Catalyst Europe AG
Expanding opportunities
for women and business
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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
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Quick-finders:
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Catalyst Europe AG
would like to thank
ING Group for their
generous support as
the exclusive sponsor
of this e-newsletter.
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With offices in New York,
San Jose, Toronto
and Zug, Catalyst is proud
of its global reach
and relevance.
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Founded in 1962
Catalyst is currently celebrating its 45th year. Catalyst Europe AG was established in June 2006.
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Catalyst enjoys the support of over 340 leading corporations,
firms, business schools, institutions
and associations.
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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
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Welcome
Accountability and metrics – two tools used to measure the effectiveness of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. But how do we best quantify the impact of a more gender-diversified and inclusive workforce? Does a more gender-diversified workforce really affect a company’s profitability? And if so, by how much?
What we have learned from our latest research, The Bottom Line: Corporate Performance and Women’s Representation on Boards, is that companies with the greatest number of women board directors showed significantly higher financial performance than those companies with the lowest number of women board directors. The impact on the bottom line is so compelling that continuing to debate the business case could represent an opportunity cost, meaning that the risk of not taking action could possibly exceed the cost of taking a calculated risk.
While there are many methods to measure success with regard to diversity and inclusion in the workplace, we believe this latest report is yet another reminder that diversity in the workforce makes excellent business sense.
Best wishes for the start of winter,
The Catalyst Europe AG Team
This month's headlines:
 Catalyst Europe Advisory Board meets in Zurich (go
to story)
 Save the date: Catalyst Awards Conference & Dinner (go
to story)
 “The Fall Guy” phenomenon and its effect on 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. |
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| News |
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Competence
- new studies, learning and expertise |
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Catalyst Europe Advisory Board kicks off first meeting |
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With the recent formation of a distinguished Advisory Board, Catalyst Europe hosted its first Advisory Board meeting on 7 November in Zurich. The Advisory Board furthers Catalyst’s mission – to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women at work. The Advisory Board discussed the 2007/2008 research agenda, as well as key sponsorship and strategic opportunities for the coming year. The 16 member companies are leading global corporations and professional service firms, with seven of the companies headquartered in Europe. The Catalyst Europe Advisory Board includes members from the following companies:
BP International; Deloitte & Touche; Dow Europe GmbH; General Motors España, S.L.; HSBC Holdings plc; IBM Corporation; Kraft Foods Europe GmbH; Lehman Brothers Europe; Manpower EMEA; Nike Europe; Novartis AG; Shell International B.V.; Swiss Re Company; Total S.A.; UBS AG; Unilever UK
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New Catalyst report offers strategies for challenges LGBT employees face |
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In recognition of National Coming Out Day on 11 October, Catalyst launched its second report on the complex issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT, also referred to as GLBT) inclusion in the workplace. The LGBT Inclusion–Implementing Policies, Programs, and Practices report – part of Catalyst’s Making Change series – is dedicated to understanding, creating and supporting LGBT-inclusive workplaces. The report provides strategies for laying a solid foundation for an LGBT-inclusive culture, integrates measurement and accountability systems into the strategy, and suggests ways to involve the wider community. |
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Catalyst Europe discusses women’s advancement in French magazine |
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Planète Veolia, a corporate publication of Veolia Environnement (a leading organization in environmental solutions), featured an interview with Catalyst Europe General Manager Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jorden in its November 2007 issue. In the interview, she commented that promoting women managers involves a global and multi-faceted strategy, based on individual programs and policies within the context of a larger action plan. She also shared that many of the obstacles women confront in Europe are similar to those in the U.S., yet the cultural dimension is a key differentiator. |
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Catalyst Europe guides dialogue on women’s issues |
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On 16 October, Catalyst Europe participated in an informal gathering held by Credit Suisse’s senior-level women’s network. At the evening event, the discussion focused on the challenges women experience in Switzerland and whether the approach to address these issues taken by firms outside the country can be successfully applied within Switzerland. It generated lively debate and participants recognized the importance of making the business case for advancement on women's issues. |
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Women’s forum contemplates future leadership roles |
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Catalyst Europe was delighted to be a keynote speaker and panelist at the KPMG Women's Day “Are High Heels an Asset?” forum on 30 October in Zurich. With more than 125 managerial women in attendance, the purpose of the event was to bring female employees together to learn, train and network. Hubert Achermann, CEO of KPMG Switzerland, was also a speaker and panelist during the forum, and Kurt Aeschbacher, of the late-night TV talk show “Aeschbacher”, moderated the event. |
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Diversity forum calls on Catalyst Europe’s insight into D&I |
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Catalyst Europe has been invited by Ernst & Young LLP to join in the Inter Professional Services Diversity Forum on 26 November in London. During this forum, Catalyst Europe will share its most recent research, as well as discuss the topic of male/female leadership in Europe. |
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| Opportunities |
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Connections
- coming together to put knowledge to work |
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Annual Catalyst Awards Conference and Dinner (New York) |
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Save the date – the 2008 Catalyst Awards Conference and Dinner will be held at the Waldorf = Astoria on 9 April 2008 in New York City. The event will bring together CEOs of major companies and firms, senior executives, top corporate officers and industry leaders from around the world. The Conference will include interactive sessions with the 2008 Catalyst Award winners and Catalyst issue experts. This year's conference keynote speaker will be Indra Nooyi, Chairman & CEO of PepsiCo, Inc., who accepted the 2007 Catalyst Award on behalf of PepsiCo, Inc. Immediately following the Conference, the Awards Dinner will celebrate the 2008 Catalyst Award-winning initiatives. |
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Conference: New date set for international congress (Madrid) |
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We are happy to announce that the first Fundación Alares International Congress has been rescheduled and will take place on 20-21 February in Madrid. With more than 1,200 attendees from over 20 countries expected, the event will focus on equality, work-family conciliation, diversity & dependence and strategic influence on business competitiveness. Catalyst Europe is honored to be a keynote speaker at this event and will present the latest Bottom Line: Corporate Performance and Women’s Representation on Boards report. |
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Catalyst CEO Summit: Preparing leadership for the future (San Francisco) |
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Catalyst is delighted to host its second CEO Summit on 13 December in San Francisco. Leading CEOs and their selected top executives will be attending this invitation-only event, which will take an in-depth look at future business trends and the advancement of women in leadership roles. With women representing the single largest growing segment of the talent pool, the discussion is bound to be rich in debate and of interest to companies and their diversity and inclusion programs. For more information, please contact us. |
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Global Membership: Momentum builds as membership grows |
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Shell Oil Company, Kraft Foods, Inc. and Stryker are just a few of the companies that have recently signed on as Catalyst Global Members. With access to Catalyst’s acclaimed research, information center and tailored global membership services, global members are able to address diversity and inclusion on both regional and global levels – at special membership rates. Feel free to contact us for more information. |
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| Thought-Starters |
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Community
- the bridge to new thinking and greater Catalyst
network |
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Notes from a Catalyst Europe Thought Leader: Corporate politics and diversity |
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“Among top management in publicly quoted companies, there is a phenomenon at work – taboo, arguably perverse, but most definitely at work – and it is that of the ‘Fall Guy’. He or she has been recruited from the outside ultimately to play the heavy, if need be, as the company marches onward. It is an obvious high-risk position, but what is less apparent is that he or she has been pre-ordained as the ‘chosen one’ to fall in the event of failure. The Fall Guy is a pre-determined strategic tool.
The Fall Guy is ambitious, renowned, experienced in Machiavellian politics… and still waiting for that one big chance to shine. This is his Achilles’ heel – and hers as well. Women Fall Guys tend to be younger than men, perhaps, because they are highly career-minded, less trained in Machiavellian politics, more focused on the “real issues” and have been yearning for this kind of opportunity. As much as the position might illustrate the organization’s embrace of diversity in senior management, however, it is a high risk job. And at these levels it may be more about grasping company politics than mastering professional expertise.”
About Betty Zucker: Following a banking career in Switzerland and the US, and 10 years as a Director of the Management Board of the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (Switzerland), Betty is the author of “Ganz Blass vor Spass, Manager in Turbulenten Zeiten” and currently focuses on advising senior managers on Change Management issues. Her latest research on CEO Dreamworks will be published later this year. |
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Making the business case for diversity and inclusion |
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The latest Catalyst research report, The Bottom Line: Corporate Performance and Women’s Representation on Boards, reveals that Fortune 500 companies with more women board directors experience higher financial performance than companies with lower female representation. This groundbreaking study found that companies with the highest percentage of women board directors outperformed those with the least representation by a staggering 53 percent for return on equity, 42 percent for return on sales, and 66 percent for return on invested capital. These numbers clearly show that financial measures excel where women serve on corporate boards. However, if diversity, well managed, produces better results and overall bottom line, why are we not seeing more progress? What steps still need to be taken? |
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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 |
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