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BP, Safeway win 2006 Catalyst Awards
Recognized for initiatives to advance women
CPGjoblist and S&D Coffee have hot idea |
The awards will be presenting at Catalyst’s Annual Gala Dinner March 16 in New York. The event will be hosted by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Catalyst has honored strategic business initiatives that result in the recruitment, development, and advancement of women in the workplace annually since 1987. The group shapes public opinion on women’s and business issues through research, advisory services for member companies, conferences, and the Catalyst Award.
“Catalyst Award winners understand that in today’s global marketplace, advancing women and promoting diversity is a strategic business imperative with bottom-line impact,” said Catalyst President Ilene H. Lang. “Their leadership recognizes the advantage of building a diverse management team that reflects their customers and employees and reaches new markets. As drivers of positive change, these three outstanding initiatives are innovative and replicable, with significant, measurable results.”
“In creating accountability, demanding more representative management teams, empowering employees to take charge of their careers and advancement, and requiring a steadfast commitment to diversity, this year’s winning initiatives exemplify the Catalyst mission—to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women at work,” the group said in a statement.
BP takes global path
BP’s Global Path to Diversity and Inclusion aims to further prepare the company for the new global marketplace by continuing to diversify its employee base, with particular emphasis on local representation in varied geographic markets, Catalyst said. “As a global company, BP understands that what constitutes diversity varies greatly across regions and encompasses characteristics such as gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, language, sexual orientation and identity, religion, and tribe. BP … communicates this concept of diversity throughout the organization, and works to ensure that its locally based leadership reflects the communities in which the company operates.”
Led by a team of diversity and inclusion practitioners, BP’s initiative comprises a range of programs, including career development offerings for diverse, high-potential employees; a diversity and inclusion index which tracks employees’ perceptions; global diversity networks; and dynamic workshops on issues related to gender, race, and nationality. Accountability measures are rigorous and transparent:
Performance contracts rate executives on behaviors (including those related to diversity and inclusion) and business results, and these ratings directly impact bonus pay. In addition, all D&I targets are tracked quarterly; if goals are not met, leadership intervenes, Catalyst reports.
Safeway champions women
Safeway’s “Championing Change for Women: An Integrated Strategy” features “comprehensive career development and mentoring programs combined with rigorous tracking and accountability systems, which have resulted in the substantial advancement of women— including women of color—to management positions,” Catalyst reports. “Safeway seeks to promote management talent from within, drawing from all levels, including entry-level store employees, to fill its leadership ranks. Diversity Advisory Boards, which work with division and corporate leaders, support the initiative, providing strategic direction on issues of diversity and inclusion; observing progress on diversity goals; and playing a role in maintaining consistency across locations, according to Catalyst.
“Driven by an emphasis on advancing all talent and monitored through rigorous tracking and accountability systems, the initiative features such innovative elements as a mentoring program that requires all managers to mentor diverse talent and the Retail Leadership Development program, which trains retail employees to be store managers, a path which can lead to corporate management. Safeway "tracks the success of its programs by ensuring that compensation and advancement criteria include employees’ abilities to meet diversity goals," Catalyst said.
“This emphasis on accountability ensures results: Since 2000, there has been a 40 percent increase in the representation of women in store management ranks, a 34 percent increase in the representation of white women, and a 65 percent increase in the representation of women of color." Catalyst reported that Safeway’s representation of women at the vice president level rose from 12 percent in 2000 to 25 percent in 2005.
These award-winning companies will present in-depth discussions of their initiatives at the 2006 Catalyst Awards Conference at the Grand Hyatt in New York on March 16. Later that evening, Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft Corporation, will chair the 2006 Annual Catalyst Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria, which will honor this year’s winners. Past dinners have attracted more than 1,500 guests representing 260 companies and more than 75 CEOs and industry leaders. Previous Catalyst Award winners include Accenture, Avon, Deloitte & Touche, General Mills, Procter & Gamble, Sara Lee Corporation and SC Johnson.
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CPGjoblist and S&D Coffee have hot idea
Firms join growing roster of Network sponsors
S&D Coffee and CPGjoblist are the latest corporate sponsors of the
Network of Executive Women. The new sponsorships are part of a fifth
anniversary surge of support that includes the upgrades of
Kellogg's and Kraft to Title Sponsor and Campbell's and Hershey to
Platinum.
S&D Coffee, Inc.,
the Network’s newest Gold Sponsor, is a premium coffee roaster and
supplier, headquartered in Concord, N.C. It provides a wide array of
services, including coffee sales and set-up, to more than 60,000
customers nationwide. The firm's customers include leading restaurant
chains, lodging chains, c-stores and healthcare and office facilities.
Silver Sponsor CPGjoblist,
headquartered in Pasadena, Calif., is the industry’s leading candidate
referral system, combining Internet-based technology with human support
to match top sales, marketing and research executives with industry
employers. More than one hundred leading CPG companies use the system,
which is free to candidates.
“We are pleased to welcome these two new companies to our sponsor
family,” Alison Kenney Paul, senior manager for Deloitte & Touche,
LLC, and NEW’s chair of sponsor development said. "We have made
sponsorship and membership growth a prime goal of our fifth
anniversary year. Taken together with our recent sponsor upgrades, these new sponsors are a great start to our expansion
plans.”
For information on sponsor benefits, visit NEWonline.org or contact NEW Executive Director Joan Toth at (312) 373-5393.
More information
Download sponsor brochure
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Friends of the Industry banks NEW scholarships
Donation presented at FMI Midwinter event
The Friends of the Industry is putting its money where its heart is.
The industry group donated $15,000 to underwrite Network scholarships
in 2006. The presentation was made January 22 at the Food Marketing
Institute’s 2006 Midwinter Executive Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Remarks on NEW, its Scholarship Program and the Network’s fifth
anniversary expansion plans were made by Bill Grize, NEW Champion and
retired CEO of Ahold USA. Carla Cooper, senior vice president,
Quaker/Tropicana/Gatorade sales, at PepsiCo also addressed the
audience, telling more than three hundred retail executives why her
firm supports NEW.
“The Network is grateful for this support and recognizes the long-time
support of the Friends of the Industry,” NEW Executive Director Joan
Toth said. “Their contributions to the Network’s Scholarship program
helps our industry attract top talent from universities across the
country.” Toth thanked Bill Grize, Carla Cooper, and Bill Kies of
Friends of the Industry, “who makes this all happen.” She also
recognized the efforts of Accenture’s Mike Gorshe, “who has nurtured
these relationships on our behalf.”
More scholarship information
Scholarship brochure
Scholarship application
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NEW regional events focus on empowerment
Network and learn in Arkansas, N.Y. and Michigan
The Network of Executive Women will host three more winter networking
and learning events in the coming weeks. All members and supporters are
urged to attend.
New England
Friday, February 10, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Lombardo’s, Randolph, MA
Three workshops will be presented at the New England Winter Networking
Event. Trudy Bourgeois, founder and CEO of the Center for Workforce
Excellence will lead a workshop entitled “Becoming A Leader Who Thinks
Strategically.” Dr. Stacy Blake-Beard, from the Center for Gender in
Organizations and the Simmons School of Management, will facilitate a
workshop on “Mentoring As A Catalyst for Your Career.” Mary Shapiro,
also of the Simmons School, will lead a workshop on “Communicating
Across Differences.”
More information
Northwest Arkansas
Tuesday, February 28, 4:30 - 7 p.m.
Embassy Suites, Rogers, AR
A panel of executive women will share the impact mentoring has had on
their careers and explain how they mentor others at NEW's Northwest
Arkansas Networking Event. You will also have the opportunity to sign
up and learn about “Deep Dive Mentoring” scheduled for May 16. The
crash-course program will be led by Sandra Bushby, leader of
NEW's successful Facilitated Mentoring Program, and uses the Birkman
Executive Work Style Analysis.
The event starts at 4:30 p.m. and includes a break for cocktails and networking.
MENTOR PANEL at presstime
PAT CURRAN Executive Vice President, Wal-Mart Stores Operations
BETTY MARSHALL Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager, Sam's Club
ELLEN SCHUM Customer Vice President, Kraft Foods
LIBBY LAWSON Vice President, Media and Community Relations, Tyson Foods
More information
Western Michigan University Executive Networking Event
Monday, March 27, 12 noon - 4 p .m.
Radisson Plaza, Kalamazoo, MI
The Network of Executive Women and Western Michigan University's
Food Marketing Conference are teaming up again. This year WMU and the
Network will present a half-day event themed “Becoming a Phenomenal
Woman Leader." The afternoon will include a luncheon,
leadership workshop, networking break and executive women panel.
The Phenomenal Woman Leader Worskhop will be led by Trudy Bourgeois,
business author and CEO of the Center for Workforce Excellence. The
panel will include these high-ranking industry executives:
EXECUTIVE WOMEN PANEL at presstime
KIM FEIL, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Sara Lee Corporation
AMANDA LERETTE, Western Michigan University Food Marketing Program
RUTH McCARTHY, Vice President of Home, Meijer
JULIE WASHINGTON, Vice President, Market Development, Procter & Gamble
More information
For more information on upcoming Network events contact Anna N. Duran, NEW member services, (713) 888-5305.
More Events
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