WDLS-EU Diversity Blog
This blog is designed to keep you informed about Diversity related events, thought leaders, cutting edge trends, groundbreaking information and data on diversity and inclusion around the globe.
Archive for March, 2011
March 24th, 2011
Thursday, 24th March 15.00-16.00 Panel 3: Beyond Race, Gender, Skin Colour: How language drives Diversity and Inclusion in today’s companies and organisations
Gewerbehaus, Wilhelm Neusser Saal, ground floor
Speakers:
• Lisa Loury Lomas, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Lisa Listens
• Elisabeth Kelan, Lecturer, King‘s College London
• Matthias Fenkart, Course Manager, equalizent
• Benjamin D. Reese, Jr., Vice President-Institutional Equity, Duke University
Facilitator:
• Carole Weinstein Chief Learner/Conference Program Director, Learning Works/The Conference Board
Gender, Disability LGBT, Ethic Minorities etc. have over the years become integral aspects of the Diversity
and inclusion debates and strategies. Yet not only is the gap between men and women in key leadership positions
still very large, but the pay gap also still exists. Furthermore, the inclusion of ethnic minorities and
people with disabilities in supplier chains and marketplace diversity is still lacking. Additionally, the recent
rise of right extremism in Europe is clearly showing that visible minorities are being exposed to special
forms of physical, verbal and institutional discrimination and exclusion. This panel will be focusing among
other things on how language drives diversity and inclusion when it comes to managing diverse talents in
decision-making processes in today’s companies and organisations.
March 24th, 2011
Thursday, 24th March 14.00-15.00 Panel 2: Diversity and Business Performance
Gewerbehaus, Wilhelm Neusser Saal, ground floor
Speakers:
• Bruce Roch, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Adecco Group, France
• Lois Cooper, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility & Inclusion, Adecco Group, North America
• William T. Rolack, Director, Global Marketplace Diversity & Inclusion, Adecco Group, North America
Facilitator:
• Douglas C. Freeman, CEO Virtcom Consulting and WDLS Founder
March 24th, 2011
Thursday, 24th March 12.00-12.45 Keynote 2: Leveraging diversity and leadership for better organizational performance
Gewerbehaus, Wilhelm Neusser Saal, ground floor
Speaker:
• Cecilia Dahlström, Global Marketing Manager, Universum
Diversity is unavoidable. In an economy where the workforce represents a diverse and complex customer
base, it makes perfect business sense to employ a range of people who understand a varied and segmented
audience. In the post industrial era, where thinking and communicating preclude physical strength and
stamina as determining factors to economic success, companies that take advantage of the entire talent
pool, not just a part of it, will overcome competition. Essential to-do´s for competitive advantage: leverage
diversity to obtain higher customer satisfaction and implement diversity policies to encourage a more balanced
leadership. In this session, Ms. Dahlström will showcase the importance of diversity, how to prepare
your company for it as well as reap the benefits of it.
March 24th, 2011
Thursday, March 24th 11.00-12.00 Panel 1: European and Global CEO Roundtable Understanding the importance of diversity in talend recruitment, customer and retention.
Gewerbehaus, Wilhelm Neusser Saal, ground floor
Speakers:
• Brigitte Wolf, Director of ORF’s, (the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation),
Regional Radio- and TV Station, Radio Wien
• Hans Jablonski, CEO, jbd – jablonski business diversity
• Darlene Smith, Founder of Global Human Capital Strategies
Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Virtcom Consulting
• Elizabeth D. MacGillivray, Leader, Global Diversity Forum, Mercer ORC Networks
Facilitator:
• Robert Ingram, Publisher, Uptown Professional
How are European CEOs understanding, defining and implementing Diversity and Inclusion in talent recruitment,
customer acquisition and retention processes today? This panel will be focusing on key issues,
challenges and the opportunities identified so far, as well as examining lessons learnt and sharing future
trends and expectations.
March 24th, 2011
Thursday, March 24th – 10.00-10.45 Opening Dialogue 1: Leadership in an increasingly diverse and global work-force
Gewerbehaus, Wilhelm Neusser Saal, ground floor
Speakers:
• Karen Addison, Design & Implementation Director, Centre for Creative Leadership
• Andria Younger, COO, The Medici Group
• Gundi Wentner, Partner and Manager, Deloitte Austria
Facilitator:
• Tanya Odom, Consultant and coach
More than ever, companies with performing diversity management strategies are reaping great returns
on their investments. However, the greatest challenge of most companies and organisations today is not
the lack of a good diversity program. The challenge lies mostly in identifying, preparing and promoting the
company’s existing diversity into key leadership positions. Taking the advantage of the Centenary celebrations
of the struggle for gender equality this opening dialogue dedicated to female leadership is looking at
recent leadership strategies, research findings and succession management tools being put in place by
global CEOs and senior executives to benchmark diversity and inclusion in leadership and global and corporate
recruitment and retention. And we will be looking at how far we have come after a century. What is the
representation of women in leadership positions in today’s companies? What are female leaders’ opinions
about this?
