Posts Tagged ‘women in business’
Best Practices
Career and Family – Not only a Women’s Matter
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 by Astrid Bosten
International Ambassadors
The Equity in Business
Thursday, August 18th, 2011 by Luisa Perez
The latest publication of Expansion, Top Mexican Business Magazine, referred to the 50 most powerful women in business in Mexico. The ranking included not only domestic companies like Pemex but also international companies like General Electric. All of them agreed on the fact that companies with female directors are more profitable; however their organizations have done something different to foster women career development.
In Mexico females are the 46% of bachelor students and represent the 38% of the occupied population. According to the magazine; while in the world 14% of the senior management positions are held by female in Mexico only 18 of the 500 Mexico’s top companies are manage by a woman. Even if the ration tripled from the last 5 years this is not only not representing the global trend in not reflecting the availability of female with higher education.
So what have the companies from these 50 powerful woman done different in Mexico?
They have leverage from the female leadership during the uncertain and volatile market environment. They recognized that the female ability to inspire and motivate, take shared decisions, set expectations and recognition, were attributes needed during the economical crisis.
All of these women have been recognized by their companies because of their performance in fulfillment of ambitious objectives. But also these companies have overcome the taboos and uncertainties of having female in business by creating an inclusive environment in where both men and women can deliver at their utmost best. These organizations have understood that employee’s life cycle is challenging and implemented programs that allowed them to take the best decisions for their life and profession.
As for specific of women some of these companies have develop mentorship programs, flexible hours and work flexible plans. They have all understood that even if quotas is not their desire, getting a woman in upper management requires a specific plan and program in where both men and woman participates. All of them acknowledge that women require getting a different exposure and setting up to discuss their career path. However, none of them have compromise quality on performance. This mind set has allowed them to get the best value for their company requirements.
Source: Expansion ; Mexico August 15, 2011
Women in Business
A strong commitment to diversity
Monday, August 8th, 2011 by Griselda Serra
Since July 1 Patricia Castejón is the new U-A General Manager for Spain and Portugal. She is also the chairwoman of the U-A Council Ibérica. Patricia took this position after David Rodriguez was promoted to Regional Manager AC Western Europe. Her promotion is proof of a strong commitment to diversity as Patricia is the first woman ever to lead a business division in the history of Henkel Ibérica.
Now, with Patricia joining the Iberian top management team its members are a balanced mix of gender (five men and three women), nationalities (Spanish, Italian and Argentinian), and age (from 39 to 60). With this team Henkel Ibérica will be stronger in the markets as it assures having different opinions and perspective on board so that the best possible decisions can be made.
Best Practices
Stevie Award for henkeldiversity.com? / Stevie Award für henkeldiversity.com?
Friday, November 12th, 2010 by Astrid Bosten 
Today, a thrilling evening is waiting for us: In New York the annual Stevie Award for Women in Business takes place and henkeldiversity.com is nominated in two categories: As “Blog of the Year” and for the best “Communications Campaign of the Year”.
As ambassador of the henkeldiversity.com team, the Global Diversity & Inclusion Director Anke Meier is participating in the ceremony and hopefully will bring a Stevie Award as well as many interesting impressions back to Henkel’s headquarter in Germany. Of course we will give an exclusive report next week.
By the way, the Steve Awards are one of the world’s most important business awards and are named as “the business world’s Oscars”. Since 2002 positive contributions of companies and business people are awarded.
We are looking forward to this evening and hope that you, our readers, are keeping fingers crossed together with us! Thanks a lot for your support!
Women in Business
Career 40 plus? / Karriere 40 plus?
Thursday, October 28th, 2010 by Astrid BostenFrom september 20 to 22 the HRM Expo, Europe’s biggest Human Resource Management expo and convention, took place in cologne. There, the Women’s Symposium extensively introduced measures, companies developed to support women. Especially women in leading positions was often discussed. A sign, that the times are changing?
According to the newspaper FAZ, companies roll out the red carpet for talented women.
Also a new concept, which could change Human Resource Management completely, was discussed: Career 40 plus.
At the moment, the course of a career is set between the age of 30 and 35, when many women decide to have children. If the most important time of a women’s career was around her forties, women would have another chance to break through.
What do you think? Are the forties the best time for a women’s career? [DE]
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Women in Business
Yes we can – Headhunting for Women / Auf der Suche nach Führungsfrauen
Wednesday, October 20th, 2010 by Astrid Bosten
The newspaper „Welt am Sonntag“ launched a new series which introduces women in leading management positions. The first article is an interview with Christine Stimpel, managing partner of Heidrick & Struggles Executive Search. In the interview she gives an insight into the job of a head hunter and the chances of women in top positions.
For executive or board positions about 50 candidates are chosen, of whom three or four make it to the final selection. Most companies wish to have at least one female candidate among them. At Henkel our Diversity rule is that there has to be at least one diverse candidate in the final selection.
For Christine Stümper (and of course: for us as well), Henkel is a positive example because two Corporate Senior Vice President positions are taken by women, Tina Müller and Kathrin Menges, as well as Simone Bagel-Trah as the Head of the Shareholder’s Committee.
Generally, Christina Stümper has a positive view on the future of women in top positions. Her prediction: Within the next five years, the first women will lead a German DAX-company! What do you think? Is she right? [DE]
Diversity & Inclusion
7th annual Stevie® Awards: Henkeldiversity among the Finalists / Henkeldiversity unter den Finalisten des jährlichen Stevie® Awards
Friday, October 15th, 2010 by Astrid Bosten
We are extremely honored and proud to tell you, that this blog is a finalist in the 7th Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the award that has been called „the business world’s Oscar Awards“ by the New York Post.
And we even have a double reason to be proud: The Global Diversity & Inclusion Implementation Campaign is a finalist in the category Communications Campaign of the Year.
Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. More than 1,200 entries – a record for the competition – were submitted this year
The nomination as a finalist means a lot to us, since we started this blog not even one year ago. We haven not won the award yet – the winners will be announced during a gala event at the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York on Friday, November 12 – but the nomination as a finalist is already an evidence that Diversity is an inherent part of today’s business world. “Receiving a high score from the judges this year illustrates how well many women in business are doing despite the stiff challenges they face” says Michael Gallagher, president of the Stevie Awards. It is too early for an acceptance speech, but we don’t want to miss the chance to thank you, our readers, for your support. Keep your fingers crossed… [DE]
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Women in Business
Today’s Schwarzkopf Customer / Die Schwarzkopf-Kundin von heute
Friday, July 30th, 2010 by Astrid Bosten
A new Schwarzkopf study examined modern women and their attitude towards career and family. The Study took a closer look at the self-conception and requirements of women from Germany, France and Russia. It shows: today’s women are self-confident. 50 percent of women under 30 describe themselves as emancipated and self-confident. At the same time the study revealed that men are sceptical of this development. But despite the changes, one thing in women’s lifes hasn’t changed: the leading fields of interest are fashion, hairstyles and cosmetics.
The results of the study were combined with another study about women and beauty and resulted in a new Schwarzkopf-typology: “Youth on the move” are young women under 35 without children. “Modern Mothers” are between 35 and 50 years old, have kids, but aren’t working. “Kids & Career” are a group of women between 35 and 50 years who have children and a career. “Working women” on the contrary, don’t have kids. “New beauty age” includes 51 to 70-year old women without children, respectively grown up children. [DE]
Diversity & Inclusion
Women’s opion on quota? / Frauen über Frauenquote
Friday, July 2nd, 2010 by Astrid Bosten
The majority of German companies refuse a quota for women in management positions. But what’s about the women themselves? What do women think about a quota? The newspaper Handelsblatt interviewed three successful women:
Liz Mohn, member of the Bertelsmann supervisory board, believes that a temporary quota could prepare the ground for a change. Ann-Kristin Achleitner, professor of business administration, rejects a quota. She believes, women would constantly have to justify themselves and prove they got the position because of their achievements, not because of a law. Maria Furtwängler, actress and wife of publisher Hubert Burda, is the patron of DLD women. Her mission is to change the attitude in Germany towards women in management positions. She believes that Germany is a few steps behind, compared to other European countries. Therefore she supports the idea of a quota. [DE]
Diversity & Inclusion, Women in Business
The Super-Mom Trap / Die Super-Mom Falle
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 by Astrid Bosten
A new study, published in the March 2010 issue of Personality Research, highlights a seeming contradiction about the way mothers view father involvement in infant care.
The study might give an answer to the question if modern women really want to hand over her responsibilities for childcare to their husband. The finding of the study is, that mothers who rate their partner as a competent and caring father, tend to rate their own competence lower than mothers whose partners were less competent in infant care.
What means: If mom’s going to work and leave the children at home with a really competent care giving father, then she feels bad and less competent in her job. But if mom’s going to work and leave the children at home with a less care giving father, then – guess what – she also feels bad!
So, all in all is the solution: Stay at home, moms?
The authors of the study, Takayuki Sasaki und Nancy L. Hazen, describe this fact as the super mom trap and ask the provocative question „ Do involved dads erode moms’ self-competence?“. They think that mothers need to become more comfortable with the idea of sharing the responsibility for childcare in the end to get more self-confidence.
What do you think? Do mothers need to learn to give up the child caring territory? [DE]
