Catalyst C3


Catalyst Europe AG
Expanding opportunities for women and business


Contact information:
Catalyst Europe AG
c/o KPMG Fides
Landis+Gyr-Strasse 1
6300 Zug, Switzerland
tel: +41 (0)44 208 3152
fax:+41 (0)44 208 3500
europeinfo@catalyst.org


Quick-finders:
< Upcoming events
< Catalyst website
< MemberNet


Catalyst Europe AG would like to thank General Motors Europe AG and Shell International B.V. for their generous support as the co-sponsors of this e-newsletter.




With offices in New York, Sunnyvale, Toronto and Zug, Catalyst is proud of its global reach and relevance.


Founded in 1962 Catalyst is currently celebrating its 46th year. Catalyst Europe AG was established in June 2006.


Catalyst enjoys the support of over 350 leading corporations, firms, business schools, institutions and associations.


If you wish to unsubscribe, please send an e-mail to: europeinfo@catalyst.org
Your feedback is welcome.

Issue 12, April 2008
C-cubed is the monthly e-update highlighting the competence, connections and community
at the heart of Catalyst Europe AG and the global Catalyst network

Welcome

Sometimes it may appear that the approach to diversity and inclusion programs resembles more of an initiative check list rather than a strategic road map. While creating and acting on initiatives is a critical first step, ensuring their successful impact requires alignment with key business drivers.

Although initiatives are usually created with the right intention, what is their impact over the long-term and how do we continue to be strategically aligned with these goals? In this month’s Thought-Starter section, a diversity specialist takes in these questions and provides us with her perspective on positive, action-driven initiatives.

Best wishes for the start of spring,
Catalyst Europe AG Team

This month's headlines:

Seminar in Norway draws esteemed audience (go to story)
New Catalyst Europe D&I Global Roundtable opportunity (go to story)
Management and innovation in D&I (go to story)

Unless otherwise specified, please contact the Catalyst Europe team at europeinfo@catalyst.org for more information or follow-up on any of the stories featured below.

Catalyst Europe welcomes new sponsors of C-cubed

Starting this month, General Motors Europe AG and Shell International B.V. are the new co-sponsors of the C-cubed newsletter. We would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their generous support in furthering Catalyst’s mission. For more information on other sponsorship opportunities, please contact us.
News
Competence - new studies, learning and expertise

Norwegian officials attend women and leadership seminar

In connection with International Women’s Day, the Norwegian Royal Ministry of Children and Equality held a seminar on 5 March in Oslo. With the focus on women and leadership, Catalyst Europe’s Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jorden was honored to be the keynote speaker and share her insight on strategic leadership. The seminar attracted a diverse audience, including the State Secretary of the Ministry of Children and Equality, Kjell Erik Øye, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Øyvind Slåke, as well as many business leaders and researchers.

Gender stereotypes in the business world explored

On 12 March, INSEAD – one of the world’s leading graduate business schools – held an event in celebration of International Women’s Day. The aim was to focus on issues surrounding gender inclusion as a business imperative, as well as provide insights on advancing women leaders in business. Invited to speak at the event, Catalyst Europe’s Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jorden identified barriers to women’s advancement as well as gender stereotypes that can create several predicaments for women.

Catalyst Europe breakfast event attracts large crowd
At the first of a new breakfast series, Catalyst Europe presented “The HOW Challenge of Today’s Career Journeys” at Deloitte AG on 19 March in Zurich. With women accounting for an increasing share of the workforce, the discussion focused on how leaders can remove barriers to women professionals’ success and improve the corporate environment for women. If you are interested in hosting a similar breakfast event, please contact us.

Catalyst Europe makes waves in Sweden
Catalyst Europe was honored to speak at the 2008 World Maritime University International Conference on 3 April in Malmö. In line with the theme of empowering women, Catalyst Europe’s presentation – “Performance through Diversity” – focused on alternative change strategies for women in the maritime professions. This well-attended event attracted many dignitaries and diverse speakers from the World Bank Diversity Programs, the South African High Commissioner, the National Security Council in Malaysia, as well as the United Nations’ Division for the Advancement of Women.

Media Corner: Daily news highlights D&I issues
On 21 March 2008, the International Herald Tribune cited Catalyst research in an article on Norway’s quota law. Catalyst Europe’s Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jorden was quoted from a discussion about stereotypes, stating that there is still the perception that “a woman is uncomfortable with risk and decision-making.”

The El Pais, a daily paper in Spain, recently interviewed Catalyst Europe for its 21 February article entitled “Las empresas con más directivas tienen mejores resultados”. While making the business case for diversity and inclusion, the piece references Catalyst’s research.
 
Opportunities
Connections - coming together to put knowledge to work

Catalyst Europe Roundtable Series: A new global D&I opportunity
Catalyst Europe and Shell International B.V. are coming together to launch a new Global D&I Business Roundtable. Created as a dialogue platform for Global D&I heads and VPs located in Europe, the Roundtable will provide an opportunity for D&I executives to share insights and address the most relevant D&I challenges, particularly how D&I is addressed on a global level in comparison with the US approach. If you are interested in joining, please contact us.

Catalyst Europe Symposia Series: Registration now open (Rüschlikon)
We are happy to announce that the first Catalyst Europe AG Symposium, to be held on 28 August 2008, is now open for registration. This symposium – Optimizing Leadership Decisions in Talent Management – will mark the European launch of Catalyst’s landmark study on Global Talent Management. With Swiss Reinsurance Company as the lead sponsor and host, the event will take place at the Swiss Re Centre for Global Dialogue in Rüschlikon, Switzerland (near Zurich). For more information about the symposium, please click here. As seats are limited, please register early.

Conference: The time for women (Spain)
Catalyst Europe will present at the Association of European Journalists’ Eighth European Seminar on Employment to be held on 24 April in Gijón, Spain. Since the launch of the Lisbon Strategy in 2000, six of the eight million jobs created in the EU have been held by women. Despite the fact that women have become the engine of job growth in Europe, significant disparities still exist. The aim of this event is to stimulate discussion around the challenges and opportunities for promotion of women in the workforce. For more information about this event, or if you would like to attend, please visit the Association of European Journalists' website.

Conference: Swiss women leaders unite for common goal (Zurich)
On 22 April, Catalyst Europe’s Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jorden will speak at IBM’s “Face to Face with Leading Women” conference. The third networking event of its kind, following its launch by Swiss Reinsurance Company in 2007, this invitation-only event offers women in leadership positions at Swiss companies and institutions the opportunity to meet and share experiences with peers. The focus of Catalyst Europe’s presentation will be on gender stereotypes and their impact in business.

Global membership: Companies take the global route

Catalyst Europe is pleased to announce that Kraft Foods, Inc., ING Groep N.V. and Allianz are the latest organizations to sign up for global membership. For more information about the numerous benefits of the global membership package, feel free to contact us.
 
Thought-Starters
Community - the bridge to new thinking and greater Catalyst network

Notes from a Catalyst Thought Leader: Taking the innovative approach
“Too often organizations can opt for the easy route and look for quick wins when developing diversity initiatives. Such an approach can often lead to short-term results with no substantial cultural change. To truly enforce change, organizations should ensure that diversity initiatives sit in parallel with the development of inclusive and innovative line management and leadership. Yet this is easier said than done, as even the thought leaders in line management and leadership, who have been providing education and research in this area long before diversity hit the corporate agenda, would conclude that most organizations have room for improvement.

Organizations often put good technical- and revenue-driven individuals in the position of managing and leading teams, and who can blame them, when most individuals are measured against performance-related and financial objectives, which are far easier to evaluate than the softer skills that come with innovative and inclusive line management. Strong, successful organizations should understand the importance of developing both sets of skills in their future leaders.

Organizations that take time to develop these skills and create a structure which values and enhances innovative and inclusive line management are more likely to increase the pace of cultural change within their organizations. Without innovation, significant change may only occur where it is legislated (in countries such as Norway) or through positive, action-driven initiatives, which ultimately force change rather than create a need for it -- and act as a catalyst for change.”

About Rachel Osikoya:
As Head of Diversity for Europe at Barclays Capital since 2005, Rachel Osikoya is responsible for the progression of the diversity agenda across Europe. Prior to working in the diversity field of Barclays Capital, she helped advance the global diversity strategy for British Telecom. This significant experience, across two very different industries, gives her a unique perspective regarding diversity in the workplace.
Catalyst Europe AG is the European headquarters of Catalyst, the leading membership research
and advisory organization working globally with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women and business.

For more information, please visit www.catalyst.org
© Catalyst Europe AG 2007