W.I.N. 2011 Conference Blog

W.I.N. Global Conference 2011 Blog

I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate and gained from participating in the WINConference. I want to make sure that I have thanked you, and all the WIN team, and Kristin especially, of course, in having organized and pulled off such an exciting and uplifting event with such apparent ease. As a scholarship winner, I feel especially honored and humbled to have shared the experience and to have met such outstanding people from all over the world. Those who have accomplished so much and are still pushing to do more, and those who, like me, have only just begun to try and make a difference of some sort. We all have a lot to learn from each other and the intensive therapy I got those days with all of you will definitely carry me through the next 362, as one participant put it. -- Rebecca Spitzmiller, Honoree

Friday, 7 October - WINConference Closing Day & Gala Evening

Message from Host & Founder, Kristin Engvig:

As I watched participants leave the conference wide-eyed with a new or renewed vision, and a sparkle in their eyes, I couldn’t help thinking of speaker Nancy Adler’s poignant conclusion in her Friday morning speech: ‘Let beauty be the protest to the ugliness of this world’. For me, it was certainly a beautiful experience to spend time with 950 outstanding women and men over the past few days in Rome, and we proved that in an extremely short time we can create an inclusive environment for each other, one in which so many of you really blossomed. I want to thank all particpants for having been part of such a transformative WINConference experience in Rome.

As you return back to your daily routine, you may find yourself wondering what it was, precisely, that you experienced; whether it was real and how you can articulate what transpired to those around you.

For three-plus days you were exposed to a wealth of ideas, people and above all, humanity. There was a sense that all of our stories count, that you count and that we can move forward as complete human beings, quickly, clearly and with support from around the world. Everything feels possible. I think the right question to ask on this Monday morning is exactly that, "Now when everything is possible, what would I like to do to contribute?"

As we collectively transformed, you changed and you opened up. There wasn’t a single person who left the conference untouched by the incredible risk that so many of you took by sharing from your heart. So please go out into the world sharing a feminine, authentic and global vision as you work; make a difference - large or small - wherever your path may take you. Go forward and start Creating Historyand...support others in Creating History as well.

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Names appearing in red throughout the blog contain 'Live Links' to company websites - so, feel free to click away!

There was much to celebrate at the Gala Evening with our traditional soul sister, Dawn Yarbrough belting out the tunes and getting participants to break up the dance floor at the stunning Villa Miani. Participants deserved it after another day filled with beauty, inspiration, and a whole lot of drumming that brought down the house.

The news out of Oslo was buzzing in the air: three women would share the Nobel Peace Prize this year: Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa's first democratically elected female head of state; her countrywoman Leymah Gbowee, a peace activist who challenged warlords; and Tawakul Karman, a Yemeni human rights leader seeking to overthrow an autocratic regime as part of the regionwide "Arab Spring" movement.

As Thorbjorn Jagland, head of the Nobel committee so accurately remarked,

"We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society."

picture by political cartoonist Gianni Falcone

whose potent int'l vignettes can be found on OpenSalon

After our fun-filled & hard-hitting drumming session conducted by management training company, Sewa Beats the WIN Team took the stage and Kristin made a few closing announcements before breaking for a refreshing and last prosecco drink all together. The most important, was that the WIN Community had decided to set up a fund for purchasing cows for Maggie's Maison Shalom in Burundi. Each cow costs €300 (a full year's pay), but, once it produces milk and offspring, it becomes a source of income for those living in one of the poorest countries on earth. What Maggie didn't tell us this year was how much she would like people to invest in her country, in her people, in her children. Listen to some of the awesome African beats some of the kids are producing in a recording studio there, and you know just how far these people can go. We ask that you make a donation on paypal or through the website, contact network@winconference.net for more info of how you can help.

On networking...thoughts from Carol Bourg, President PWA-Prof'l Women's Assoc of Rome

As a longtime partner of WIN, PWA Rome was truly well-represented at this year's global leadership forum: Not only were our members a few workshop leaders, former CityGroup executive cum entrepreneur Valerie Baxter (providing sustainable tourism in Italy) was sent to WIN as PWA's award winner, while another five PWA members were on the WIN Team as volunteers. Some say that going to WIN is as inspiring as doing an MBA! It's important that we take full advantage of our partnership and connect with other women from Italy and other countries. With the parallel development of social networks (facebook, linkedin, twitter), these contacts can really make a difference in your life, in your career.

As Fabrizio Castelucci from Bocconi University remarked during the WIN Conference, and to no surprise, networking is about being in an environment where information, ideas, opportunities, resources, support and political intelligence can be obtained, shared and exchanged for the benefit of each individual. Of course, it requires time, energy and commitment because that is what relationships need but this is also key to transforming your networks into social capital. To be meaningful and successful in doing this, you will most probably need to: reallocate your time (do I finish my report or do I go to a PWA conference/aperitivo?), get out of your comfort zone (talk to people who are-truly-not like you), think long term (connecting dots) and be generous – with your ideas, your support, your empathy, your time.

Thursday, 6 October - WINConference Day 2

For our early birds, the morning started out at 7:30am, with a Body-Mind Awakening Session run by Alesha Prosperini Cumpton Co-Founder of Gather. Once our bodies & minds were relaxed, we were open to receive all the important messages of the day. As women filed into the plenary room, the lyrics of the lovely arias sung by our Italian duo came wafting out. It was a beautiful way to start a day that would be focused on The Future of Work and the technologies that are transforming not only our working lives, but also our families, our communities, ourselves.

How the day looked from Inspiring Woman Award winner, Rebecca Spitzmiller - Retake Rome

Even if the WIN workshops and plenaries were fantastic, I found that some of the best energy at the WIN conference was often shared at the lunch tables or cocktails (maybe I needed sustenance to support all that work my soul and brain were doing!) At lunch on Thursday I learned about what happened at the “Mind Over Matter” workshop, given by Nancy Glynn, of Attain Partners that morning, which I had missed. One person was raving about it, and another, Nancy’s Partner, Des O’Connor, happened to be at our table! I asked them to describe what had transpired. They explained that the workshop focused on a technique used to attain "Mindfulness" to manage stress and concentration. It seemed like skills related to yoga, which I have practiced on and off and with varying levels of success. Emptying my mind just wasn’t always possible; maybe my “delete” button was jammed sometimes. Basically the Mindfulness technique, as I gather from the conversation at lunch, involves the following: When you’re having one of those overwhelming moments, or your mind is cluttered, or you’re flustered, confused or down, or for whatever reason you are unable to focus, just close your eyes for a minute or so. In that moment, think about something good that has happened in the last day or two, and recalling exactly how you felt in that moment. Then you are to think of someone, a mentor, or person you admire, and remember things they taught you. Then you open your eyes, and write a few of those thoughts down, or, better, as was done in the workshop, you articulate them out loud. I suppose you could say them to yourself, or better, to someone else (as was done at the workshop). Hearing the reactions of the participants, it was clear that the experience of actually SAYING these things to another person was deeply moving. I am just guessing but maybe it's a sort of cathartic way to release emotions we otherwise have to tend to repress, to get through our hectic, business-only lives. By focusing on the positive emotions and thoughts, even for just a few moments, we tap into them where they are stored – in our brain! – and we use their energy and clear our heads to achieve: MINDFULNESS. We can then return to our work, right away, refreshed and energized, ready to focus. I LOVE THIS!

Lots of other tips too, followed that afternoon. In the Story-Telling session that followed the Plenary that afternoon, I gathered more advice on how to get past mental roadblocks or to grab a quick attitude adjustment.

One participant there, Peggy Dau, of MAD Perspectives, presented three stones as props (she keeps them on her desk) to remind ourselves every day to indulge ourselves in some activity to: 1) liberate the mind (have some fun), 2) energize the spirit, (exercise, sex!) and 3) stimulate the spirit (allow awe to enter your routine in some way). I’m paraphrasing, but my interpretation of her message seems to hit the nail on the head for me. She talked about mountain climbing as an activity that helps achieve all three of these sensations, and explained that MAD LOVE was available to anyone who kept these ideas in mind: Make A Difference; Lots Of Valuable Experiences.Up the mountain we shall go! But for now I’m settling for three stones on my desk.

Another excellent story-teller, Kass Thomas Corbelli, Founder of Infinite Possibilità, urged us to examine for a moment the negative thoughts that rise up when we hear unwanted chatter in our minds and ask ourselves, “Does this thought belong to me, or is it someone else’s?” She insists you have to do it for three days before the process starts sinking in. I have been trying it and it seems to work. Magnificent advice … it really WORKS! Those thoughts are not mine! SO FLUSH! How liberating. And her “mantra” (non-mantra?) is also very effective: “All of Life Comes to Me with Ease, with Joy, with Glory.” Amazing. Repeat that baby to yourself some night when your internal 4am alarm goes off! Three or four times, nice and slow, and you’re back to sleep!

Sujata Banerjee, the Owner and Director of Management across Cultures reminded us to build bridges of inclusiveness (think “AND,” not “EITHER/OR”) and to link the collaborative clusters – like all the great contacts we met at the Conference – to create quality networks.

Finally, a thought by Clarisse Schiller, author of Donna alla ricerca dell’origine (Woman’s Search for her Origin.) She reminded us that Hildegard, the 11th century writer, philosopher, Christian mystic, said, “No man can obstruct a woman who knows what she wants.” Clarisse told us that to know what we really want, however, we must seek our own authenticity. How to do that? Be patient (forgiving!) with yourself, and prudent with (careful about trusting too fast) others in the world at large. There are those out there who are merely “predators of our intelligence.” Handling others depends on good management of our own set of intra-personal “no’s” and “yes’s.”

I filled an entire notebook that afternoon, and have been using the precious advice I gathered ever since.

Creating the Company of the Future

Five exceptional speakers would share the fruits of their knowledge on what work looks like today-and, what it could truly look like tomorrow. Prof. Nuria Chinchilla, Director of the Int'l Center for Work & Family in Spain, and a researcher focused on gender issues, laid it out for us. As usual, the work-family balance is still and will most likely always be a woman's issue. Women are making strides, but as they say, a woman's work is never done.

We heard from Gabi Zedlmayer, VP of Global Social Innovation for HP. In her words, she is a "champion of diversity" and is quite active in a vast field (of her own making) for social innovation programs that touch on education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and community engagement. HP believes that investing in women, and, through the Junior Achievement Commission, is a terrific way to invest in our future.

Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, the CEO of 20-first dazzled us with 50 ways that the future is in women's hands. Having authored two books on women in business (addressing the Why and the How), it was my true hope that we could beam her presentation to offices and organizations worldwide so perhaps the men would 'get it'. As much as I love WIN as a women's platform, it's days like today when you want men to sit back and soak it all up.

IBM introduced its very first CIO-that's Chief Innovation Officer - and it is a woman who held that title, Jeanette Horan. She delved straight into the ways that technology has made a tremendous social impact. But first, we needed to look back on history. In the end, technology has made us cast a wider net, but the historical values are all the same: Collaboration & Networking, the two cornerstones of WIN. Through our networks, we gain support, encouragement and opportunities and can reach out across normally social boundaries. Business has become social but, one caveat: make sure you take care of your digital reputation as much as you do your own brand...

But it took the President & CEO of IKEA Group, Mikael Ohlsson to bring it back to the basics. Leadership can be amplified through a lust, passion, through love and beauty as well. Ikea values these things and not just for your home. The entire company 'walks the talk' and if you look at everything they do, not just diversity in the workplace, but also social projects and care for their employees as well as their customers, well...you can see they are a true leader. Follow in their footsteps and let your company lead the way...

From this vantage point, we were ready to break into workshops to hear from the experts how it could be done. The choices are mind-boggling: Forums hosting a handful of successful women on Feminine Entrepreneurship and Diversity & Inclusion, developing a new leadership style by crossing the Edge (Yvonne O'Reilly, AVANTEAM Consult), Turning your great idea into a viable business (Suzy Ogé, Women's Business Initiative Int'l), building up your mind over matter through cutting-edge leadership thinking (Nancy Glynn, ATTAIN Partners), affecting positive influence & change through Appreciative Inquiry (Lincoln Workshop Series by Mette Jacobsgaard).

Conflict Resolution skills would be addressed as well, with thinking that leads us back to ancient wisdoms such as, Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. How to manage conflict in your work and relationships is always a good skill to have in your tool set (Janice McDonald, President Mymusic & co-founder, iStyle Originals & CD Warehouse Inc.). But, before you get going, perhaps you need to start with your own mission statement (Helen Eriksen, Beyond). Helen leads us into the process that can help you clarify your core values, alter the way we perceive and act, and enable us to use our true potential.

But, do we have any examples of people leading thru the heart? Two last workshops addressed this: Geraldine Bown(Domino Perspectives) brought us down the path of transforming personal leadership by looking at love and integrity at work, spiritual warriors, and remaining in peace even in the midst of chaos. While Dr. Beatrix Dart & Geeta Sheker addressed the issues of Influencing without Authority. Not only did we learn how we influence, but also how to expand our repertoire of influencing skills and become a more collaborative partner when trying to achieve our goals.

We will be adding descriptions of each of the workshops as they become available from participants, so please check back here to see more of what went on at WINConference!

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Our networking evening the night before brought onstage the 20+ scholarship recipients that Kristin & the WIN Committee invite to participate each year, many of whom would not make it otherwise to reap the benefits of networking, learning and teaching others what they know. Here's a brief recap that does not do any of these highly qualified trailblazers justice. If you would like to reach any of them, please drop a line to: scholarship@winconference.net

Ann Naicker is a daughter of the South African soil. She has worked in a number of industries throughout her 17 year career, including Oracle (SA), MTN, Edcon, Woolworths, SABC and Hollard. Ann believes that ‘Service to Mankind, is Service to God”. As such, she spends her private time by contributing to the economic and social development of communities, girls and women in particular, and is currently mentoring 10 professionals within the HR/OD/Business fraternity. “I believe that I can promote the SA branch and form synergies so that women the world over can share in all of Africa’s success.”

Meeta Singh is a physician and State Team Leader for Awake India and has spearheaded programs on reproductive & sexual health for the State, ngos and governmental agencies.

Christine Sterpetti has been living in Rome for much of her adult life, now self-employed as an agent for Rubinia, an Italian artisan creating unique pieces of jewelry made from precious stones and precious metals. She is looking to bring these one-of-a-kind pieces to galleries and upscale stores through Europe. www.italiatrends.com

Rabia Sheikh (25) is from Pakistan, employed as a Software Quality Assurance Engineer while pursuing her MBA. “I am an ordinary person but with big dreams for the betterment of this world; especially human beings. I am expecting a great change in my life because the idea of W.I.N. has inspired me a lot and I'm hoping that it will change my life.”

Catherine Tondelli has been working in the hospitality industry for over 30 years, forging a career and working with luxury hotels from her office in Italy after meeting her husband at the Trevi fountain. She wanted to come to W.I.N. because there are so few opportunities for personal training and growth for professionals in Rome, and is excited by all the networking she can do with so many dynamic women all in one place as she ponders her next bold steps in professional and personal goals.

Sanchia Alasia comes to us from the UK where her political career and public face are just coming to the fore after winning local elections as Councillor. With her degrees in Politics & Sociology, and Govt, she was authored a chapter in the book Equality, Inequalities and Diversity, Contemporary Challenges & Strategies. She has been short-listed as an honoree for the European Diversity Awards, sponsored by Google.

Kanta Singh (India) brings over 18 years of development work. Having worked on Women & Sustainability projects, she is currently working on the Dignity of Girl Child and improving access to justice for the marginalized in her country. It is her goal to see a gender-just society across the globe.

Avannah Abla is a sociologist and active member of her community and involved in social welfare in Togo. Her most recent publications concern marginalized women in Togo: “Sexuality and sexual rights in our community,” “ICT - a great opportunity for women's development.” Avannah says, “ I’m highly motivated to attend the upcoming conference, which should be anunique and amazing opportunity to meet other women leaders and stakeholders involved in women's issues.”

Katarina Andersson (Sweden/Italy) has a passion both for football and the arts. With multiple degrees in History, Italian language and literature from Swedish & Italian universities. She currently works as a freelance translator.

Dopgima Stella Guelleu (Cameroon aged 26), working with the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family. She obtained a double major BSC in Women & Gender studies and Sociology/Anthropology. “W.I.N. conference ‘Creating History' will help me to be an authentic leader in my community.”

Esty Christodoulo comes to WIN as HR Director of South Africa's St Peter's Schools. An educator, with degrees in Psychology & Sociology, she hopes to meet other women intent on making a difference in the lives of the poor through education. In fact, Esty believes that education transforms lives and brings hope.

Dita Sandico-Ong always brightens the WINConference with her stunning clothes designed for every occasion and made out of natural fibers in the Philippines. She enjoys meeting the women of WIN and seeing her art go worldwide.

Pelagie Yotchou Tzudjom attended WIN in the past and has wowed the crowds in her presentations of building a foundation for women in her native Cameroon. Once again, she hopes to be inspired by WIN so she can take home her newfound knowledge and continue to improve the lives of the women of Africa.

Irina Siltanen is a part-time entrepreneur working in Finland. With a Masters in Economics along with training & coaching expertise, she brings a passion for business development, coaching & leadership development to WIN. She would like to get new ideas to bring back to Finland and continue her lifelong learning journey.

Aarati Saxena (India) is busy working to make a radical change in the image of womenfolk in India by countering social taboos and discrimination. She is Director of the Non-Collegiate Women’s Education Board, (NCWEB) providing a world class education while simultaneously giving them space for growth in professional and conjugal life. “I expect the WIN 2011 event to give me a range of ideas and possibilities and accelerate initiative to empower women at NCWEB; and most importantly provide women with a platform to connect her aspirations and dreams without fear and inhibitions with the rest of the world.”

Valerie Baxter was the Professional Women's Assoc of Rome's scholarship recipient. After a lifelong career in the financial industry, ending up as one of the few women at the top of CityCorp, she has ventured on her own and into the world of sustainable tourism. Enterprising Valerie also runs her own real estate company for newcomers to Rome and is the force behind women's development for the City of Rome's thousands of women employees. She hopes to get inspired at WIN and bring more of what she learns into her personal and professional life.

Lourdes Pérez (Spain) is Resource Mobilization Coordinator for the Int'l Fed of Red Cross / Red Crescent based in Budapest. She got her start as a volunteer while pursuing her studies, but got her fill of huge emergency efforts during the Tsunami, the Pakistani earthquake and ongoing floods & cyclones. She would like to meet new strategic partners to help with her efforts in Central Asia & Europe.

Charity Ohadiuga (Nigeria) is Int'l Coordinator for Human Resource Working Partners. Armed with her BA and many years of public service, she is planning to venture out on her own in the next two years, perhaps to start a new business, an NGO? One thing's for certain: she would like to network with others focusing on Youth Development & unemployment issues - hot issues of our times.

Patrizia Ravaioli (Italy) * Annita Underlin * Courtney Adams (USA/France) * Daniela Lazzeri (Italy) * Jesse Muza (Zimbabwe) * Sokhna Mame Diarra Bousso (Senegal) *

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Although much of our time was spent inside a dark plenary room, whenever the lights went up I looked around...not just at the field of faces around me, but also to the walls where paintings inspired by nature, depicting trees, poppies and fields of flowers were hung on the walls. Especially selected by the WIN Committee for the conference, they are the works of Roman artist, Diana Flore.

The idea of growth, flowering, taking projects from seed to flower...all these expressed in her works and in the words of each and every presenter for me was so superbly fitting. Complimenti to Diana for adding her touch of beauty to our global gathering (and taking us into much-needed nature in the process!)

Wednesday, 5 October - WINConference Opening Day

Workshop Series 1 - Women leading the way, from the past into the future

During our networking break, women filled the halls & swarmed the stands of our sponsors located in the various halls. There we could not only admire the bright & beautiful furnishings (including a fully-equipped kitchen!) from main sponsor Ikea, but post our thoughts to the Medtronic global board, pick up some travel packs at Shell, drop a card (and win a gorgeous artwork!) and your thoughts for insurance company, Axa. Unilever came loaded with travel-sized samples of Dove and other products, and of course, Ben&Jerry's ice cream was a real treat.

After splitting an ice cream sandwich with another delegate (who remarked that in her rush had broken a fingernail opening the freezer -- Who's to say Executives lack passion??) it was time to choose from the dizzying array of workshops and forums - a wholly unique program to WIN. Delegates exercised their brainpower and contributed their voices to:

Getting Women on Corporate Boards - comparing notes and working out proven practices from Norway, Ireland, U.S. and Holland. As one headline roared in Ireland, "We need a woman to clean up the mess" of the financial meltdowns that have wreaked havoc the world over.

Dr. Paul Vanderbroeck, Managing Director of PVDB Consulting brought a figure from the past as a model for future leaders: Cleopatra. A case study of leadership, negotiation, career navigation and her competencies…how we can learn from her strengths and weaknesses. Just think - like her, Martha Stewart (founder of one of the most successful companies on earth) and Steve Jobs were both removed from the top slot. The ways they turned their setbacks around will also go down in the annals of history.

JoAnne Freeman, Founder of SWIM upstream didn't go back in history, just back in time to get her message across. Children's games and how boys and girls play differently. Girls nurture relationships, practice for life; the boys interact away from home and in the group. Boys have a set of unwritten rules, girls don't. Once we understand that business is just a big boys' game, try to figure out the rules and get into the game of success.

Once you're in the game, how do you know if you're on the right team? Jane Horan, founder of The Horan Group focused on Perception Management. Participants learned how to know what's being whispered about them (or broadcast over the web), and how to manage perceptions as well as you manage your brands.

Longtime WIN contributor, Helen Eriksen, Founder & MD of Beyond took the conversation back to its starting point - your personal mission statement. It is from here that yo can clarify your core values, take action and use much much more of our human potential.

Once we know our mission, Plenary Speaker Graeme Codrington helped us bring it into the future. Navigating in a fast-moving world, knowledge (and filtering the flow of info), is certainly power. Take a look ahead. It's here before you know it.

A familiar face at our WIN global leadership forums is Geraldine Bown, founder of Domino Perspectives. She urges, in her inimitable style and grace, to turn it on - your authentic power, that is. Working together, we look at our influence, our energy, and the messages (internal & external) that might be impeding our success.

Coach Dr. Eva Sitza Morris conveyed the idea of risk-taking, something that perhaps Cleopatra from above may have known something about! But, instead of a pyramid, things may have turned out differently if Cleopatra had used the image of a crystal box instead. Imagining all of the risks surrounding you, door by door from this vantage point makes for a terrific tool for clearly identifying risks, familiarizing yourself with them, and transforming them into more manageable issues.

Rounding up our rich roster, Dorian Baroni of CIYOwomensrretreat.com directed others into articulating fundamental leadership stances so that women leaders can come into their own. Drawing from our own cultures and personal histories, what are the stances that each of us take on the road to becoming influential leaders?

Plenary Session I: Creating the Future

What a better way to understand our global future than gaining insights from across four continents? Our panel featured experts hailing from France, Pakistan, South Africa & the USA.

As if reality wasn't enough, Dominique Turcq, President of The Boost Institute led us into the world of Augmented Reality (AR) and what it means for our future existence. As someone who produces apps using AR, I am constantly challenged to see where it's headed and what the uses are. But this discussion wasn't going to be about apps & processes (to wit we were shown an outrageous photo of what Leonardo would have had to look like to handle the gigabytes of info free-flowing today…it was not a pretty sight!), it was about managing our information flow and overload. We need leaders who can orchestrate teams of people, oneself & one's personal life, while still considering their organization's social and ecological footprint. And, we need to filter all this info thru the lens our values and ethics. Only then, we may be able to manage our realities of tomorrow.

A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem -- Einstein

Graeme Codrington, Founder, TomorrowToday continued the conversation by posing the query of how we mere humans (with brain power 100s of times greater than the most powerful computer processors) can bridge the digital divide? He demonstrated how in an over-interconnected world, most of us can be divided (by age) into two groups: Digital Immigrants (those of us merely toying with our electronic toys) and Digital Natives (the younger people connecting only by means of handheld gadgets). So, we can no longer ignore the hi tech world we live in. But for women, this world is ours for the taking. All this interconnecting means women's skills - collaboration, design (beauty), creativity -- all the skills that we come pre-programmed with! In short, women are the bridge --

You can download this and the other presentations from the WIN Website (post-conference) or check out Graeme's own home page.

To complete the panel's peek into our future, we then heard from Saadia Zahidi, Senior Director & Head of Constitutents for the World Economic Forum, and Dr. Kumkum Malik (USA), Founder of Dr. Malik & Associates. Saadia devotes her time and energies on gender issues, corruption & financial crises (most likely, inter-related issues as well) and is co-author of the Forum's Global Gender Gap reports. Kumkum, instead, is the voice of Motherhood (capital letter intentional!). She is committed to changing the world by speaking up for and showing support of Motherhood and its importance for individuals, communities, and the world at large. Both women opened our eyes to truly look at our own gender-specific tasks, our own identity as women and mothers, our own contribution to the world. Putting these important issues into focus truly provides clarity for all.

Press Conference / Going where no man has tread before

The day started out with the buzz of women's voices in the air, meeting & greeting old friends and new. The sea of women gathering in Rome was an impressive sight -- but for the hotel, it was not the first time: just 10 days prior, they hosted 1000 nuns - perhaps a bit more fitting for Rome than 1000 career women from 70+ countries (of course, both groups have in common visions and miracles in their midst!) It is a first time at WIN for about half the women gathered; many others were old timers, coming year after year, country after country.

People were exchanging smiles and smalltalk, and I was gifted with some face creams from Prague. When WIN was held there 2 years back, a local company, Ryor, had given the WIN Team free samples from their line of natural products. A team member remembered this and offered to bring some to Rome. Elsewhere in the hall, Indian women come with stunning scarves for their old and new friends while our sponsor bags from Bangladesh were filled with information and treats

Soon we were off to Speaker Briefings, Coaching Sessions, the Mentoring Area and the Press Conference. A panel of inspirational women awaited us: Lorella Zanardo, describing the role of women in media, Marguerite Maggie Barankitse prodding us all to take a stand, and take your rightful seat at the head of the table and not wait for someone else (read: the guy at the helm) to say it's okay to join in. We heard from Petra Hesser, Global HR Manager of Ikea, who mentioned that at Ikea - while women make up a huge percentage of their clientele, they are still hard at work to achieve gender parity. Nonetheless, from a global business perspective, Ikea is still way ahead of the game at 40%. In order to reach the women talent pool and reach your goals, one essential step: make sure your briefs to recruiters specify that candidates need to be 50% women - and from there, it will be smooth sailing into the boardroom.

To complete the panel, we heard the voices of Turkish native Umran Beba, at the helm of the Asia Pacific region for PepsiCo and Karen Tse bridging judicial justice in Asia. Together, these women make it look all too easy -- with their composure, class and courage, it's hard to think that when they leave this forum, they still need to constantly strive to stay out on top by managing their careers, their families, all the while supporting women in their organizations and further afield in their communities as well. Judging by Umran's career path, extending across countries and continents, PepsiCo is definitely a company that walks the diversity talk. She shared with us a few choice pearls of wisdom for other women leaders looking for more diversity in the workplace:

• Set up mentoring programs not only between women, but between women and men as well
• Don't ignore the idea of sponsorship - someone who takes you under your wing and gives you the exposure both in and out of the workplace.
• And finally, get prepared. When you're called to the head of the class, you need to be ready to take on the tasks at hand

After all, Luck is when Opportunity meets Preparation

Lorella brought up her views of quotas. Like most women, and most Italians, she was originally against the idea. But now, after discovering that in Italy, there was no glass ceiling, but actually, a brick wall surrounding the building, she's come around to understanding they are an absolute necessity. Uman stressed the importance of targets and the need for quotas in the boardroom, while Petra added further, you need to also measure it - for example, to become a truly family-friendly company, measuring how many men are taking off for maternity leave!

In short, as Karen Tse so seamlessly surmised, let's all celebrate the beauty of diversity in our own organizations and together, women and men, we can co-create the most beautiful world possible.

Opening Ceremony - The Global Picture

At the most successful working women's conference worldwide, it's the little things that truly show we'll be doing things a bit differently. For starters, the lights are dimmed…and then the music starts. Not background music, but music to ground us and get us focused on what's to come. Kristin Engvig, our host and founder of WIN, then takes the stage. Stops. And instead of launching into a work schedule, simply asks us all to take a few deep breaths. If only we did this on a daily basis. We find we can leave our iPods and Blackberries behind. Kristin clearly sets the stage.

To open the day with a look at today's world and the Global Picture, we welcomed onstage a most remarkable woman and truly global figure -- Italian politician and humanitarian, the Hon. Emma Bonino. Her life's work is an example of her firm belief that diversity is our destiny -- "Diversity is fundamental for human development." Not only the Arab world's women are demanding rights and dignity, but women in Italy are taking to the streets as well. So, you want to affect change? Let people say that your mission is "Impossible." Your answer is, "It may be improbable - but never impossible." Take it from a woman who brought divorce to a Catholic country: Things can - and with the force of women's spirit and energy - things will Change.

Umran Beba, President of PepsiCo Asia/Pacific Region brought us on her career journey coupled with raising a family, both of which have taken her around the globe repeatedly. She started with her aspirations and dreams in both realms, and is thrilled to be a role model for future generations. And to make sure things work, she counts on the support of her family, her company and her teams. Her constant reminder to all working women -- always make sure to ask for help when needed. Our future is in our hands.

And finally, we all took a quick reality check when Maggie from Burundi showed us a reportage of her work in her native land. Against all odds, and in extreme conditions, the magic of this woman and her love for all humanity transcends her physical being, extends across the room, crosses cultures. How one woman could have done so much on so little is mind-boggling. Not a dry eye in the room, but the tears quickly dissolve under the ray of sunshine of her wide smile the size of Africa itself. Maggie also has some words of wisdom for us corporate types - as her struggles are pertinent to the West as well: Africa is not a lost continent - because of the women. Remember, we will change the world…and while you each go out to do your great work, don't be afraid to be a bit crazy, don't forget to dream, hold hands, support one another and educate your children with love. "Love will ultimately have the last word."

Tuesday evening, 4 October

Our first pre-conference event was held on the stunning terrace of the Hotel Minerva, overlooking the Pantheon and with views of the beautifully lit cupolas of St Peters and Sant'Andrea della Valle (housing frescoes by Domenichino & Lanfranco), and the spiraling spire of Sant'Ivo. It was our VIP event, in which we welcome our WIN sponsors, our Board of Directors, presidents from our women's network, and a few other special guests including Monica Cirinnà, President of the City of Rome's Commission for Women (Commissione delle Elette) and human and animal rights activist.

This year, for the first time ever, the WIN Committee set out to honor the all-to-often 'Invisible women of Italy', those courageous women who, through hard work, strong spirit and long-lasting leadership are Creating History right in our host country.

We recognize these women for their achievements as role models in the hopes that others will follow in their footsteps. These Inspirational Women are:

Emma Marcegaglia – President of Confindustria, Italy’s Business Lobby & sort of industrial Chamber of Commerce – and focal point for businesses throughout the country. Often called the Lady of Steel, as her family’s business is in the metals industry, she is the face of women at the helm, and one who has gained respect by all those around her and shows that women in Italy can break through which is often a steel ceiling.

Paola Muti – Professor, Scientific Director & Researcher at Rome’s esteemed Istituto Nazionale Tumori Regina Elena or National Institute of Tumors.

Paola has had a long career in epidemiology as a researcher & professor, and although having worked in the USA, is an example of someone countering the current trend in their field of ‘brain drain’, and who returned to Italy to continue her research & work. Italy boasts many women graduates of universities and many many more researchers, all pioneers in their field, and Paola and her team serves as a beacon of light in a country currently facing cuts in all aspects of research, universities and science.

Lorella Zanardo – For many of us, perhaps Lorella needs no introduction. But as a longtime friend of & advisor to WIN, she threw a small pebble into the pond of women’s portrayal in the media, and it became a tsunami. Now dedicated to educating young women & men about the responsibility of the media to portray women appropriately and with dignity, her documentary, Il Corpo delle Donne – The Body of Women - blog & activities surrounding it have gone global. Lorella, for her work, is the body of proof that in an internet and interconnected age, “one small idea is the birthplace of great accomplishments.”

Rebecca Spitzmiller – Lawyer, law professor and suddenly, community organizer and activist in her adopted city of 25 years, Rome. Put simply, she was sick & tired of the graffiti that plagues the most beautiful city on earth. So, roping her son, she took some oven cleaner & started scrubbing away. Since then, her initiative, Retake Rome has joined forces with the Fondazione Garibaldi to educate kids in civic pride, convincing Rome’s Mayor & the American Ambassadors in Rome to roll up a sleeve & apply some elbow grease. Even more incredibly, many of her biggest advocates and 'inside teammmates' are former 'writers' themselves. Her initiative caught the attention of Anita Garibaldi, the great-grandaughter of Giuseppe Garibaldi - the man who, with his wife Anita fighting by his side, united Italy 150 years ago - and together, they are literally changing the face of Italy.

And, last, but certainly not least,

Barbara Giangravè – Barbara comes to us from Palermo to grace our Conference with her presence and to show young women that with a bit of determination and a huge dose of courage, what people can truly accomplish. Barbara was a young girl when the anti-Mafia prosecutors, Giovanni Falcone & Paolo Borsellino, were assassinated in Sicily. After spotting a blitz of little posters plastered around town (sorry, Rebecca!) that read, “A people that pays the pizzo – extortion money – is a people without dignity,” Barbara joined this fledgling group, AddioPizzo. Today, Addio Pizzo boasts hundreds of small retailers no longer paying the pizzo, outlets where people can buy pizzo-free products, and now even pizzo-free tourism. And while Barbara is now working as a journalist and no longer involved directly, Addio Pizzo has since been recognized by Italy’s President, the law enforcement people, even Bill Clinton for their contribution to their communities...But most of all, it's recognized by the people of Sicily who are taking on the extortionists and no longer letting the criminals take away their dignity.

You can catch Barbara, Rebecca & Lorella at this year's forum or, to contact any of these inspirational women, please contact the WIN office.

Women of the World Creating History

It is pre-conference day, and the WIN Team is already in place to make sure everything is organized for what promises to be a phenomenal Global Leadership Forum. Mother Nature seems to be participating in full force as well: we are enjoying hot summer days here in Rome (although the evenings are cool), and we’re pleased to take brief sorties out into the stunning atrium of the Ergife Palace Hotel, or to rest our feet a moment poolside to enjoy a refreshing break.

This year, Kristin and the entire WIN organization has set their sights high—and the theme of this year’s conference, taking place in one of the most culturally & historically significant places on the planet is Creating History. In its 14th year, this is the largest forum of career women we have ever brought together, fittingly in the city that holds the ancient Roman forum. Nearly 1000 participants, from 70+ countries, all seven continents, and from all walks of life be it corporate executives, NGO administrators, government employees, authors, consultants, coaches and entrepreneurs. Creating History because it’s taking place in a country with the lowest percentage of working women in Europe; in a place where women, despite their many talents, brains, skills and education, are still often invisible to the many men in their midst. Gather one thousand women in one place and maybe people will start to take note.

Looking around at our WIN Team, I can see that history has actually already been made. Our team is a microcosm of world citizens. We are a hyphenated crew, clearly on the move. Almost everyone on the 25-woman team heralds from another country. Not truly ‘economic migrants’ of days of yore, we have all happily chosen our adopted countries as our destination. We are forging careers, growing businesses, raising families and finding time to support other women in our ever-expanding network of multicultural women and their organizations.

And so when women descend on the conference venue tomorrow, they'll find a winning support team consisting of: Italians (of course), a Malaysian, Belgian and Scot who call Italy home, Australians & Americans there as well, a Dutch, English, Russian & South African in Lausanne, a German in the UK, a Filipina working in Spain. Latinas come from Mexico & Uruguay, but they live in Switzerland. Many of us have come via other countries in between. Like the Indian woman who lived and worked in Switzerland, now living in Sydney; or the Brit who just moved back to the UK & the Frenchwoman back to France & a Czech back to Prague--all after years abroad. And of course, there’s Kristin Engvig, the founder and host of WIN—a Norwegian who started WIN while living in Italy, now based in Switzerland. How small can the world get?

I believe women have been Creating History pretty much since history started being recorded, but as we go forward these next few days, we’ll get a good idea, starting from whichever place we call home, of how we can also create our futures.

Lisa R Tucci - Multimedia Content Creation & Audioguide Publisher

Author - Burnt by the Tuscan Sun / A User's Manual to Life in Italy

http://burntbythetuscansun.blogspot.com - www.touringtracks.com