the future of Women in Business, April 2014

Club of Amsterdam

pdf version

Supporters

Amsterdam Economic Board (the Board)
Museum Geelvinck

Presentations

Mylena Pierremont, Founding Partner, Ming Pai Consulting
It is smart business to get more women in business

Colby Stuart, International Creative Director, Quantum Brands BV
Beyond gender differences in the world of business

Cristiane de Morais Smith, Professor in Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University
How f-male should a woman be to succeed?

Caro Bamforth, Director of Corporate Communications, Vlisco
From Leadership by Authority to Authentic Leadership – Lessons from different cultures

Notes

Comments during the dialogue about “the norms and values” that could frame the preferred future of business:

• integrity
• don’t lose motivation
• energising
• stop men thinking as versus women – “as women we are foreigners forever” in male-dominated models
• purposefulness – create a bigger mission – a purpose in society
• give imagination an opportunity
• inclusion
• inquisitiveness
• authenticity – be self
• respect for individuality
• equal opportunity and cultural diversity (society represented)
• teamwork
• opportunity to develop own talent and relationships
• realistic communication at top level reflecting what is really going on
• respect and openness to views of others
• healthy environment
• more fun – less fear
• dare to be true and think out of the box
• open to doing a variety of different things
• dare to not to work or not to be in business
• embrace what is different
• experiment with balance of work and home – support co-parenting possibilities
• business model based not exclusively on shareholder value but based on an inclusive set of multi-layer value streams that are measured and will demonstrate its performance in supporting a sustainable economy for everyone including shareholders and stakeholders and its role in society
• right people in the right positions – live and let live
• ability to choose not to be the “boss”
• difference is a plus and an advantage
• honesty in attitudes – honesty in words
• more democratisation, less hierarchy – and take more responsibility for your actions
• test your assumptions – reality check
• a sense of meaning
• do what makes your eyes shine
• excellence and service – “hakuna matata”
• societal role to play to re-build women’s confidence
• be careful of images used as icons – they can be symbolic and lasting as formative impression

The Women’s Business Council, UK:
There is enormous potential in women’s untapped entrepreneurialism, and a strong case for providing more support for women who want to set up their own businesses.

National Women’s Business Council (NWBC), USA:
17.5% of employer businesses are “women-owned,” but another 18.8% are women-led, meaning that 36% of businesses are either women-owned or women-led.45% of all privately-owned employer fi rms have at least one female owner or investor.
89% of businesses owned entirely by women have”only one owner, compared to only 69% for entirely men-owned businesses.

European Commission:
Across the EU, women are underrepresented in positions of responsibility in all fields. The reasons for the under-representation of women in power and decision-making are multifaceted and complex. Particularly at the highest levels, women are still largely outnumbered by men in leadership positions in politics and business, as well as in other fields. In the European Parliament, three in ten members are women (2009-2014).

Mylena Pierremont, Founding Partner, Ming Pai Consulting
It is smart business to get more women in business

Men still occupy 83 percent of corporate board seats at Fortune 500 companies today. They hold more than 90 percent of CEO positions.
The Future is for women to bring their talent to the workforce for better impact.
Companies with more women had a 53 percent higher return on equity and a 42 percent higher return on sales than those with fewer women.
A few people might show up at a meeting to discuss that new phenomenon driving the bottom line: Women, and the way we want to work, are extremely good for business.
Forward-looking companies understand they need women to figure out how to market to women. They also control 83% of all consumer purchases, including consumer electronics, health care and cars … and Women now make up about half of the U.S. population and half of the workforce. Women hold more college degrees than men.

So what is takes for insightful companies to lure this next talent pool….

• To create a female-friendly working environment, in which the focus is on results, not on time spent in the office chair. On efficiency, not schmoozing. On getting the job done, however that happens best – in a three-day week, at night after the kids go to bed, from Starbucks.
• To build champions of change for women and develop the culture to reach 30 percent women at all levels of your organization.
• To Look at your teams and demonstrate the value that diverse teams deliver to the bottom line of your company.
• Be a champion for change. Reach out and help other women.
• Change also requires leadership. More women are beginning to help other women move the needle of gender equality, and a few male CEOs are setting examples

As women, as CEOs, as individuals, we should determine what we personally can do to bring about true gender equality in business to tap into this incredibly valuable talent pool.

Colby Stuart, International Creative Director, Quantum Brands BV
Beyond gender differences in the world of business

Will the stronghold on an old biz model hold up under pressure from a democratised, gender balanced workforce?

In the future, a combination of social innovation, cultural diversity, technology (the impact of the Internet of Everything IoE) and a search for meaning will drive the opening up of old biz models and create more opportunities for women and growing potential in the world of business. It might even shift mindsets away from pure business into meaningful work.

The balancing act of integrating family, life and work is at the heart of most issues with women in the business world…much more so than with men. This challenge confronts women regularly in the business world. What if that challenge was addressed and embraced inside largers organisations and corporations in the future?

What influences this shift fascinates me. We could explore the choices needed at the heart of this transformation. How can we transform our ideas about work and business and then operationalise that – getting beyond protest and gender-bashing. Accept the differences – start from there and get creative! Looking forward to sharing perspectives.

Cristiane Morais Smith, Professor in Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University
How f-male should a woman be to succeed?

In this talk, I will evoke some of the paradoxes involving the scientific career of female researchers, and will discuss some possible strategies to overcome the difficulties.

Caro Bamforth, Director of Corporate Communications, Vlisco
The international business woman – ??

Lessons from four cultures, looking at how women succeed in business in the UK, France, The Netherlands and West Africa: what are the commonalities, what are the differences, how much does culture play a role and what can we learn from these success stories?

19:00 – 20:15
Introduction by our Moderator Annegien Blokpoel, CEO, PerspeXo

Part I

Mylena Pierremont, Founding Partner, Ming Pai Consulting
It is smart business to get more women in business

Colby Stuart. International Creative Director, Quantum Brands BV
Beyond gender differences in the world of business

Cristiane Morais Smith, Professor in Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University
How f-male should a woman be to succeed?

Caro Bamforth, Director of Corporate Communications, Vlisco
The international business woman – ??

20:15 – 20:45
During the coffee break we sell drinks and snacks.

20:45 – 21:15
Part II

Open discussion

Mylena Pierremont
Founding Partner, Ming Pai Consulting

Current Board positions
World Future Society:
Member of the Board since 2006 the leading foresight organisation worldwide Washington, USA
Member of the succession committee. Member of the strategic committee for Chapters. Involved directly in the repositioning/transformation of the society. Chair of the European network

” French Foreign Trade Advisor (CCE’s):
involved as Corporate Executive in international businesses to provide feedback on Dutch/French Economic affairs. Involved in setting up business roundtables and discussions and in charge a bilateral talent program involving business/universities and young talents.

” WINCHES REDES COMERCIALES. Barcelona, Spain.
Family owned company. Leader in the outsourcing of Sales force in Spain. Non-executive board member.

Parcours
” Founder of Ming Pai consulting: Consultant in the last 5 years focused on strategy, building Future senario , embedding digital and marketing. Clients include: Henkel, LVMH, Tom Tom, Pernaud Ricard, Coty, l’Occitane, Heineken, , General Mills.

Executive roles at P&G, COTY, Lycos, Royal Philips Electronics and EffectiveBrands .
” Senior Vice President Marketing (Chief Marketing Officer). Responsible for Global Marketing and innovation at Coty and Royal Philips Electronics. Consumer Division. Member of the executive committee.

Other relevant experiences
On topics like Global Branding, Myléna is frequently invited as speaker. Topics of speeches like “the Future of Brands”, “Brands: Risk Management in the Area of Globalization” and “Defining a New Branding Process in the digital age”, “Branding Intelligence” (some tips) and “Working Better with Weak Signals: Profound Insight Into New Value Creating Opportunities”.

Professional Affiliations
WCD: Co-founder of Women Corporate Directors (WCD) in the Netherlands. IFA : member in France

Dr. Colby Stuart
International Creative Director, Quantum Brands BV

40+ years in the business world, serial entrepreneur, concept developer, coach for executives and start-ups. Founded and grew an award-winning creative company, Waves, then sold it into a worldwide company at a relatively young age. Moved to Amsterdam and worked as Head of International Business Development and Strategy Director for BBDO. Since 1998 through Quantum Brands BV, has worked with clients and also with private equity companies as Chief Creative Officer growing their investment start-ups. Co-authored “The Quick Start Guide to Making Choices” and working on the next book in the series. Currently, looking for new opportunities, coaching and developing GoChoose for Kids 2020 Foundation, a learning programme and app.

Holds an MBA and a double PhD in quantum physics and metaphysics, focusing on consciousness studies. Through that learning process, developed Applied Connective Dynamics for building concepts in dynamic human systems like business organisations and brands using core human values.

Sits on the Board for several foundations and a university in Silicon Valley.
Speaker at international conferences on innovation and the future.

Prof. Dr. Cristiane Morais Smith
Professor of Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics, Utrecht University

Prof. Dr. C. Morais Smith works on condensed matter physics, more specifically on strongly correlated systems. Her research spans a large variety of low-dimensional quantum systems, ranging from high-temperature superconductors to quantum Hall systems, graphene, topological insulators and ultracold atoms in optical lattices. She did part of her studies at Unicamp (Brazil) and part at ETH Zurich (CH) After a short postdoc at ETH, she obtained a C1 postdoc position in Hamburg (D), and then became a Maitre Assistant in Fribourg (CH). In 2001 she became Associate Professor at the University of Fribourg (CH), and since 2004 she is a Full Professor at the University of Utrecht (NL). She has organized 23 (small and large) conferences and several outreach activities. Among others, she organized the Fysica 2010 Conference in Utrecht, a joint event between the Dutch and Belgian Physical Societies.

Prizes, grants, memberships, congresses, committees

• Vici award 2007 (the Netherlands)
• Prof. Boursier 2001 (Swiss National Foundation), equivalent VIDI
• Director of the Utrecht Physics Center for Extreme Matter and Emergent Phenomena (EMMEPH)
• Editor of the European Physical Journal B
• Morais Smith has been invited to give more than 180 talks in 16 different countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, including Cambridge (UK), ETH Zurich (CH), Harvard (USA), Ecole Normale Superieure (Paris and Lyon, F), Santa Barbara (USA), Tsukuba (J), La Sapienza-Rome (I), Madrid (ES), Max-Planck Institutes (Dresden and Stuttgart, D), Rio de Janeiro (BR), Viena (A), Stockholm (S), Copenhagen (D), Leiden (Ehrenfestii colloquium, NL), and Beijing (Chinese Academy of Science).
• Member of the FOM NANO Committee (now), member of the Physics Advisory Board of the Lorentz Center (Leiden), Fellow of Mathematics and Physics at University College Utrecht, Member of the Board of governors of ICAM representing the Dutch consortium, Sutdy Advisor of the Master Program at ITP Utrecht University, Member of the board of the Dutch Research School in Theoretical Physics.

www.uu.nl/staff/CdeMoraisSmith/0

Caro Bamforth
Director of Corporate Communications, Vlisco

Caro Bamforth is Director of Corporate Communications for Vlisco Group, the Dutch design company known for the outspoken colourful fabrics it creates for West and Central Africa. She has worked in communications roles at Unilever and Ahold in the Netherlands, for Microsoft in France and Nokia in the UK. Caro has an honours degree in French and Spanish and has lived in the Netherlands for 8 years.
www.vlisco.com

Annegien Blokpoel
CEO, PerspeXo

Annegien Blokpoel is founder and director of the independent strategy firm PerspeXo. She has worked in the fields of strategy, investor relations, communications, and structured finance at two AEX-listed companies, CF PwC and Merchant bank MeesPierson. Over more than 21 years she has assisted over 150 boards (of large stock exchange listed and entrepreneurs small companies) and directors in formulating and realising value strategies.

She holds degrees in economics and archaeology, and an MBA, having studied in Amsterdam and Jerusalem. She regularly acts as moderator and speaker at conferences and business schools.
www.perspexo.com

Impressions
by Stefan Lehner