided between two mentees with similar requests, the mentee with seniority in PWA membership had priority.

When mentee requests were a bit vague, if possible we asked for more details in person, in other cases we applied a little common sense and creativity. At the end of this process, we are satisfied with the matches; the ball is now in the participants’ court.
In addition to compatibility “on paper”, chemistry and openness will now make a huge difference…

Good luck to all Mentors and Mentees!

For any query please don’t hesitate to contact any of us at the Mentoring Team: myself or Karolina Wrobel or Valeria Cardillo Piccolino at the usual address: professional@pwa-milan-org

By Jiska van der Kooij, Speaker Event Director PWA

On the 17th of April we had Rita Polarolo, Venture Capital Fund Manager of Principia SGR as our speaker. Rita worked with the most important players in the Seed & Early Stage Investment in Italy, from Innogest to Piemontech and TTVenture. She was an Investment Analyst and Project Manager at Innogest and Piemontech, funds active in seed and early-stage investments in ICT, Cleantech and Biotech. Today she is a Fund Manager of Principia SGR: she runs and selects the dealflow, she takes care of the investment process, from structuring the analysis of the business plan and the company valuation, to the negotiation and preparation of investment contracts. Rita sits on the board of 4 startups. She has a master degree in Business Administration.

‘The elusive dream of entrepreneurs, both aspiring and established: investment by a venture capitalist.’

Venture capitalists look at thousands of potential investment opportunities every year – how do you become part of the tiny percentage that succeeds? What are your first steps? How do you create a convincing presentation? How do you set yourself apart from the pack?

Rita told us about:

• key elements for a persuasive proposition
• the difference the right attitude makes
• components of a winning team
• traits of success stories
• opportunities and challenges unique to women

For those who couldn’t join the event  you can read the presentation of Rita Polarolo here.

Thank you so much Rita for your inspiring and stimulating talk!

By Jiska van der Kooij, Speaker Event Director PWA

Should I buy a house now or wait? Will I be able to survive on my pension or should I be investing for my retirement? What challenges and opportunities does the current economic crisis present? How do I find professional advice that I can trust?

Making financial decisions can be stressful and scary. Many of us don’t even know where to begin to gather information, and the consequences of making mistakes can be huge. On the 30th of January 2013 Tiziana Bocus, Director at Deutsche Bank Italy, Head of DPM & Advisory and Claudia Moggia, Vice President at Deutsche Bank Groups’ Finanza & Futuro Banca talked about all this.

First Tiziana Bocus told us about where the crisis comes from: from housing and the private credit boom to the sovereign debt crisis. She explained  where we stand now, the scenario for 2013 and how important financial planning is.
Claudia Moggia went more in depth about the differences between men and women, society, behaviors and outcomes and finally the value and opportunity of financial planning for women.

You can (re)read the power-point presentation of this interesting and informative evening here.
Thank you so much Tiziana and Claudia!

Wednesday the 6th Feb was the official launch of the 2013 edition of the PWA Milan Entrepreneur Club – The E Club.
Thanks to all the women who attended the evening, it was a great success and we have already begun receiving applications. Please remember applications for the E Club close on Friday the 22nd Feb 2013.

We kicked off the night in usual style with an aperitif in hand. Laura Gaillard took the stage and presented this year’s program. Most importantly we highlighted what the E Club s:  Inside the E Club, you can expect to: SHARE, BRAINSTORM, TUTOR, INTERACT, LEARN and CONTRIBUTE. What the E Club isn’t: The E club is not a school; we are not delivering a course on entrepreneurship.

This year we will focus on four main steps:
Step 1:  GOALS. Where am I? Where do I want to go? Are my current goals well defined?
We will assist budding and confirmed entrepreneurs to work on Personal aspirations, expectations, values, vision.
Step 2: STRATEGY. How will I get where I want to go? Do I have the right strategy?
We will work on your Business model.
Step 3: CAPABILITIES/ASSETS. Can I do it?  Am I Executing my strategy correctly?
We will help you reach your goals by analyzing your situation, establishing priorities among the opportunities and problems you may be facing, evaluating solutions and planning for action.
Step 4: THE BUSINESS PITCH.
We will work on how to PITCH your business opportunity to different audiences.
As well as presenting the E Club’s four main steps, we carried out a brainstorming session. The results are extremely valuable, and will be used to assist those women who join the E Club in getting closer to their objectives. As Laura stated, seeking answers to our questions is one of the most evident hurdles for an Entrepreneur. Thanks again to all the women who contributed: your contribution will make the difference.
We asked: IF YOU COULD ASK ONLY A FEW QUESTIONS TO DISCOVER A PERSON’S SUITABILITY FOR STARTING OR RUNNING A BUSINESS, WHAT WOULD YOUR QUESTIONS BE?
You answered:

• How was your project born?
• Are you ready to manage risk and pressure?
• Why do you want to be an entrepreneur and what are your targets?
• How much of your time do you devote to your project?
• Have you worked on a business plan?
• Do you know your competitors/customer(s)?
• Do you have financial resources?
• What is your knowledge around “running a business” (budgeting, financing, biz structure)
• What is special about your project? In which way is it different/new?
• Are you able to take leadership and manage a team?
• What is your source of motivation?
• Do you know your business; have you done the necessary research?
• How much time have you spent understanding the market, competitors, etc.(swot analysis)
• What would you like your activity to be in 5 years’ time?
• Are you good at self-promotion? How do you do that?
• What is your ability to acquire clients? What’s your strategy?
• How do you plan to make use of your network?
• Do you perceive yourself as a creative, energetic, and flexible person?
• How do you react to obstacles and failure?

The first E Club event will take place at the end of March. We look forward to receiving your application, should you have further questions please contact me on eclub@pwa-milan.org.  Applications close on February 22nd 2013.

We just finished the sixth and last month of the 2012 Edition of PWA Mentoring Program.

The 66 participants are now in the process of responding to an on-line feedback survey, in which they will tell us about their experience and satisfaction with the Program. All comments will help us to develop and improve the Program for next year. The main outcomes of the survey will be shared with the PWA Community early in 2013.

We have some organizational changes in the Mentoring Team: after two years of extremely valuable support, Lee Smith is stepping down from her role. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Lee for her commitment in the 2011 and 2012 editions of the Program. We’ll miss you, Lee!

At the same time we are very pleased to announce that a new entry in our Team is Valeria Cardillo Piccolino, a 2012 mentoring participant, who will bring her enthusiasm and ideas in the 2013 edition. Welcome Valeria! Valeria will support Karolina Wrobel and I, who you already know from last year’s edition.

The new edition of the PWA Mentoring Program is scheduled for March 2013. We will keep you updated as the new application deadlines and other relevant details firm up.

For any query please don’t hesitate to contact the PWA Mentoring Team at the email address: professional@pwa-milan-org
Gini Dupasquier
PWA Professional Development Director & Mentoring Program Leader

This year Catalyist, the nonprofit dedicated to expanding opportunities for women and business, celebrated its 50^th anniversary.   Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jorden,  General Manager of Catalyst Europe since 2006, cited the anniversary as both a motive of celebration and depression. We celebrate Catalyst for its activism in achieving gender equality around the world, and we lament that the organization is still necessary.

Tabi started her presentation of “The Way Forward – Engaging Men in Diversity Initiatives” by providing statistics but emphasizing the need to make personal connections. Stories, not statistics, tend to stick to people more, which is why she engaged us in an interactive discussion in which we shared our personal challenges as women in the workplace. Examples from the audience included being excluded in “golf with the boys, being called a “vellina”, receiving unwanted compliments, and facing unfounded assumptions.

Tabi advised us to confront these issues in our daily lives, because just passively waiting for society to change would take an estimated 400 years! She encouraged us to face our challenges with authenticity and humor. Perhaps easier said than done in stressful situations, but she inspired us to engage in dialogue with men to help them understand, and with other women to help each other.

Thank you Tabi for your wonderful presentation and all the work you are doing to build an inclusive world.

By Laura Gaillard

On Thursday, November 8,  the First Edition of the PWA  EClub concluded with the presentation of a series of interesting and  original projects elaborated by our members, including budding and confirmed women entrepreneurs. Vania, customized HR consulting;  Elodie,  French and Italian legal support,   Emanuela, innovative provider of temporary design objects and vintage furniture (“Mobilitare”); Pamela for Executive support in outstanding  Smart English speaking (actually her presentation left us almost voiceless);  Kristina and a unique proposition of Customer Experience Audit. Tal  (Strass it) and Gaia (Dinner Planner), could not join but their projects deserve to be mentioned.

Our evening together was indeed a rich and emotional experience. What appeared a far away destination was reached through steps of shared problems and feedback on sometimes imprecise personal and professional objectives.

We first met at the end of March for an aperitivo and “speed dating” to briefly introduce our projects to the other members. The Club mission is sharing and improving through the exchange of information, feedback and expertise. We brainstorm, refine our ideas, hear about those of our peers and work towards taking the next steps.

The topic of our first intensive workshop on Saturday, April 14, (in a Bocconi University meeting room) was Transforming Ideas into Business Opportunities. After Laura Gaillard introduced the Basics on “Organizing Entrepreneurship”,  groups were formed to work on the importance of values of the Business Opportunity and Personal goals.

On Saturday, May 19  we were guests of Marco Massarotto founder of Hagakure, the first Italian company to propose Internet PR. We ended our “Japanese” start-up trek with an authentic Japanese lunch.

In between our workshops, Zoe animated two aperitivos, one on Personal goals and another on Business Vision.

On Monday, June 25, it was FORMAPER (a body of the Milan Chamber of Commerce to promote entrepreneurship) who provided a meeting room to hold our workshop on  Resources attraction and combination (Looking for support. How and where to get funding in Italy). Our guest guest: Tommaso Marzotto Caotorta – Segretario Generale of IBAN Italian Business Angel network association – presented his association and offered useful insights on the criteria they use for selecting Business Plans. We had also a basic presentation on Financing opportunities from EC, by junior members of the European Commission Representation in Milan.

In July we worked on Business plan writing  commenting the Presentation of selected projects which also received feedback from our guests Dottori Commercialista Silvia Re, and Deborah Settola

After the summer break we meet again in Bocconi University on September 29 for an after summer re-cap on basic tools and business plan writing. We did group exercises on “How  to present your business idea as a business opportunity” and pitch it to different audiences. It was also the occasion of  looking back on our passed activities and plan for the future: the next edition of our EClub.

Before the last meeting and presentations of selected projects (November 18), we met for an aperitivo on Wednesday, October 24, in NH Hotel

We are now planning a proper EClub dinner in January 2013; and for the future to launch a new edition of the EClub in 2013 putting the lessons learned during the first edition into use.  See you there!

The elections for the 2013 PWA Board of Directors are now underway!
The 10 candidates for the term of January 1 – December 31, 2013 are as follows and are all running without opposition:

President -    Monica Pesce
Vice President -    Maria Lassila
Treasurer -    Raffaella Monzani
Speaker Events Director –     Jiska van der Kooij
Networking Events Co – Director -    Zoe Flaherty
Networking Events Co – Director -    Eleonora Pitaro
Corporate Members Director -    Astrid Palmieri
PR & Marketing Director -    Marina Cappelletti
Web Content & Newsletter Director -    Suparna Gupta
Professional Development Director -    Gini Dupasquier

Voting will be by email during the period November 14 – 28, 2012.

We must reach our required quorum of 50% + 1 of the membership to validate the elections – so, members, please vote as soon as possible. If you prefer, you can vote “Abstain” rather than “Yes” or “No.”

If you are a PWA member and you haven’t yet received your ballot, send an email to the Elections Committee at elections@pwa-milan.org. Election Committee Members this year are Valeria Cardillo Piccolino, Marie Jose Pastier, and Emanuela Sala.

Candidate profiles can be viewed in the Milan group area of www.EuropeanPWN.net
The results of the elections will be announced on or about 5 December 2012 by email and will be published on the PWA website.

About a year ago now, I moved on from a long corporate career to start up in business as an executive and leadership coach. Specifically, I help new and emerging leaders take the bumps out of their leaders’ journeys. We work together on a step-by-step plan to help them develop a personally effective style of leadership as leaders with vision that positively influences not only themselves but also those with whom they work and interact as well as their organizations as a whole.

My decision to pursue coaching came about as I started planning to transition from Germany, where I was working, back to the country home that my husband and I have in the Le Marche region here in Italy. When I started to ask myself questions like “What will I miss from my professional leadership role?” (as Head of Public Relations for an international organization), it was like a thunderbolt that laid open my passion for helping others step into their unique greatness in life and at work.

Certainly my own experiences and stumbles along my leader’s journey help inform me as I coach others on their journeys. Perhaps one thing that I am particularly grateful for in my career is the opportunities I have had to live and work in several countries and continents around the world. What I value most from my gypsy life, if you like, is the appreciation of the uniqueness of every single person. It has taught me how labels are not only irrelevant but also significantly hold people back from their own greatness.

It is this aspect that informs my coaching at both an individual level and within corporations and organizations. For organizations, stability is key. A focus on leadership continuity that engages all stakeholders helps create open workplaces where people are free to speak up about their uncertainties. When leaders are fully engaged in who they are as leaders, they are best placed to empower and engage those they lead.

Getting involved again with PWA Milan enriches me both personally and professionally. Aside from the networking benefits and opportunities to hear amazing speakers, I am grateful for the opportunities to serve my fellow members. I am a mentor this year in the PWA Mentorship Program. Here I get to be both a coach, bringing out the best in my mentees and also a mentor, calling on my own experience to guide them in their unique endeavors.

On October 9, I was further honored to serve my fellow PWA Members at the workshop – 7 Ways to Lead for Truly Amazing Results… without conflict, compromise or exhaustion. In the workshop, I took the 20 participants on a journey to discover who they wanted to be in their ideal leader role. We explored the 12 talents of leadership that focus on self-leadership first, aligning around vision for decisive action as a leader, and how to relate and lead with integrity.

This approach forms the basis of most of my coaching partnerships where I help my clients identify what it is they really want to achieve, breakthrough what is holding them back, and helping them move into action. Each of us has those little niggling doubts and thoughts like “I am not good enough” or “I am not important enough”. The truth is that you truly are enough and you do have everything inside of you to be who you choose to be.

Women and men both struggle with this. I don’t think it is possible to generalize that women or men do more so than the other. Perhaps two qualities that I see more of in men than in women is, firstly, their willingness to take risks and, secondly, to go beyond networking and form business partnerships.

Towards the end of the workshop I introduced the participants to 7 Ways to Lead which offers them a way to hold a mirror, firstly, to their own attitudes and behaviors that shape their leadership. By understanding which of the seven levels you access in any given situation or interaction, you can better understand your thoughts, emotions and actions that influence how you react or respond.

As you understand them better, more and more you are able to decide how you want to respond rather than react. The model also helps you better understand how and why others respond in situations. And so, as a leader you are better able to positively influence and motivate by anticipating responses and acting to get the responses you want.

Many of the participants took up my special offer to take the online assessment and receive my personal and confidential debrief and written report. I am very happy to extend the offer to any PWA Member who would like to understand more about how they lead, whether leading themselves or others. For the remainder of 2012, PWA Members can take the 7 Ways to Lead assessment for 95 euros (VAT included).

For more information about how I help new and emerging leaders, members can find me at GetReadyToLead.com.  I can be reached by telephone at +39 339 8433 981 and by email: Suzanne(at)GetreadyToLead.com.