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Women’s International Networking 2005 Year End Newsletter
Dear W.I.N. Friends
Together with the whole W.I.N. Team I want to thank you for your support in the past year and wish you a wonderful holiday season and a bright New Year.
We would like to give special thanks to those who have participated in our various activities, sent us suggestions, input and constructive comments; sponsored our events and walked the journey with us. Thank you!
Before close of the year 2005 I would like to give you a glimpse of what the year has brought W.I.N. 500 women representing 54 nations met in Geneva for the 8th Annual Global Leadership Forum. The theme that brought these fantastic women together was “Leading for the future”. The conference proved to be another inspiring event where women departed feeling stronger about themselves and their own choices, where business took place and women and a few men networked with purpose and pleasure.
On Women’s day, the 8th of March, we released our W.I.N. Movie, showing the best from the Annual Global Leadership Forum. 180 women came to our release party!
The Corporate Networking Group has met on four occasions and these meetings have been interesting and rewarding. Special thanks go to Alcoa, Crowne Plaza and Procter & Gamble who hosted the CNG.
Last but not the least… “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” (Eleanor Roosevelt) and for not stopping to dream about a society where women share power and influence, we have seen women in Kuwait gain the right to vote, Germany elect her first female chancellor, Liberia’s presidential race won by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, former World Bank official who promises peace to the war torn country. The corporate world sees more and more women taking the lead and walking the talk. At W.I.N. too, we dream to see more women in top positions in 2006… and maybe you will be one of them!
Finally we encourage you to celebrate 2005 as it draws to a close and acknowledge yourself and the people around you. Let's get ready for a rich, peaceful and positive 2006!
Love and Courage
Kristin Engvig and the W.I.N. Team
W.I.N. Mission, Vision and Values
W.I.N. Mission
Inspiring women leaders to action worldwide
W.I.N. Vision
Strong, authentic and diverse personal and professional leadership which guides business/initiatives globally
W.I.N. Values
W.I.N. is Truly International:
There is no ”dominant” nationality group in neither the W.I.N. organization.
W.I.N. is Innovative thinking, practical solutions and new opportunities:
Alliances with the academic world assure the latest discoveries from research;
Alliances with corporations assure a pragmatic approach;
Alliances with women’s networks assure both new opportunities from networking and support
W.I.N. Strives for integrity
We believe women want to remain integer while being successful. They do not want to clone men. W.I.N. strives for the authentic and true behaviour and we want to be honest with ourselves and with others.
W.I.N. Builds on courage
The feminine leadership approach is a revolutionary new way, based on holistic perspectives, aesthetics and nurturing values. We aim at building careers that balance work, home and personal space, advancing without compromising health. We have the courage to believe and defend this new leadership model for the 21st century.
W.I.N. is absolutely neutral
W.I.N. forums and other events are independent initiatives. We set agendas and influence events based on our values and on what we believe in, rather than following others' agendas, or political or third parties' interests. We strive to be a visionary organization.
Thanks to our sponsors
We are proud to have outstanding companies sponsor W.I.N. and want to thank them for their contribution, availability, ideas, openness and faithful support.
| Silver Sponsor | IBM |
| Bronze Sponsor | HP, P&G, Shell, Starbucks |
| Support Sponsors | 42 Virtual, Accenture, Center for Creative Leadership, Cisco Systems, Continental Airlines, Elizabeth Arden, International Herald Tribune, INSEAD, GE Money, SDA Bocconi, SWISS, Whirlpool |
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The Time of Giving
W.I.N. Scholarship fund has helped women from all over the world to get the opportunity to attend the Annual Global Leadership Forum. We believe in meeting across countries and cultures, corporations and industries, in contacts that enrich the soul and the mind. We believe that everyone has something valuable to share and our Annual Forum is the ideal platform for those sharing. Those who contribute to the W.I.N. Scholarship Fund, give a hand to women who would otherwise not be able to participate, and they give them a chance to step forward.
Take as a thank you the words of one of our 2005 scholarship winners: "W.I.N. is a dream floor for women " (Bandita Thapa, Nepal)
How can you contribute?
You may subscribe for scholarship on a regular basis with whatever amount is comfortable for you through either or both of the following options:
Honorary Scholarship: Establish an honorary scholarship to acknowledge publicly your support or the support of your organization or corporation for the W.I.N. mission.
Planned Giving: Plan to provide deserving young men and women opportunities to attend the conference and participate in the Global Leadership Forum.
Without Volunteers - No W.I.N. Forum
Working and promoting the values that W.I.N. holds dear is the lifeblood for our volunteers. Giving their time, effort, and material goods connotes a personal commitment to a set of values and beliefs. This year, 20 volunteers from all walks of life and professions have worked as members of the committees that organize the social events and the marketing; they have performed the less glamorous work behind the conference scene and done whatever they can to contribute and to ensure the success of W.I.N. 2005.
The following messages illustrate the W.I.N. volunteers' spirit
As a volunteer, WIN was an eye opener for me - not so much in terms of contents, but in terms of the huge strength a team of women can irradiate. I was amazed and immediately motivated to work for an organization that pulled together such powerful individuals in an even more powerful team.
(Malina Hampu, Romania/Switzerland)
Volunteering for WIN 2005 was truly a rewarding experience for me. Not only did I have an opportunity to network, I worked with a team of dynamic women who were professional and fun to be with. It was fun!!!!!
(Palesa Tlhapi Guye, South Africa/ Switzerland)
Thank you dear W.I.N. volunteers!
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W.I.N’s Initiatives
The W.I.N. Corporate Network Group (CNG)
Run by the W.I.N. center for learning, the Corporate Networking Group is a platform for corporate and organizational bodies committed to diversity, inclusion and progress in the leadership area. Embedded in the overall Women’s International Network vision it is part of the journey to growth of feminine and authentic leadership. The meetings focus on cutting edge topics, learning, benchmarking and innovating new solutions together. If you never have attended a W.I.N. CNG meeting please feel free to try it at a special rate before registering for membership. We hold four meetings a year. You may also want to visit our webpage www.winconference.net/corporate_networks.asp
Extraordinary Leadership Workshop: Women supporting Women
Procter & Gamble's successful leadership workshop will be available as a special feature to the W.I.N. community in March 2006. This leadership training has been attended in recent years by 6500 P&G women in 22 countries. It is based on the company's longstanding and unique experience in diversity and designed for corporate middle level executives growing into higher level positions.
Maximum participation is 50 people.
Mark your calendar and make sure you get your ticket to this extraordinary 3-days workshop experience. For price and more information about this event contact info@winconference.net or call +41 21 612 0354.
2006 Events Calender
9th February 2006 - CNG meeting
Lausanne
Host yet to be announced
27th April 2006* - CNG meeting
Geneva
Hosted by Hewlett Packard
22nd – 24th March 2006 – Leadership Workshop "Women supporting Women"
Divonne, France (15 min from Geneva)
May possible leadership seminar
22nd June 2006* - CNG meeting
Geneva
Hosted by Tetrapak
20th - 23rd September 2006 - W.I.N. Global Leadership Forum 2006,
We are looking for a new location – watch info in January/February
23rd November 2006* - CNG meeting
Place to be confirmed
*Date modifications may occur
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Inspiration Guaranteed:
The WIN Global Leadership Forum Dazzles and Delights Once Again
by Mary van der Boon
This year’s Global Leadership Forum for women, the annual WIN conference in Geneva, was the sixth I have attended, and hands down the best ever. Kristin Engvig and her talented and indefatigable team put together a network of panellists, workshops, speakers, artists and participants who flowed and meshed seamlessly with each other. Every topic seemed to lead smoothly to the next, and the air was charged with ‘big ideas’: thoughts, concepts, dreams and goals that were sometimes bigger than the room could contain.
The biggest of these big ideas, for me, came from Kristin Lund, a Colonel in the Norwegian Armed Forces. She told a story that to me exemplifies the need for diversity in decision-making. In her career spanning continents and decades, Colonel Lund has learned firsthand the value of a different way of looking at things. Colonel Lund’s remarkable story:
When the Norwegian Army, taking part in the joint NATO forces in the Balkans in the early ‘90s, received orders to move from Sarajevo to Belgrade, Col. Lund went to inspect their new Belgrade quarters prior to the move.
“They were very dingy and badly damaged from the shelling. There were still some usable flower beds, however, and I resolved to bring flowers and plants with us from Sarajevo, to show the local population that there was still hope, and that change for the better was taking place. When I returned to Sarajevo I bought the plants and flowers, and set them next to the material to be transported. Space was at a premium, and we had to make very careful decisions what to load onto the transports. My commanding officer was very angry about the flowers and plants, and I had to stand my ground, and insist that they be taken with us to Belgrade. He was not happy, and by the time we left, was still very grumpy.
I selected another woman as chauffeur and we set off in the lead vehicle. At that point, it was taking the other Forces up to 72 hours to traverse the many checkpoints between the two cities, and the route was very dangerous. We drove up to the first checkpoint, and both the driver and I smiled at the armed guards. They looked in the back seat, where they saw a grumpy man surrounded by flowers. They started to laugh and waved us through the checkpoint. That happened at every checkpoint, and we made the trip in only 12 hours, safe and sound.
My grumpy commander was so impressed with this outcome, that he recommended I advise the NATO Joint chiefs of staff in Brussels on the merits of including women in decision-making in NATO councils”.
This is just one of the phenomenal stories from the ground-breaking women who come yearly to share their remarkable tales of vision, courage, strength and wisdom at the WIN Global Leadership Forum.
My attendance at this event, some eight years ago, started because of curiosity, it developed into a passion, and is now a yearly addiction… remember that if you attend WIN you are in serious danger of becoming inspired, impassioned, moved, exhilarated, energised and motivated. And this will certainly change your life.
Mary van der Boon is Managing Director of management training and consulting firm global tmc international, based in the Netherlands. Her work focuses on intercultural and diversity management strategy. She is a member of the European Institute for Managing Diversity, is adjunct faculty for the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Intercultural Communication, lectures frequently on international manage ment issues at universities in Europe, Asia and North America and is an active business journalist on international management themes. She contributed this feedback on WIN 2005 out of a deep sense of gratitude for another fantastic WIN experience.
Last thought of the year
We want to present you our year-end wishes through the words of one of our participants who recently said
The W.I.N. Forum is my yearly power injection which has highly contributed to my personal development and still does. It's partially thanks to W.I.N. that I'm holding my present position as HR director. Years ago already, W.I.N provided me with the confidence and courage to go forward and do it, it highly inspired me and enhanced my self-confidence. Today, I truly feel member of a global female intellectual capital group which is continuously evolving through extraordinary people, input and ideas.
W.I.N. Memories
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