80+ Women Board Directors Confer on Steering Companies Through Global Downturn
Babson Executive Education Dean Elaine Eisenman is Panelist
Women Corporate Directors is hosting a forum WCD Spring Institute on May 13, 2009 -- bringing together more than 80 women board members to identify best practices and leadership lessons from companies who have had their own rocky times. Convening in New York City, the group will also share the insights of board members with experience in emerging markets such as Africa, the Middle East, Brazil, China, India, and Russia.
"As the dizzying speed at which information flows around the world today accelerates change, our ability as directors to cut to the really important issues becomes more and more critical, and more difficult," says Susan Stautberg, Co-Founder of Women Corporate Directors (WCD), an international community of women leaders who serve on boards of directors of large public and private companies. "WCD helps directors to stay ahead of trends to anticipate further cracks in the economy."
"In this new era of responsibility, WCD is committed not just to good governance, but to governance with global vision," says Alison Winter, Co-Founder of WCD, and a Director at Nordstrom."Smart boards are going global in members and mindset. Our members share information and insights in order to ensure best practices in corporate governance around the world."
The Spring Institute's theme is "Doing Business Globally: Envisioning the Future." Jill Kanin-Lovers, member of the boards of BearingPoint, Heidrick & Struggles, First Advantage, and Dot Foods, will introduce the first panel, "Watchouts: Lessons Learned and Shared from Corporate Boards," moderated by Deborah Hicks Bailey, who served on the boards of Drexel Burnham and other troubled companies. Panelists include:
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Marty Evans, Board Member of AutoZone, May Department Stores, Weight Watchers International, Office Depot, Huntsman, and Lehman Brothers Holdings.
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Lee Hanson, Senior Partner at Heidrick & Struggles and advisor to global financial services companies.
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Barbara Knuckles, Board Member of Harris Bank and former Board Member of Dollar General Corp. and J.R. Short Milling Co.
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Henrietta Holsman Fore,Chairman of the Board and CEO of Holsman International, former Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and former Director of United States Foreign Assistance.
The keynote speaker, Myra Hart, Ph.D., will be introduced by Jennifer Blumer, Partner at KPMG and Co-Chair of WCD Charlotte.Professor Hart, a founding member of Staples who went on to become a Harvard professor and has served on global boards such as Office Depot, Royal Ahold, and Kraft Foods, will address the challenges facing directors of U.S.-based companies in 2009. In the current economy, almost all directors are working with companies "under fire." Professor Hart will identify some of the key issues on directors' plates, setting priorities in a downturn, and behaving entrepreneurially in these times.
The afternoon panel, "Entering Global Markets," will be introduced by Bonnie Gwin, Managing Partner of the North America Board of Directors Practice for Heidrick & Struggles. It will bemoderated by Sandi Peterson, President of Bayer HealthCare's Medical Care Division and a Board Member of Dun & Bradstreet and Wildlife Trust. She will be joined by:
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Ambassador Frances Cook, Chair of The Ballard Group LLC and a Board Member for LONRHO Plc, ATK Alliant Techsystems, and Arlington Associates, who has been a U.S. Ambassador in both Africa and the Middle East.
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Leticia Costa, Vice President of Booz & Company, who leads the firm's industrial practice in Latin America.
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Maureen Connors, Board Member of Deckers Outdoor Corp., which is doing a joint venture with Stella International Holdings Limited, a Hong Kong-listed company.
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Subha Barry, former Managing Director and Head of Global Diversity & Inclusion for Merrill Lynch.
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Robert E. Langer, Partner with Haynes and Boone, who advises Russian companies on strategic structuring and portfolio investments.
Ms. Stautberg and Ms. Winter are co-hosts of the Institute, in conjunction with sponsors KPMG LLP, Haynes and Boone, Heidrick & Struggles, Northern Trust, The Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, and Pearl Meyer & Partners.
To learn more about Women Corporate Directors or if you would like to speak with Susan Stautberg or Alison Winter, please contact Davia Temin, Suzanne Oaks, or Trang Mar of Temin and Company at 212-588-8788 or news@teminandco.com.
About Women Corporate Directors
Women Corporate Directors (WCD) is the only global community of women corporate directors who meet for regional "off-the-record" dinners, at international Institutes with global members and guests focusing on critical governance issues as well as emerging business trends, and are connected by email for updates to distribute board positions, opportunities to speak at conferences and discounts, to conduct surveys, and provide references and resources to one another on an as needed basis. A leader in establishing best practice in corporate governance globally, WCD is committed to identifying critical issues facing corporate boards in general, and women board members in particular.
WCD was formed by Susan Stautberg, CEO of PartnerCom Corporation, and Alison Winter, former President and CEO, Personal Financial Services - Northeast for Northern Trust, and Director of Nordstrom.
In addition to chapters in Beijing and Hong Kong opening May 18 and 20, WCD has chapters in Arizona, Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Delhi, Lima, London, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Mumbai, New York, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Southern California, South Florida, and Washington, DC. WCD members serve as directors of both the New York and NASDAQ OMX Stock Exchanges, as well as top global corporations such as AXA, 3M, AFLAC, Caterpillar, CVS, Honeywell, Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Foods, UnitedHealth Group, Pepsi, Royal Dutch Shell, Sprint Nextel, Starbucks, Wal-Mart, and Wells Fargo. For more information, visit www.womencorporatedirectors.com.
