CONTACT
Sophia Maria Wuermli
Director of Operations
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
mobile: +41-(0)76-389-2124
email: smwuermli@catalyst.org
office email: europeinfo@catalyst.org
MEDIA CONTACT
Susan Nierenberg
Vice President, Global Communications
(646) 388-7744
snierenberg@catalyst.org
Europe
What’s New
On 21 May, Catalyst, along with Families and Work Institute, released Leaders in a Global Economy: Finding the Fit for Top Talent. Women and men in corporate leadership in 27 countries were found to share priorities regarding what they most value at work.
The study is the first in a four-part series; the remaining three reports will be produced by Catalyst, exploring talent management around the globe. The next, to be released in the fall, will be previewed at Catalyst Europe's first symposium—Optimizing Leadership Decisions in Talent Management—at the Swiss Re Center for Global Dialogue in Ruschlikon, Switzerland. This event, sponsored by Swiss Reinsurance Company, is the first in the four-part Catalyst Europe AG Regional Symposia Series. Registration is now open. The second, entitled Fit for the Future: Culture and Workplace Dynamics Symposium, is slated for 15 October in London. Lehman Brothers is sponsoring, and the event is being held in partnership with Opportunity Now, a London-based membership group for employers committed to inclusivity for women. Symposia are being scheduled in Brussels and Paris in 2009.
Advancing Women
A 25 July article in a Copenhagen-based journal, Executive Magazine, features Advancing Women Leaders, Catalyst's new study tying women's advancement as corporate officers to women's representation on boards. Findings underscore the importance of Norway's legal mandate that 40 percent of board seats be held by women, the article says. In Zug, Catalyst Europe considers an event for Swiss-based women's networks to share strategies for success; it also plans a European Research Forum (ERF), an initiative for Catalyst Europe members and academics to explore partnerships and ideas for research. To comment, contact ethaller-jorden@catalyst.org.
Thought-Starter
When it comes to D&I, can there be "D" without "I"? Not really, says Josefine van Zanten, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Royal Dutch Shell plc. The oil and energy industry faces an acute shortage of diverse talent, she says, and must retain as well as recruit. Based in The Hague, The Netherlands, Shell measures inclusion by conducting an annual survey that assesses the quality of the work environment. Says van Zanten:
It's not enough just to hire [women and local nationals]. You want to make sure they stay in the company as well. To be inclusive, it is crucial that we increase diversity and enhance the environment people operate in.