Top Women E-Guide

E-GUIDE

Top WomenTop Careers

Expat your talentsThe invisible barriers for female expats

Women looking for attractive positions... and more

The extraordinary impact of womenin the economy

Candidates’ VoicesReal life success stories

Company Profilesfrom corporate top players

Career Insightsfrom women working for industry leaders

LIfE Is a joURnEy. sTaRT yoURs on WWW.CarEErsInTErnaTIonal.Com

Top Women, Top Careers

InTRoDUCTIon

I am very pleased to introduce the first edition of the “Top Women E-Guide”.

Why a career guide specifically for women? There are more women than men in university and they are certainly not less successful, so why make a difference? The answer rests on one figure: in 2009, only 3 percent of fortune 500 companies had a female CEo. It means that even though companies recruit as many women as men, the number of women reaching senior positions is awfully low.

The good thing is that the mentalities are changing and recruiters are willing to act on this. They want to tell you that if you have the potential, you will go to the top. Women are facing obstacles in their career progression that men don’t. This is the reality and we wanted to address it.

We hope that you will find the content of this e-guide useful and look forward to receiving plenty of comments and suggestions.

stéphane WajskopManaging Director – Careers International

In THIs IssUE

Expat your talentsThe invisible barriers for female expats - Page 14

Women looking for attractive positions... and more. a special survey - 4

The extraordinary impact of womenin the economy - Page 36

E-Guide 2011

Meet international recruiters in one place. for more information

visit www.careersinternational.com

11

12

09

13

airbus

Renault s.a.s.

Valeo

Volkswagen a.G.

21

23

19 accenture

arthur D. Little

Bain & Company

30

29

31

Bekaert

CERn

DsM

RWE a.G.35

53

55

51 Cargill

Microsoft

Philips

45

40 nestlé

Procter & Gamble

Energy & Materials

Automotive

Consulting

FMCG

Other

3Top Women E-GUIDE

Women in Management

several sound factors have contributed to this huge transformation, among which:

• societal factors: progressive integration of equality legislation, mentality changes, medical and social progress, demographic changes, higher level of education among women who outnumber their male graduate peers in several academic fields.

• Business factors: the war for talents and the necessity to retain the pool of women competencies fitting into new ways of working in organizations.

• Changes in the labor force: a higher rate of women’s participation with less interruptions or departures from mothers with young children, and this almost unaffected by partners’ income level.

• Growing expectations among women for autonomy, financial independence, and work-related self-identity.

These optimistic trends must not hide that a lot of progress has to be made to eradicate the persistent barriers: gender horizontal (concentration of active women in a few sectors) and vertical segmentation (women coping the “glass ceiling”) of the labour market. furthermore prejudices about women’s and men’s roles are still profoundly anchored in companies, giving priority and entitlement to men’s promotions and maintaining unjustified gender gaps in salaries.

on the other side, companies claim that they are now looking for women to build a diverse and complementary management staff but meet difficulties to find and retain them.

Working as an expert-consultant and trainer for more than 20 years within European institutions and companies, I investigate the issues facing organizations and accompany them in the process of change, training and coaching women as they strive for top jobs and men in benefitting from working in diverse environments.

from this experience here are some concrete recommendations to managers, women and career couples to gain from these new challenges.

TO COMPANIES /MANAGERS

1. Establish a diagnosis: to get a sustainable change of your workforce profile it requires a comprehensive review of existing barriers, real and perceived, at the individual, managerial and organizational levels. after gathering statistics, review your HR procedures and processes that are not always “gender neutral” and explore the organizational culture, its standards being often based on men’s values and norms. Listen to women: what do managerial and professional women want? Probably the same things as men: responsibility, challenge, opportunity for advancement, appropriate salary…But more than this, women are very sensitive to the climate of work, and want to be evaluated on merit.

2. Implement an action program: involve the top and all the personnel in an action program including training and sensitizing of the hierarchy, performance evaluation linked with their results on this subject. Managers must

The world of employment is undergoing a quiet revolution with regards to women’s participation, power and influence. over the course of two generations, in most European countries, women’s work has shifted from “secretarial jobs” to being recruited and promoted into middle and upper managerial functions. Press and media portray stories about successful women’s careers. Renowned consultancy and audit companies and even the World Economic forum are demonstrating the “business case” in hiring more women and the financial benefits organizations can draw from having more “women on boards”.

4 Top Women E-GUIDE

feel accountable and make the connection between few women applicants for managerial jobs and an unsupportive environment that ignores gender differences in communication and management styles. Include flexible work arrangements for both men and women.

3. Make women more visible: review your staff talents and resources, don’t accept men- only applicants to managerial functions, build diverse teams, offer mentoring and networking programs that are learning, transferring and motivating experiences for all participants. To WoMEn

1. Take the lead of your life and career: define your goals, prioritize your objectives and translate them into action. Consider the different life cycles: your choices are various, your needs are not the same at each age. a successfully career is not a linear process. Cultivate your “multi careers” and think broadly, internationally.

2. Market yourself: don’t be shy to speak about your accomplishments, be aware of organizational politics and develop and integrate networks.

3. Delegate: accept help at home and in the office. Learn to manage stress and risks and choose well your future partner!

To CaREER CoUPLEs

1. negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. flexibility is here also the key word.

2. Discuss dilemmas and societal prejudices: are both careers considered to be of equal importance? Do you have doubts about whether what is “right” for a man or a woman? are your decisions made about conformity to traditional roles or to new gender expectations?

3. Take advantage of the provisions to share equally family responsibilities. Use the flexible working patterns offered by companies: flexitime is certainly the most convenient. job sharing, part-time jobs, career breaks can be suitable for a short period but consider the disadvantages in terms of salary, company benefits and pension rights. Teleworking is useful but can isolate you. Mind the reverse effect: they can all serve to polarize the domestic chores between the spouses.

Conclusion: Today windows are open to women managers in all Europe and in the world. Make a positive impact on your life, your environment and on your working world. and enjoy!

“Women are very sensitive to the climate of work, and want to be

evaluated on merit.”

monique Chaludesociologist, founder & Director MC2-Monique Chalude Consultants

5Life is a journey. start yours on www.careersinternational.com

Candidates’ Voices: Lidia

according to a survey carried out by Careers International, one in three women is willing to make trade-offs on behalf of their career. Lidia is one of these women. although she longs for the hot spanish sun, tasty tapas and more quality time with her family, the young professional currently resides in the northern European country of Belgium in search of her dream job.

It was back in 2008 in Denmark while on the Erasmus student mobility programme that the penny dropped for Lidia. something dawned on her that was to stay with her forever.

“you need languages and international experience to survive in this sector”,

she says before adding, “spain is so narrow-minded”. according to the young graduate, she will earn three times more money in a foreign country than she would for the exact same position in her native country. “In spain, nobody would ever expect me to reach a high level post”. and it is this mentality that drove the Mediterranean out of her beloved home country.

“Here I will have more opportunities”, she says before telling me about her brand new life in Brussels. With a specialisation in power plants and internal combustion engines, her dream is to work in the automotive industry but for the moment, the level-headed young lady works as an au-pair and takes daily french classes while updating her LinkedIn profile and sending out her CV.

“I would like to be doing a masters right now”, she says, “and many employers expect that of me but it is just not practical right now. I don’t have the financial means”. Instead, the pragmatic graduate invests her spare time in learning new languages and participating in courses about thermal engineering and renewable energy.

and the most striking thing about Lidia is her willingness to take off to anywhere in the whole wide world after her career.

“Why not”, she says, “there is nothing stopping me”.

But five years ago, Lidia was not so open-minded. she picked up this new exciting energy back in 2008 in the home town of the famous author, Hans Christian andersen. It was in odense, the third largest city in Denmark, that Lidia really opened her mind about her interpretation of engineering and her professional aspirations. she learnt many news skills about team-work, project management that gave her a new way of approaching engineering. on top of that, Lidia improved her English skills, which were quite limited in the beginning.

However in the end, the dive into the unknown was worth it and the young engineer ended up having a life-changing experience. and much to her delight, Lidia spent six months designing and building racing cars for the formula saE inter university contest in silverstone. and although her team was made up of only males, she never felt isolated or inferior and enjoyed the whole process of searching, buying and building components for these competition cars. sometimes due to her slim figure, they even used her to test the size of the cars to check if they were compatible with international champions like alfonso de Portago and Michael schumacher!

although she has a technical head on her shoulders and a drive to succeed as an engineer, Lidia adores children. so much so that cannot do an exam or job interview without hearing two words from her younger brother: ‘good luck’! It is this love for life as well as her passion for engineering that makes it clear that although she might not know it just yet, Lidia will be one of the many 21st century women out there in 2030 juggling both a top career with a top family!

“I want to be the head of a big company and the mother of three”, says Lidia with a huge grin. “But that’s impossible”, she adds. Well, I couldn’t disagree more. The mechanical engineer, who stems from the coastal town of Gandia in spain is already the envy of her peers for having worked in Denmark as a racing car designer and she is still just 24. By méabh mcmahon

6 Top Women E-GUIDE

E-GUIDE


aUToMoTIVE

7Top Women E-GUIDE

A truly global enterprise of some 52,000 employees, Airbus is a leading aircraft manufacturer whosecustomer focus, commercial know-how, technological leadership and manufacturing efficiency havepropelled it to the forefront of the industry.

Attracting, developing and sharing the highest standards of talent is vital to ensure that the world’s aircraftare as efficient as possible, as well as being environmentally responsible throughout their entire life cycle.

Key to the success of Airbus is our diversity. Employees of more than 80 different nationalities, whobetween them speak 20 languages, work together across both geographical and professional boundaries.

But our diversity is not just about nationality. An increasing number of Airbus employees are women, andthey are working across the company in jobs with responsibilities sometimes considered as traditional maleroles. Airbus is committed to bringing more women into the aeronautical sector. Our annual hiring statisticsdemonstrate this and so does the support we give to young girls and students, encouraging them to pursuecareers in engineering.

To stay at the top, we need to recruit the very best and maximise our employees’ skills and potential. To thisend, we provide a wide range of career development opportunities, including regular reviews, personaldevelopment strategies, training courses and job and country mobility to enable each individual to plan hisor her future with us.

To find out more about our current career opportunities, please visit our website at www.airbus-careers.com

“With Airbus,my careerhas an unparalleled rate of climb.”

press ad airbus diversity 297x210:Layout 1 05/01/2011 12:34 Page 1

Company Profile: Airbus

airbus Military is the only military and civil transport aircraft manufacturer to develop, produce, sell and support a comprehensive family of airlifters ranging from three to 45 tonnes of payload. altogether airbus Military has sold more than 1,000 aircraft with over 650 flying with more than 100 operators worldwide.

What’s more, the global market forecast for civil aircraft shows sustained strong demand for our products – which is exactly why we continue to recruit talented women and men for engineering and customer-facing roles to help us continue to create the future of aviation.

airbus is a global company, employing some 52,000 people and over 80 different nationalities in design, manufacturing and commercial facilities in france, Germany, the UK and spain, as well as subsidiaries in the U.s., China, japan and in the Middles East. airbus also operates spare parts and training centres in Europe, the U.s. and asia, and provides round-the-clock support services to all airbus operators, helping them enhance the profitability of their fleets.

our employees are selected for their drive, dynamism and innovation, as well as their ability to work together in integrated, transnational teams across geographical and professional boundaries. It is this sense of

teamwork that gives airbus the technological edge in such a highly competitive industry, whilst the cultural diversity within airbus enables us to better understand and serve our customers.

To stay at the top, we need to recruit the very best and maximise our employees’ skills and potential. To this end, we provide a wide range of career development opportunities, including regular reviews, personal development strategies, training courses and job & country mobility to enable each individual to plan his or her future with us.

To find out more information about our current opportunities, please visit our website at www.airbus-careers.com

Headquartered in Toulouse, france, airbus is an EaDs company.

figures current through end-october 2010

airbus is a world-class aircraft manufacturer and offers a dynamic and diverse working environment. over 9,850 airbus aircraft have been ordered by more than 320 customers and operators worldwide since the company first entered the market in the early seventies. Thanks to our performance, we have a healthy backlog of nearly 3,450 aircraft for delivery over the next 6+ years.

for more information please visitwww.airbus-careers.com


Short and sweet: What’s up in the job world

Sign up now: www.jobguide.de

We keep you in the loop about job o� ers and career opportunities worldwide

Company Profile: Renault S.A.S.

To be a major player in tomorrow’s automobile industry, the Group is marshalling the know-how of its people around the world and drawing on more than a century of experience in innovation.

our goals:• develop sustainable mobility solutions and

make them available to the greatest number of people throughout the world, by innovating and pursuing our R&D efforts;

• prepare the way for the vehicles of the future by listening to what society is saying and devising new services that will improve quality of life for everyone, everyday;

• respond to environmental challenges by taking care to preserve natural resources and protect the environment.

2009 KEY FIGUrEs• Group sales worldwide: 2,726,645 vehicles

(Renault Group including avtoVaZ)• Revenues: € 33,712 million• Workforce: 121,422 employees

HUman rEsoUrCEs CommITmEnTs

Through its Declaration of Employees’ fundamental Rights, Renault is committed to respecting employees worldwide and helping them to progress.

Employees worldwide are guaranteed access to training, regardless of age, status and job position.

The Group fosters diversity and promotes equal opportunities for all its employees.

Women@renaultWomen@Renault’s network is a mix network, gathering employees all over the world.

The Renault group has been making cars since 1898. Today, it designs, manufactures and markets vehicles under three brands: Renault, Dacia and Renault samsung Motors.

The Group operates in 118 countries, offering a range of vehicles tailored to today’s mobility needs and the requirements of its different markets. In 2009, the Renault-nissan alliance was ranked the 4th largest global automaker.

for more information please visitwww.renault.com/carrieres

11Top Women E-GUIDE

Company Profile: Valeo

Valeo’s sustainable growth strategy is driven by the know-how and development potential of all its Experts, engineers, technicians and operators, with teams made up of 91 nationalities. Through a decentralised and international organisation, we promote individual initiative and innovation to empower and enhance the motivation of our teams, always driven by a taste for challenge.

In a highly competitive environment, the rewarding career opportunities offered by Valeo, in all functions of the business, are linked to our growth strategy, based on innovation and industrial excellence. We recognize skills through internal mobility and a highly dynamic career management system.

By joining Valeo, you will be at the heart of a highly diverse environment, thanks to regular contacts with employees from different cultures and global project management (3% of our 10,834 engineers and managers are expatriates) and you will have the opportunity to embark on a dynamic career, involving a wide range of activities and professions.

We are looking for those who are quality-focused, work well in an international team, are flexible and willing to rise to the challenge.We are recruiting men and women ready to prove themselves. In return, we offer them the prospect of developing their career on a long-term basis and progressing rapidly toward positions of greater responsibility.

Websites:www.valeo.comwwww.valeocareers.com

life at work should be thrilling, at Valeo it is

Valeo is a global and independent industrial group, present in 27 countries, organised in 4 Business Groups and an aftermarket activity (Valeo service).

our mission is to deliver to our automotive customers, everywhere in the world, innovative solutions and services with high added value, of perfect quality and at a competitive cost, in the following innovation fields: Comfort and Driving assistance systems, Powertrain systems, Thermal systems, Visibility systems.

for more information, please visitwwww.valeocareers.com

12 Top Women E-GUIDE

for more information please visitwww.volkswagen.de

Company Profile: Volkswagen

EmployeesInland 103,330 (Wolfsburg 50,000)Worldwide 368,500 (in 2009)

Branch of study: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials science,Industrial Engineering, Computer Engineering, Business studies, Management studies, Informatics and others

access alternative trainee programme startUp Direct, trainee programme startUp Cross, PhD programme, direct entry (work experience more than 3 years)

Internships worldwide at nearly all locations possible; continuous requirement.Degree dissertation worldwide at nearly all locations possible; continuous requirement.overseas assignment worldwide at nearly all locations possible; continuous requirement.

Website: www.volkswagen.de

about Volkswagen Financial services aG

The Volkswagen financial services Group is in charge of the automotive financial services world wide for the VW Group and the biggest financial service provider in Europe. our offers for private and business customers in financing, leasing and banking are taking also an important part in the way of success of the corporate brands Volkswagen, audi, skoda and Volkswagen commercial vehicles.

In the year 2010, the Volkswagen financial services group got awarded of the Great Place to Work® Institute. We are one of Europe’s 100 greatest places to work.

one reason for this accomplishment is that not only do we support supporting the occupational career of every single employee, we also take commitment in social, cultural projects and sports. a good example of such commitment is our company’s kindergarten, which is one of the biggest in Germany. The kindergarten, the fitness training for the employees and the support of social and cultural life around our subsidiaries are only some of the factors which motivate our team.

Location: Germany, BrunswickWorldwide: 37 locations in asia, north- and south america, australia, Europe

Balance sheet total: 60.3 billion Euro

EmployeesInland: ~ 4,000 Worldwide: ~ 8,900

Branch of study: Business administrations, Computer science, Law, (financial) Mathematics and others

Career entry •Internshipsindifferentareas•Bachelorormasterthesis•Traineeprogramme•Directentry

Website: www.vwfsag.de

Location Germany: Brunswick, Emden, Hanover, Ingolstadt, Kassel, neckarsulm, salzgitter, Wolfsburg, Dresden (automobilmanufaktur Dresden GmbH), Chemnitz, Zwickau/Mosel (Volkswagen sachsen GmbH)

Worldwide: argentina, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, People’s Republic China, Czech Republic, france, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Mexico, netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, slovakia, spain, sweden, UsaTurnover 105.2 billion Euro


The invisible barriers for female expats

Boosting female talent has proved to be much more challenging that anticipated, mainly because it requires changing behaviors and attitudes which are far beyond employers’ control. The result of these years of action ranging from positive discrimination in favor of executive women to mildly focused policy has lead us to today’s situation: we’re half way there! Even if today’s career opportunities are said to be equal between men and women, even if most corporations are indeed promoting female leaders, and even if sexist attitudes widely accepted only a few decade ago shock most people today, our society is only half way there in offering an equal potential future to our top male and top female talents. But the good news is that we’re definitively moving towards a better world for professional women.

Each year, at nET EXPaT, we train and coach thousands of international executives moving from one country to another in the 52 countries we cover. The following findings emerge from our research based on the coaching and training of both these male and female expats. They summarize what we see day in and day out in our practice as being the main residual hurdles for these female international executives to transforming their professional potential and climbing the ladders of hierarchies in order to enter executive board rooms around the world, just like their male counterparts.

FamIlY ConTExT: THE DUal CarEEr IssUE

Increasingly, in order to climb the corporate ladder, you need international experience. But moving around the globe as a married expat is not as easy for women as it is for men mainly because of the accompanying partner’s career. The female expats we coach around the world report having a much tougher time convincing

the rest of their family regarding their move abroad. Compared to their male colleagues, female expats tend to hesitate more before asking their male partner to put their career “between brackets” for a few years simply because they were offered promising international assignment perspectives by their employers.

Even within corporations, HR department managers tend to take the requests from a male accompanying expat partner to pursue his career while aboard much more seriously than when it comes from a female accompanying expat partner. This does not mean of course that the type of support companies offer to a male or a female expat partner will vary: we coach thousands of accompanying expat partners from over 200 corporations, and not a single one has put in place a discriminating policy between male and female accompanying expat partners. It is just that most stakeholders will easier understand the dual career burden put on a male expat partner than on a female expat partner.

The unequal impact of the dual career issue on man and women is more frustrating today than ever before as it is based on lack of information on real career opportunities for accompanying expat partners! not only is the vast majority of accompanying expat partners legally able to work in foreign countries, but doing so would substantially increase their professional experience and “marketability” once back in their native country. yearly, nET EXPaT helps thousands of these accompanying expat partners, one third of which are men, to find jobs abroad: over 80% of our coaching programs result in a job at hand. The drama is that the dual career issue has a substantial impact on the number of female potential expats who ultimately choose not to apply for

for the past fifty years, most actors driving talent management are aiming at balancing the international chances of development of young talented men and women within their organizations. as societies and as employers, we all need to offer equal opportunities to talents from both genders, not only because it is fair to do so, but also because international employers need talented women in top positions and throughout their organization. by alain Verstandig, managing Director, nET ExPaT (www.netexpat.com)


international assignments, or to apply later in their career than their male counterparts, therefore generating a competitive disadvantage and slowing down their career progression. The result is that the international talent pools recorded by multinationals to reflect those employees ready to move abroad are biased and outweighed by male talents who might not have the same sense of guilt in putting their partner’s career between brackets for a few years.

split family assignments or commuting has been an initial appealing solution for these high potential women, especially when in age 1 (under 30): these types of assignments allow the female expat to accept the international assignment, while leaving their partner behind in the home country to pursue their career. The issue is that, in the long run, these types of assignments have an extremely negative effect on young couples, putting a lot of emotional strain on both parties. This is even worse when female commuters are in age 2 (30-45) and have children. Their sacrifice to leave the rest of their family behind often ends in unbearable emotional imbalance which has a dramatic impact on productivity and chances of future career evolution.

GETTInG rEaDY For ExPaTrIaTIon

The new pace of international mobility which we know as the new norm since the last 2 years makes expat lives much more challenging than it was only 5 years ago, for both male and female expats: local operations are expecting recently-arrived expats to be operational right away, and fully aware of their new cultural and leadership environments, while HQs expect faster results despite the overall uncertain economical conditions. What strikes anyone focusing on the challenges faced by today’s expatriates as alarming is the way both genders are welcomed, or not, by other cultures and by local host organizations: the number of cultures around the globe which still do not welcome female professionals or barely accept their presence if they are not senior enough (and definitively not if they are supervising men) is still much too high. This raises invisible barriers around the globe for female talents.

successful expats are all recognizing the importance of communication in their success

stories: communication across cultures, across generations and across organizations. The ability to network efficiently, to build trust with all these new colleagues across departments usually makes a substantial difference during the transition phase of expats. Here too, female expats have a more challenging time: unless female expats interface with other women, gender differences actually emphasizes cultural gaps which make all parties more cautious in what they will say, share and build with female newcomers. It takes more time for female expats to break the ice, and find their own way of building trust when faced with some male managers abroad who may misinterpret women trying to network their way up. as we teach our expats in all our coaching programs, newcomers need to quickly assess an appropriate local mentor, and call upon their local sponsors to help them open the way up the top of local hierarchies.

ConClUsIon

Both the dual career issue which female talents face prior to expatriation, as well as the challenges faced during the first few weeks of expatriation have reached HR department ears: companies are increasingly aware that positive discrimination practices are not enough to solve all these issues. Leading employers have been successfully building specific programs dedicated to expat spouses. solutions usually involve an internal component and external one: the internal support involves a mix of internal mentoring programs where senior staff members of the organization both male and female will individually support high potential female employees to find their way up. These can be coupled with group training initiatives leveraging group dynamics to voice and share company specific solutions. In order to be successful, this internal support is coupled most of the time with external independent coaching which brings the necessary individual touch to solve the most personal and private components of these specific female expat hurdles.

With the right support, the appropriate tools, open communication, cultural awareness and a drive to succeed, women can be lead to the top and make any foreign assignment a true success story, in both their personal and professional lives.

15Top Women E-GUIDE

Candidates’ Voices: Violetta

With a head for both business and physics, Violetta has already studied at home and abroad and held down a thrilling role at one of the world’s largest management consulting firms.

This young professional was educated to master level at the London school of Economics and is also a qualified electrical and computer engineer after having spent five years at the national Technical University of athens.

However it was when she completed her Msc at the prestigious LsE that the young graduate was snapped up by the athens office of McKinsey & Company. she was hired as a Business analyst. for two years, she dipped in and out of numerous sectors from telecoms, marketing to banking picking up invaluable experience on the way. ”I had an amazing experience,” she says, “it was an exciting but demanding two years”.

Violetta is however a strong believer in having a healthy work-life balance.

The thing is, the young business woman worked so hard during her two years as a Business analyst, she had to forfeit her free time. With no time to even take to unwind or take contemporary dance classes, the workaholic is now taking a tiny ‘time-out’ to weigh up her professional options and decide whether to stay in Greece or head back abroad in search of an industry related job.

This decision has nothing to do with the current economic crisis in Greece. Violetta talks freely about the acute debt crisis in her home country but encourages her peers not to let it stop them from following their dreams.

She is confident that her strong career record will land her the job she desires, at home or away.

so, how does the business and science brain go about finding that job and does she have any advice for the rest of us? Well, Violetta reckons that the first thing you need to do is decide what you want and who you want to work for. In her case, she is chasing a commercial job, in a marketing department or in pricing. although she currently has a wide professional network in Greece, she also likes using social networking sites like LinkedIn to put herself out there on the international market. Due to her invaluable professional experience, she is also lucky enough to have access to the McKinsey & Company’s global network.

In 20 years time, Violetta hopes to be doing a job that she loves, preferably in the marketing department of an international corporation. “But at the same time I hope to have a family”, she says, “I think I can do it”.

‘yes you can Violetta’ and so can anyone else out there if they put their mind to it. according to the young Greek, the key to success is being calm and collective and above all being yourself, especially when it comes down to doing a crucial interview. “so, come on girls”, she concludes with a chuckle, “we have to value what we have!”.

“Believe in yourself, you can do it”, that’s the advice that Violetta would like to give to all the young women out there at the start of their careers. and at just 27, the Greek go-getter seems to be practicing what she preaches. By méabh mcmahon


E-GUIDE


ConsULTInG


for more information please visitwww.accenture.com

Company Profile: Accenture

our “high performance business” strategy builds on our expertise in consulting, technology and outsourcing to help clients perform at the highest levels so they can create sustainable value for their customers and shareholders. Using our industry knowledge, service-offering expertise and technology capabilities, we identify new business and technology trends and develop solutions to help clients around the world: • Enter new markets. • Increase revenues in existing markets. • Improve operational performance. • Deliver their products and services more

effectively and efficiently.

more about management ConsultingThe Management Consulting growth platform is made up of people who help our clients envision, design, and execute business and operating model change. They create value for clients by targeting key areas for business change and bringing differentiated and innovative ideas to bear.

more about Technologyaccenture’s Technology growth platform is made up of people with skills and deep expertise in a range of business and technology disciplines in the following service groups:• systems Integration Consulting helps

companies solve complex business problems through the management of their information technology and by developing software to streamline and coordinate business processes and systems.

• Technology Consulting delivers end-to-end technology solutions to our clients through IT strategy and transformation,

infrastructure consulting, and security and application portfolio optimization.

• IT outsourcing brings application outsourcing, Infrastructure outsourcing and bundled outsourcing services and solutions to our clients.

more about Business Process outsourcingThe Business Process outsourcing growth platform comprises of people that provide a broad range of outsourcing services to clients including:• Cross-Industry: customer contact, finance

and accounting, human resources, learning and procurement

• Industry specific: engineering services, health, insurance, navitaire, supply chain and utilities.

Wanted profilesThe most important factor in shaping your career experience is yoU: the set of skills, goals and motivations that you bring to work every day. accenture is always looking for result-oriented people with strong analytical skills, client focus and willing to develop in an international environment.

for a career in consulting, we are looking for Masters in civil or commercial engineering, commercial or applied economic sciences, IT or sciences.

Would you like to build and develop software in accenture’s 100% technology-driven environment? Then your profile includes a Bachelor in ICT or a Master in industrial engineering.

In outsourcing and services, we welcome a high diversity of profiles.

accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 204,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of Us$ 21.55 billion for the fiscal year ended august 31, 2010.

19Top Women E-GUIDE

Company Profile: Arthur D. Little

as a global service provider we employ more than 1,000 staff members in over 20 countries. Together with our partners at altran Technologies, we have over 17,000 professionals at our clients’ disposal.

aDL has unprecedented experience across a broad range of industry sectors, including:

• automotive • Chemicals • Energy & Utilities • financial services • Healthcare • Manufacturing • Telecommunication, Information. Media &

Electronics (TIME) • Travel & Transportation

aDL is proud to serve more than 75% of fortune 100 companies globally, in addition to many other leading firms and public sector organisations.

founded in 1886, arthur D. Little is the world’s first management consultancy. We are a global management consultancy specializing in strategy and operations management, serving major corporations and organizations worldwide. We are recognized as leaders in linking strategy, innovation and technology to solve our clients’ most complex business issues, delivering sustainable solutions. We are distinguished from others by our deep industry insight and technology expertise. We are proud of our creative people with their commitment to our clients.

for more information, please visitwww.adlittle.com


karriereführer wird 25 Jahre. Profi tieren Sie von unserer langjährigen Erfahrung im Personalmarketing.Wir unterstützen Sie gerne bei der gezielten Ansprache von Nachwuchsführungskräften.Transmedia Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Fon: 0221/4722-300, e-mail: [email protected] www.karrierefuehrer.de, Mediadaten 2011 unter: www.karrierefuehrer.de/mediadaten

25karriereführer wird Jahre

social media

appvideoonlineprint

Medien für Hochschulabsolventen

KF_Anzeige_Pfeil2010_185x257.indd 1 30.11.10 17:07

for more information please visitwww.joinbain.com

Company Profile: Bain & Company

Whether advising a CEo on growth strategy, or working closely with other top executives to make change happen, our ability to realize lasting value for our clients hinges on the unique intellectual abilities, experiences, personalities and perspectives of those we hire. In other words, it takes diversity, and the right people, to achieve Bain’s proven track record of results.

We take very seriously our aspiration to be the employer of choice for the best female business talent in the world. To that end, we invest behind building a global network for our Bain women and give them the tools they need to succeed. Women at Bain (WaB), our global women’s organization, holds a regular Global Women’s summit and spearheads a number of other major initiatives aimed at making our women successful. We also hold dozens of women’s events, annually in our local offices, focused on training, networking, and mentorship.

Bain & Company is a fantastic place for women to sustain long, successful and rewarding careers, and women have always played important and visible leadership roles at the firm. from our Chairwoman, orit Gadiesh, to office Heads and Practice area Leaders, to the broader team of female partners and managers worldwide, our large community of Bain women leaders continues to grow and thrive.

Bain’s business is helping to make companies more valuable. and we are successful as one of the world’s most preeminent consulting firms because of our unique combination of our extraordinary people, their passions and our shared bottom-line results.

23Top Women E-GUIDE

Taking the opportunity of the international recruiting event “Top Women Top Careers” of november 19, Careers International and Bain & Company conducted a survey aiming at improving the understanding of women’s careers expectations.

Results show that while women mainly look for an attractive position with an interesting content and promising perspectives, their need of a good work-life balance increases with experience.

Comparable questions were asked to two groups, women with less than 3 years of working experience (~40%), and women that have more than 3 years of working experience (~60%).

an equal ambition and an open career plan

Today, 40 % of the women with less than 3 years of working experience have specific career plans, whereas it comes to 50 % in the other group The results also demonstrate that 90% of the women that have a specific career plan, irrelevant of their working experience, say to be more or equally ambitious as their male peers.

Regardless of those ambitions, almost 80% of woman with more than 3 years of working experience made important trade-offs during their career. But when looking back, less than 50% of these women are currently where they want to be in their career. It furthermore appears that more than 35% of the women with less than 3 years of working experience do not know whether they will be prepared to make important trade-offs during their professional career.

These types of trade-offs are often made early in a woman’s careers (i.e. within the first three years after graduation). They in fact rank as the top 2 trade-offs already made by 65% of the experienced women and are expected to be made by 60% of freshly graduated women.

It appears that the top reasons why both freshly graduated and experienced women made trade-offs are more or less aligned. The four most important reasons are amazing career opportunities that justify a difficult career change, a specific desire to change life (e.g. transforming a hobby into a regular job), a lack of interesting career opportunities and lastly the need to keep or enhance the personal balance.

80% of experienced women make significant trade off in their careers

Over 3,000 educated women with various occupation, origin and marital status participated in this survey.

Women looking for attractive positions... and more

Taking the opportunity of the international recruiting event “Top Women Top Careers” of november 19, Careers International and Bain & Company conducted a survey aiming at improving the understanding of women’s careers expectations.


Flexibility-oriented trade-offs increase with experience

When looking at the single most important career trade-off, experienced women with children indicate trade-offs related to flexibility on the job (e.g. working break or increased flexibility).

for women without kids the main reasons still remain career-oriented but personal reasons increasingly matter with the number of years of working experience.

Indeed, trade-offs made by women with kids and driven by non career-related reasons (e.g. family, personal) grow from 65% in the first years of graduations, up to 76% after more than 6 years of experience.

for women without kids, career-related reasons drive the majority (56%) of their trade-off in their first years of experience, but this goes down to 43% after 6 years of experience

overall, the later in time woman have to make trade-offs, the more these become flexibility-oriented.

When asked what the key elements to take into account are when moving to another job; salary, company culture and work-life balance have equivalent high scores but above all, position, content and perspective is the most valued item for all women. a message for recruiters?

The most important professional trade-offs made by women are moving to another country far from their home base or changing from one sector to another.

Top Women Top Careers Event survey was conducted by Bain & Company and Careers International with the support of mba-exchange.com and jUMP.

Bain & Company is a global business consulting firm with offices in all major cities. We help management make the big decisions: on strategy, operations, mergers & acquisitions, technology and organization.

With over 140’000 registered candidates and relationships with all of the best business schools worldwide, mba-exchange.com specializes in innovative recruiting services such as online recruiting events and talent pools.

JUmP provides women with practical tools to help them achieve their professional aspirations and supports organizations and companies wanting to promote gender diversity at management level.


Candidates’ Voices: Olga

Russian, German, English and spanish are the foreign languages that she speaks fluently. Hence the reason that olga jumped at the chance of spending some time in Germany when offered an attractive scholarship by the German academic exchange service, DaaD back in 2007. Leaving her bemused family and friends behind, the Business and Management student spent one year at the University of applied science in osnabrück studying finance and project management. although her best friends couldn’t quite grasp her enthusiasm for taking off to brand new place with a brand new language, olga had a life-changing experience and felt immediately at home.

For Olga, living abroad is her ticket to success.

Upon completion of her diploma in International Business Relations & Management in the Belorussian state University in Minsk, she headed back to Germany- this time to the Goethe University in frankfurt am Main- once again with the aid of a DaaD scholarship.

The Capoeira champion knows how to enjoy herself. apart from studying accounting and process management as part of her Masters in Management, she appreciates hanging out with her international friends, playing percussion and perfecting her martial arts skills.

Having undertaken numerous internships with multinational fMCG and consulting companies back in her native Minsk, the young student is also qualified enough to enjoy a job of student assistant at the University of frankfurt am Main. she helps out with data analysis and event management. a keen follower of current affairs, olga stays informed by attending as many courses and seminars as possible in order to improve her knowledge and learn more about the consequences of the global financial crisis.

With only one year left at university, Olga is eager to start her career.

although her dream job is to be a project manager in a renowned, international company, for the moment she is concentrating on her studies. With just one year left to complete her masters, the bright spark has one thing on her mind - her exams. so much so that she still uses a Belorussian tradition on the eve of an exam- she hides her text books under her pillow. Keeping the information close to her brain is meant to bring her good luck for that crucial exam.

But when olga goes for that all-important job interview next year, she won’t need to put the company’s brochure under her pillow. she won’t need any luck. Her admirable determination and inherent willingness will land her the job of her dreams.

although she is just 23, olga from Minsk lives and studies in the financial capital of frankfurt. With an infectious energy and a sparkle in her eyes, the bright young Belorussian is sauntering along an exciting, fulfilling, professional path. By méabh mcmahon


E-GUIDE


EnERGy anDMaTERIaLs

27Top Women E-GUIDE

Informationist ein Rohstoff.Hier ist Ihre Bohrinsel.

>>> Jetzt reinklicken!

staufenbiel.deDas Karriereportal

210x297_staufenbiel_de_Layout 1 06.10.10 16:28 Seite 1

Company Profile: BEKAERT

Bekaert (www.bekaert.com), founded in 1880, is a global market leader in drawn steel wire products and applications, but also a technological leader in its two core competences: advanced metal transformation and advanced materials and coatings. Bekaert offers significant added value for various businesses in all kinds of markets: from automotive to construction and from utilities to the heavy equipment sector. Bekaert (Euronext Brussels: BEKB) is a global company with headquarters in Belgium, employing 25,000 people worldwide and serving customers in 120 countries. Bekaert pursues sustainable profitable growth in all its activities through a strategic focus on innovation, emerging markets and fast growing industries.

We’d be even stronger with you. and vice versa.

They say great minds think alike. so imagine the power of more than 25,000 people around the world all thinking together. In over 120 countries, Bekaert devotes this combined brainpower to solving huge challenges in advanced metal transformation, advanced materials and coatings. Because, like everything we do, we believe that innovation is something that’s done better together.

That’s why working at Bekaert means working in a unique environment where local and international talent truly work and win together. Where people are encouraged to share their experiences and take real responsibilities. Where research and development are self-evident and embedded in

the company’s culture. and where you can leave your personal mark on every cutting-edge project, wherever your international career will bring you.

of course, you will work under the best possible conditions. and your performance will be well rewarded. so if you have the drive, the talent and the individuality to advance ideas that can change the lives of thousands of customers around the world, we know just the place to come and do it. Wherever you’re from, don’t you think we’re better together?

Testimonial of ann speleers - Plant manager

The great thing about this company is that its dynamic growth and geographic spread create many opportunities. These opportunities, combined with your talents and preferences, shape your career. Three years after I joined Bekaert, I had the opportunity to help start up a plant in India. Then I went to the Czech Republic as a process engineer. slovakia was my next move -first as a project manager, and later as a production manager, a job in which I headed a team of 80 people. now I manage a plant in Belgium. you have so many new experiences, you work with lots of different people, and yet, wherever you work, it always feels like you’re part of the same family.

Did you realize that Bekaert is already part of your life? you might know us from our bookbinding wire, which is an example of our nylon coated wires. or maybe you know the champagne cork wire we produce. It is likely that your car tires are reinforced with Bekaert steel cord products, as one in every four tires in the world is. or maybe you know our Dramix® steel fibers, used to reinforce over five million cubic meters of concrete every year?

for more information please visitwww.bekaert.com


Company Profile: CERN

The instruments used at CERn are particle accelerators and detectors. accelerators boost beams of particles to high energies before they are made to collide with each other or with stationary targets. Detectors observe and record the results of these collisions.

founded in 1954, the CERn Laboratory sits astride the franco–swiss border near Geneva. It was one of Europe’s first joint ventures and now has 20 Member states.

We are at the forefront of technologies in many fields, and there are opportunities for both working and learning at CERn, including student and graduate programmes, as well as vacancies in many domains such as electricity, mechanics, electronics and computing.

Websites:www.cern.ch www.cern.ch/jobs

CERn, the European organization for nuclear Research, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centres for scientific research. Its business is fundamental physics, finding out what the Universe is made of and how it works. at CERn, the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the basic constituents of matter — the fundamental particles. By studying what happens when these particles collide, physicists learn about the laws of nature.

for more information please visitwww.cern.ch


for more information please visitwww.Dsm.com/careers

Company Profile: DSM

The Dsm storyfew companies have undergone as many successful transformations as Royal DsM n.V. Established in 1902 as the nationalized Dutch coal mining company; DsM has repeatedly reinvented itself to adjust to changing circumstances, shifting from its coal mining origins via bulk chemicals and petrochemicals to its current position as a Life sciences and Materials sciences company. Dsm todayDsM is a global Life sciences and Materials sciences company with unique competences across health, nutrition and materials. DsM supplies numerous innovative ingredients and applications that are helping to address some of the world’s most pressing issues such as climate change, energy consumption and the need for a balanced food supply: by using creativity and science to help our customers build lighter cars, create cleaner industrial processes, make plastics and other materials from plants and lead the fight against obesity and malnutrition. End markets are extremely varied and include human and animal nutrition and health, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, coatings and paint, electrical and electronics, life protection and housing. With annual sales of EUR 8 billion, located in 49 countries, DsM employs in the region of 22,700 people worldwide. Royal DsM n.V.’s ordinary shares are listed on Euronext amsterdam since 1989.

The Dsm portfolioDsM’s activities are grouped into five clusters: nutrition, Pharma, Performance Materials, Polymer Intermediates and the non-core Base Chemicals and Materials cluster.

nutrition: DsM is the world’s largest producer of vitamins and carotenoids and is also a leading supplier of value-added ingredient solutions for the food and beverage industries.

Pharma: Many of the world’s top selling medicines contain ingredients developed and produced by DsM. DsM anti-Infectives, the leading global manufacturer of penicillin derivatives, is one of the few penicillin producers outside of China.

Performance materials: DsM is a global player in polyamides, used in technical components for the electrics and electronics, automotive, engineering and packaging industries. It is also the inventor of Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™. DsM is also an important producer of resins, used in coatings and paint.

Polymer Intermediates: DsM produces caprolactam and acrylonitrile, raw materials used in synthetic fibers and plastics.

What can Dsm offer to graduates and professionals?DsM is always looking for enthusiastic and ambitious people, with an external focus. People who are result oriented and take ownership. People who dare to show entrepreneurship and leadership skills.

With our unique competences across health, nutrition and materials DsM has much to offer to international talent. as we accelerate our shift towards Life sciences and Materials sciences, talented graduates are needed more than ever as their insights, creativity and commitment contribute to our success; today and tomorrow…

31Top Women E-GUIDE

Career Insights: DSM

“never apologize for being successful” – the business guru, jackie Cuthbert says to a sea of young, female professionals at the Top Women Event in november 2010. With many years of experience in the industry, the senior Vice President Culture Change for the multinational chemical company DsM has some invaluable advice and experience to share with young people starting out on their career - especially women.

“Embrace being a woman”, she begins, “be true to yourself and have fun”, she continues, “life is just too short”. although she kicked off her career in the exciting retail industry in London, it took her all around the world. jackie Cuthbert spent a stint in the Us and thanks to her fluent German, a few years in Germany. Due to this international flair, jackie held down senior HR positions in retail, merchant banking and in the ICT industries at a very young age.

jackie Cuthbert comes across as a confident and articulate, somebody who seems like they always knew what they wanted out of life. Back in her twenties, she had a life coach that helped to steer her in the right direction. “a former female boss of mine taught me how to address the balance of being a professional and celebrate the fact that I was a woman”. although jackie was just 28 at the time, this mentor played an essential role in her life.

“she was my coach at a time when I was stepping into a global management role in an all male environment. she was a woman but she never let that take over and become centre stage, something that gave her great credibility”.

and due to this positive experience, to this day, jackie is a strong advocate of life-coaches. “We all need someone to aspire to”, she says, “it can be someone that you can connect to, someone who energizes or inspires you- your mum, your coach, your boss or even someone on the world stage”. However, she laments, “so many people wait till they reach their forties to have a life coach. This should not be the case”, she stresses, “getting a life coach early on can change your life for the better”.

Well, this influential life coach certainly steered jackie Cuthbert’s career in the right direction and above all showed her clearly what she wanted to get out of life. Today, the high flyer works in the south East of Holland in the town of Heerlen. There, at the headquarters of DsM, she works as the senior Vice President for Change and Internationalization reporting to the CEo. Having been with DsM for over eight years, jackie has witnessed the company’s change from being a bulk chemicals company to a Life science and Materials company. she helped the company embark on a journey of culture change working on themes like external orientation and innovation, inspirational and engaging leadership and clear accountability for performance.

But the most thrilling thing for jackie Cuthbert is that as DsM constantly grows, so does her career, something that gives her an intense feeling of job satisfaction. “DsM reflects my personal believes and values”, she says, “there is a natural fit about where DsM is going both ethically and socially that just fits me and my personal objective”. for this reason, she would

“never apologize for being successful” – the business guru, jackie Cuthbert says to a sea of young, female professionals. With many years of experience in the industry, the senior Vice President Culture Change for the multinational chemical company DsM has some invaluable advice and experience to share with young people starting out on their career - especially women. By méabh mcmahon


always advice a young professional to choose their dream company before choosing their dream job.

so any special tip for the rest of us who would like to follow her footsteps? “Think outside the box” jackie pleads and if possible “pick up another foreign language”. The expert is convinced that although a decade ago you could get a job for having letters after your name, in today’s world, academic qualifications alone will no longer do the trick. “To get a job at DsM”, she says, “you must know how to engage your listener”, she advices, “you must be able to energize your audience”. Tending to push back when she sees a candidate who purely wants to get to the top, jackie feels that although ambition is encouraged and can be healthy, alone it can lead to a single minded approach and leave your team around you feeling isolated. “To get to the top”, she says, “you need to connect with those around you”.

jackie refers constantly to the privileged situation of the Millennial Generation – young people familiar with communications, media and digital technologies – i.e. young graduates currently in search of work. “Get connected and stay connected”, she advises before stressing how Generation y is born with connecting genes. “We are living in a virtual global world”, she says. “We don’t even have to move countries in order to work for an international firm”. Talking about how her generation had to adapt to this connected world, she encourages youth to embrace the fact that they live in this dynamic period.

jackie Cuthbert always knew that she wanted an international career. With an open mind, she strived on new challenges and was adaptable. This flexibility has gotten her to where she is now - but not without sacrifices. That’s why the final and perhaps most important bit of advice the career woman has is ‘be honest with yourself and decide what you want in life’.

“some of us can have it all”, she says, “some of us can’t”. Half the battle is ‘knowing what you want’.

Jackie Cuthbertsenior Vice President, Culture Change, DsM

“We all need someone to aspire

to. It can be someone that you can connect

to, someone who energizes or inspires you- your mum, your

coach, your boss or even someone on the

world stage”


We believe that energy suppliers should be renewable too. So we are looking for enthusiastic

new colleagues with plenty of ideas who want to join RWE in changing the world. To find out fast

just what we have to offer, and how together we can work to secure the energy of the future,

visit us online.

GOT-THE-ENERGY-TO-LEAD.COM

Company Profile: RWE AG

In terms of sales, we hold a leading market position with at least one of our main products (electrcity and gas) in our core markets. RWE is the no. 2 power producer in Germany and in the netherlands, and no. 3 in the UK. The market position in Central and south-Eastern Europe is being expanded continuously.

Through RWE Dea, the Group is successfully active in the gas and oil production business in Europe, northern africa and the Caspian region. RWE supply & Trading is one of Europe’s leading energy trading companies.RWE is investing at record levels. some €7 billion are earmarked annually for investments in environmentally friendly and flexible generation capacity, which includes power plants, grids and open-cast mines. €1 billion of that will go towards renewables – mainly wind and biomass.

RWE reacts to changes in customer needs by offering new electricity, gas and energy efficiency products for homes, commerce and industry. In this context, climate protection and energy efficiency are becoming increasingly important. another key focus area is electric cars.

RWE is one of Europe’s five leading electricity and gas companies. We are active in the generation, trading, transmission and supply of electricity and gas. More than 70,000 employees supply over 16 million customers with electricity and approximately 8 million customers with gas. In fiscal 2009, RWE recorded about €48 billion in revenue.

for more information please visitwww.rwe.com

35Top Women E-GUIDE

at a time when the world is short of causes for celebration, here is a candidate: within the next few months Women will cross the 50% threshold and become the majority of the american workforce. Women already make up the majority of university graduates in the oECD countries. It is clear that the increased involvement of Women in the economy is the most important social change since the end of the second World War and the one that has brought the largest increase in financial terms, even more than the advent of the BRIC countries or the arrival of information technology!

for many years, numerous studies have analysed the link between gender diversity in company’s management and their performance and have arrived at the same conclusion — there is a positive correlation. But gender diversity doesn’t only have an impact on micro-economics… for the swede EU presidency, a study showed that if the rate of women’s participation in the economy (the number of women in work + number of hours worked) was equal to that of men, Europe’s GDP would increase by 27%. It is also essential if we want to safeguard our social security system that the working rate of women increases alongside birth rates! It’s already happening in scandinavian countries and in france, but in the rest of Europe the more a woman works the less she is inclined to have children, while for men it is exactly the reverse.

This last decade has seen women progress further then men. In the European Union, they have obtained 6 million of the 8 million jobs created since 2000. and it seems that this positive trend for women is set to continue: in 2011 there will be 2.6 million more women than men in american universities and the figures are similar in Europe. However, even these positive changes are still not enough. These advances for women have presented many weaknesses:

- More than one woman in two works part time compared to less that 10% of men.- ¾ of active women work in sectors linked to social services (education, healthcare, …), which although protected in times of crisis are not well paid. In IT companies or in science and technology colleges, there are less than 15% of girls!- for women, much more than men, the level of qualifications and the number of children they have determine their level of activity. - Women progress much slower than men and often on a smaller scale. - Women are particularly affected by poverty, especially if they are alone, have children or are in their old age. Women’s pensions are on the whole a lot lower than men’s (less than 60% of the men’s average pension revenue).- Despite the fact that many more women than men have higher education degrees, women are still under-represented at the highest levels within companies (in Europe, only 12% are on the boards of companies quoted and 10% are on management committees), and their average salaries are often significantly lower than that of men. - juggling a job and raising children is still difficult. Even if men spend more time with their children, it is still women on the whole who bear the responsibility of managing the family (time spent on family matters and on household chores is more than triple that of men, and the difference increases with the number of children).

numerous voices increasingly talk of women’s “free choice”. Women want to work less to spend more time with their families and are less ambitious in their careers. But do women really have free choice when we read, above, all the differences in the workforce and the lack of responsibilities shared with men? When talking about family management we’re also talking about models that lead the way and also imprison us. In the netherlands and in Germany, women who work and have a family are looked down on.

The extraordinary impact of women in the economy!The Economist recently revealed that women will soon make up more than 50% of the workforce in the richest countries. Women could claim “We did it!” in response to the celebrated image of women’s unions in the 50’s entitled “We can do it!”…


The working rate for women in the netherlands is nearly 70% (very high), but it is also the country in Europe where the most women work part time (75%) and the least number of hours! and, because part-time work is only possible in certain sectors and certain types of job, the pay gap between women and men in the netherlands is the most pronounced in Europe (after Estonia). This supposed “choice” makes women more vulnerable financially and reinforces the segregation of roles in the family.

The leadership model is still more “competitive” than “collaborative” in the majority of companies and the age-old weight of sharing the roles and the traditions within a family and society at large not only has an effect on the individuals concerned (women and men) in the choices they make but it also deprives companies of talent and diversity in management, which in turn affects their economic performance. In accepting inequality in the workforce, the whole country is turning its back on economic growth.

since norway passed legislation on the quotas of women on the boards of companies floated on the stock exchange (at least 40% of women – or men), other countries, such as the netherlands, have also set objectives with the intention to legislate if these goals are not achieved. spain and, recently, france also followed in the steps of norway and voted a law on quotas of 20% in three years and 40% within six years.

We know from now on that we cannot count on meritocracy to lead women to the head of companies. The world of politics has realised this in passing legislation on equality, because good will alone will not open up positions for eligible women. Looking at the figures and knowing that women represent 60% of university graduates, when we speak about competence meritocracy is a humiliation!

This does not mean that all women want positions of responsibility nor that all women

merit such positions. These points just prove how complex an issue it is, how it needs to be fully considered and that it requires specific measures: precise targets with deadlines “gender bilingual” companies,1 and accompanying measures for change as set out by legislators.

Beyond the company and economic growth that has been made possible by greater equality and gender diversity, it has also created a tremendous change in raising respect for individuals whether they are women or men, which has helped everyone to develop their talents regardless of their gender.

The Courrier International wrote in May 2007: “In terms of impact in the workforce, the second sex is likely to save the economy”. It is still the case in 2011! What are we waiting for to putting our skills to good use?

1 Avivah Wittenberg-Cox in “Womenomics”: “To perform better, companies should adapt their strategy and become gender bilingual, in other words show that they understand that men and women speak, think and behave differently.”

Isabella lenarduzzifounder and Director of jUMP “Empowering Women, advancing the Economy”

JUMP provides women with the practical tools to help them achieve their professional projects and supports organisations and companies that want to promote gender diversity in management. www.blogjump.eu www.forumjump.eu www.womansacademy.be www.womenatworkaward.be


E-GUIDE


fMCG

39Top Women E-GUIDE

CareersInternational

Engineering ExcellenceBrussels, 13–14 May 2011

The Engineering Excellence Event connects engineering graduates or professionals (in chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, manufacturing, mechanical or software engineering) with leading global companies looking to tackle tomorrow’s world challenges. We’ll help you seize the right opportunity and meet employers face to face at this invitation-only event. Apply now. It’s your chance to fix your own horizons and take your first step to a top-flight exciting career.

LIfE Is A journEy. sTArT yours on www.careersinTernaTiOnaL.cOm

aPPLY BeFOre 20 marcH

Participating companies in 2010 and/or 2011:

Company Profile: Nestlé

as a multinational company – nestle is present in more than 80 countries with over 278,000 employees. Today, 1,800 employees from more than 70 nationalities work at our headquarters in switzerland and coordinate the Group’s strategy and provide support to all nestlé companies worldwide. The majority of our employees work in our markets around the world – where a large part of the real action is.

a Global Company with Local Roots

food is a local business, based on local cultures, tastes and habits. It is vital today to stay close to consumers around the world, and to develop, added-value products to meet their specific needs. Therefore, you’ll get a different taste of nestlé in each of the countries where we sell products.

nestlé’s decentralized organization can offer you the advantages of working in smaller, local businesses within the solid, secure framework of a multinational company with over 140 years of experience and success.

a Company on the Move

We are also a company on the move – determined to maintain our leadership, to keep growing and to participate in the evolution of society all over the world.

so we need ambitious, talented and determined individuals who are eager to roll-up their sleeves and tackle new challenges hands-on.

The diversity of our brands and products translates into hundreds of interesting and attractive assignments, worldwide projects, and initiatives within our global network of companies, factories, R&D centres and joint ventures. We guarantee you a varied job with international exposure right from the start.

as part of nestlé’s commitment to continuous career development, our employees receive frequent on-the-job training and the possibility to attend courses at the nestlé International Training Centre in Rive-Reine, switzerland. ad hoc assignments to respond to complex problems on a multi-market, multi-discipline basis provide our employees with opportunities to develop their skills in challenging projects.

Do you have what it takes?

We are welcoming people either with a technical or business background, with practical experience through internships, work placement and/or a first professional experience. Language skills are essentials as well as an entrepreneurial spirit, a creative and enthusiastic personality, the ability to act as a «change agent», the willingness and skills to cooperate proactively in order to reach results, the ability to manage complexity.

Does this sound like you? Then we can offer you opportunities across all business disciplines including sales, Marketing, supply Chain and Procurement, Manufacturing, R&D, finance, Is/IT and Human Resources.

Ready to join the World’s nutrition, Health & Wellness Company?

With sales of CHf 107.6 billion in 2009, nestlé is the world’s foremost nutrition, Health & Wellness Company, committed to serving consumers all over the world. our focus on responsible nutrition and promoting health and wellness is a core value, emphasizing responsibility and sustainability.

for more information please visitwww.careers.nestle.com


Career Insights: Nestlé

although she has had about two hours sleep, the french woman is bright and friendly and eager to talk about her career and offer as much expertise and advice to young graduates as she can. The mother of three, who currently heads nestlé’s Recruitment Competence Centre in switzerland, reminisces fondly about the long and winding road that took her to where she is today.

for the last 18 years of her life, Emmanuelle has been working in various departments of the largest multinational of consumer packaged goods in the world. she started as an expert in sensory evaluation, having translated so many research findings on taste and olfaction and transforming them into products that people like. although she recognises that she has had to make huge decisions through out her life and give up some international work offers, she feels utterly fulfilled and satisfied with her job.

“Human resources was always in my head and in my heart”, she begins but mentions the fact that she, like most young graduates, didn’t realise that at the start. as a qualified food-engineer, Emmanuelle actually commenced her career in the area of evaluation. “It was really exciting”, she says, “tasting, eating, smelling”. But after a period of dipping in and out of various departments, she asked herself, where will I be in ten or twenty years? Where do I want to go in this company?

so, not only did she take leap into another department but she actually hop-scotched from france to switzerland in order to work at nestlé Research Center. a few weeks later, she was on a one-way flight to Geneva.

at first, she felt inferior as she had no PHD. But within three years, due to her excellent potential and full dedication, Emmanuelle found herself working as the head of a scientific group. “It all just made sense”, she claims. “When I moved to switzerland, everything seemed to fit into place - I saw the link between the different steps of my career”.

after 17 years in sensory & Marketing and in R&D, she thought this was the right timing to try to make her plan to join HR become a reality. “This was a huge decision for me”, she says. as at the same time, she had been offered with a managerial role in R&D in the Us and had to give an urgent answer to the director.

“We all have these crises in our lives”, she admits, “Where to go, what to do”. The french woman smiles and said, “But don’t let them alarm you”. according to the approachable HR director, we will reach numerous crossroads on our way, but that our gut feeling will help us make that all important decision.

although it is mainly associated with chocolate, nestlé produces over 6,000 brands and a wide range of products from coffee, water and ice-cream to baby food, confectionery and pet food. With over 278,000 employees present in over 80 countries, its headquarters can be found on the north shore of Lake Geneva in a town called Vevey. 1,800 employees from over 70 countries clock into work everyday in the picturesque swiss town. one of them is Emmanuelle Belin. By méabh mcmahon


This is what happened to Emmanuelle Belin. after getting some advice from some older and wiser colleagues, especially from the Human Resources department, she decided to follow her heart.

Emmanuelle Belin has an attractive, relaxed nature about her. she makes everything seem so easy. It seems to be down to her good nature and will to make the world a better place. “I am not an ambitious person”, she protests, “I am just someone who always wanted to do something that I liked. I love coaching, helping and developing so a managerial position actually suits me. But I am able to make mistakes. When I fail, I just try again.”

But in order to fail, we have to get in. young graduates need to be given a chance to show what they can offer. so any sneaky tips from the top for any of us who want to work for nestlé? “We are constantly on the look out for something special”, begins Emmanuelle. “something special?”, I repeat- “but what do you mean?!”. Well according to the HR chief, nestlé likes candidates to fit in with the values of the company- not to an extent that they must think the nestle way- but rather that they are compatible with the objectives of the firm and that they are above all ready to take a risk.

“always be yourself”, she advices. “Don’t read too much before an interview or you will sound like a robot on the day. just show an interest in joining our company”, she says before repeating, “I prefer candidates who tell me something special”.

so, there you have it, you need to have an edge, or in Emmanuelle Belin’s words, “something special”. In today’s modern world, this is manageable. With online access to social networks and instant access to companies all over the world, we have the technological tools to get ourselves on the market.

and the something special - well that is up to you. But just to let you know it could be anything from your Erasmus year in Tallinn to your fetish for rock climbing. just make sure you spit it out while being interviewed so influential women like Emmanuelle Belin can remember you when they make fundamental decisions about who to hire and who to fire.

Emmanuelle BelinHead, nestlé Recruitment Competence Centre

“I am not an ambitious person, I

am just someone who always wanted

to do something that I liked.”

43Top Women E-GUIDE

Company Profile: Procter & Gamble

We are looking for talented people who are passionate about innovating and resolute about winning and improving the lives of consumers worldwide. We truly believe in the diversity of our people, representing more than 140 nationalities working in Western Europe.

We want you to be an accomplished innovator with insatiable curiosity. We’ll give you total freedom to pull together existing know-how and redefine it to create breakthrough solutions to improve the lives of consumers worldwide. We want you to become adept at decision-making and to convert your ideas into action. Perfecting your leadership skills ranks among our top priorities: leadership means developing your capabilities and helping others to develop theirs. We’ll help you expand your capacity for new learning and sharpen your talent for getting the best out of a diverse team. By working on any of our well-known brands (including our newly acquired Gillette-Braun products) you will enjoy the diversity and excitement that only a multinational company can offer. at P&G you will never stop learning and developing.

finally, on a fast-moving market, we expect each one of us to embrace change and act proactively towards it. This requires from us great attention to both internal and external trends, always connecting authentically to our stakeholders and with each other. With the end result in mind, our people behave as owner of their part of the business.

opportunities

your Career in P&G can start in any of our different Business functions: from Marketing and Customer Business Development (our innovative sales organization) to the technical roles around our supply chain (Manufacturing, Engineering, Logistics or Purchasing); from our world-class Research Centres, to finance (f&a), Information Technology (IDs), Market Research (CMK) or Human Resources.

Websites:

www.pgcareers.com www.facebook.com/pgcareers

four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world.The company has one of the largest and strongest portfolios of trusted, quality brands, including Pampers®, ariel®, always®, Pantene®, Herbal Essences ®,fairy®, ace®, Lenor®, M. Proper®, Tampax®, Dash®, Pringles®, actonel®, Iams®, Eukanuba®, Gillette/Braun and Wella and more. P&G employs approximately 135,000 people globally, about a quarter of our employees work in 17 countries in Western Europe.

for more information please visitwww.pgcareers.com


I get chicken skin when I say it but I am really very, very happy in my job,” she confesses, “P&G is a life attitude”. The cheerful German is one of the 127,000 employees of the american multinational corporation that manufactures a wide range of consumer and beauty products from Head & shoulders, ariel, Pampers to Pringles.

and it is true, if you ask yourself what you love to do, and you make that hobby your job, you may never have to work a day for the rest of your life. But when Isabel was in her early 20s, she didn’t have a clue what she wanted out of life. Training as a primary school teacher and as an economical translator, she graduated quite young and was still unsure where her passions lay. But thanks to a lucky twist of fate, her first graduate job was at Procter & Gamble. she spent two full-on years working in the marketing and purchasing department. and a couple of decades later she is still working for P&G – having found her passions fulfilled in the Western Europe Recruiting department.

It is fascinating. Isabel Gondro boasts the enthusiasm of an intern on their first day at work as she poses for a photograph in front of the Proctor & Gamble stand. Where does she get this enthusiasm? “Well” she says, “Procter & Gamble believe in you, stick to you, coach you and mentor you – all energy, ideas and changes you want to contribute are always highly appreciated – you see that you move things.”

The thing is, back in the 80’s, after Isabel had completed her first two years at P&G, she got itchy feet. she set off Down Under with her boyfriend of the time who was soon to become her husband. However, much to her delight, Isabel Gondro was allowed to walk straight back into her previous job and salary level – now pregnant and later with two sons. she was given a more flexible timetable and more opportunities to work from home. “I felt so lucky,” she squeals, “P&G don’t hire and fire you and they adapt to your changes”. Many people frowned at her for working for an american cooperation at the time. But she adored it. “I loved the lack of arrogance, hierarchical thinking and bureaucracy - it was a breath of fresh air from what I had experienced when looking at friends’ and relatives’ work life in German firms”.

and 20 years later, it is Isabel looking at young students and listening to their expectations. Having ‘been there and done that’, she knows what aspirations young graduates have when they start their first job, and thus tries to offer them the most fulfilling position with as many perks as possible. “We want young workers to let their dreams come true - to have a healthy and happy work-life balance”. as P&G usually hires bright, young graduates who have normally studied very hard, Isabel, as well as the rest of the Human Resources department, listen to the fast changing needs of young workers and they to do as much as they can to accommodate them. “sure I know what it is like to be young, and even today,” says Isabel.“you might want to climb Mount Everest

Career Insights: Procter & Gamble“Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life,” these are the famous words that the Chinese thinker and social philosopher, Confucius recited over a thousand years ago. By méabh mcmahon


or take time off to learn or to fulfill non professional dreams - we can help you do that,” she insists, stressing the company’s ethos of encouraging a healthy work-life balance – offering sabbaticals periodically.

so now we know what P&G can do for us but what can we do for P&G? any advice as to how we can follow Isabel’s footsteps?! “you need to care open-eyed about the world around you,” Isabel begins, “This company thinks and acts ‘sustainably’ so we want candidates to match with these values and morals”. When interviewing, Isabel says she also looks out that candidates do care about the world, its people and their social well-being”. and that’s something you cannot fake.

so, any tips for that crucial interview? “Be true, be authentic and be transparent,” Isabel advises, “Don’t be shy but show that you may be a leader and a person who can empower and listen to others”. “and above all”, Isabel says, “be yourself”. Isabel notes with pride that Procter & Gamble strive to ensure their personnel represent a diverse range of religions and ethnicities and above all, a balance of genders.

But the “coolest thing” for the 45-year-old blond is her ability to live her energy and ideas every single day at work. “Whenever I come up with an idea, no matter how random it may be, I feel totally accepted and taken serious,” she says with delight.

Isabel Gondro believes in Generation y. she is really excited about the future of young workers, especially females. Encouraging

graduates to do everything they can to promote themselves and stand out from the crowd, she is a strong believer in social media. “sure Procter & Gamble has its own P&G Western Europe facebook page,” she says. “We recruit online,” she continues before chirpily describing the P&G interactive virtual career fair that allows candidates to undertake live chats online with the HR department European wide.

a successful recruitment director once said, “some people can have it all, others don’t”. and indeed it is not easy to have job satisfaction, a family, and a health life-work balance. But Isabel Gondro seems to have it all, and you can too if you put your mind to it.

Isabel GondroRecruiter, P&G Western European Talent supply, Procter & Gamble

“All energy, ideas and changes you

want to contribute are always highly appreciated – you see that you move

things.”

47Top Women E-GUIDE

13 années d'expérience au service des candidats font la différence

C

M

J

CM

MJ

CJ

CMJ

N

Plaquette2010.pdf 1 20/09/10 11:31

E-GUIDE


oTHER


ichooseRisk.> ichooseCustomer.> ichooseSugar.> ichooseCollaboration.> ichooseInnovation.> ichooseGrowth.> ichooseFlavor.> ichooseTexturizing.> ichooseLearning.> icho

oseNourishing.> ichooseTasty.> ichooseGreen.> ichooseCustomer.> ichooseSugar.> ich

ooseSalty.> ichooseCommunication.> ichooseGlobal.> ichooseCreativity.> ichooseTrading.> ichooseDevelopment.> ichooseCommunities.> ichooseBiofuels.> ichooseLeaders

You always knew what you wanted, and now...What will you choose?

www.ichoosecargill.com©Cargill Incorporated

With everything we do and everywhere we are,find a career and develop your talent in whatever you choose.

ichooseCargill

A4 ad "Ichoose" + BOY 12/11/07 17:13 Page 3

Company Profile: Cargill

We serve customers in many different industries including crop, livestock, food, health, industrial and financial sectors.

We add value to each step of the food chain and the customers we supply are some of the most respected in their industry.

although our global presence is broad and our business very diverse, we share the same foundation. Cargill employees are committed to deliver distinctive value for our customers through: innovation, high performance and customer focus.

achieving distinctive value requires not only knowledge for execution but specific behaviours.

In Cargill our business is conducted in an ethical and moral manner in every country and region where we are privileged to do business in.

our purpose is to be the global leader in nourishing people. our mission is to create distinctive value.our approach is to be trustworthy, creative and enterprising.

Last year, Cargill raised 107 billion Us dollars in revenue.

Work opportunities

at Cargill, thousands of employees around the globe are building successful careers while contributing to our vision of being the global leader in nourishing people.

at Cargill, you will get a challenging role from day one and you will be accountable for your area of responsibility. you will get opportunities to network with your international colleagues and your career and personal development will be our goal.

Cargill is searching for talented employees, recent graduates from University or employees with less than 2 years of work experience. fluent English is required as well as the willingness to develop an international career in one of the many different functions (finance, operations, commercial…)

In the world, each day, many Cargill employees are proud of influencing every-day experiences of millions of people.

for more information, please visit www.cargill.com

Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With more than 131,000 employees in 66 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed.

for more information please visitwww.cargill.com

51Top Women E-GUIDE

Company Profile: Microsoft

We run our company in much the same way. our employees come as they are and do what they love. We’re a global company, located in over 100 countries, but we often act like a startup. We do software — but we also do hardware, services, research, and community outreach. We work hard, but we value work/life balance, and each of us defines what that means to us. so why not explore what we do, where we do it, and what life is really like at Microsoft? you just might be surprised.

Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. We’re motivated and inspired by how our customers and partners use our software to find creative solutions to business problems, develop breakthrough ideas and stay connected to what’s important to them.

for more information please visitwww.microsoft.com


Calculating your Future Value is easier than you think

Calculating the future value of an investment is easier when you know how to approach it. At eFinancialCareers.com, we help you approach the challenge of securing a first internship or graduate role, and continue helping you right through your career in finance. Our Student Centre focuses on graduate recruitment at major banks and financial firms, giving you the tools and insight you need to stand out. Invest in your future today by visiting:

www.efinancialcareers.com/students

Company Profile: Philips

The focus areas for our three main businesses are Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting. These businesses are supported by Philips Design and Philips Research as well as by many cross-sector support departments. Together, we act as one company.

‘job’ doesn’t even begin to describe the opportunities offered by a career in the Philips’ world of development engineering. Try ‘intellectual complex technical challenges’, projects that really push the boundaries of feasibility. If that still doesn’t do it for you, how about ‘end-to-end responsibility’, where you’ll enjoy the extra dimension of seeing a project from idea to production. Tomorrow’s exciting products are being dreamed up, shaped and prepared for production right now. you could be part of these challenges.

join an innovative company in health and wellbeing that makes a real difference to people’s live. We challenge and empower you to make the most of your talents while working in international and multidisciplinary teams.

our growth depends on yours so we’ll support you with career opportunities that will let you accelerate your growth in directions to which you aspire.

you can look forward to special courses and creative challenges, and enjoy opportunities for advancement across the entire business. Throughout your time with us, you will get the chance to work in a stimulating, energetic, diverse and innovative environment filled with some of the most talented people in the world.

share our insight and passion for bringing sense and simplicity into people’s lives!

Grow with Philips

In a world in which technology increasingly touches every aspect of daily life, our ambition is to improve the quality of people’s lives through meaningful and timely innovations. That is why we are committed to bringing sense and simplicity to consumers and professionals with advanced, easy to use products that are designed specifically to meet their needs.

for more information please visitwww.philips.com

55Top Women E-GUIDE

Berlin, 09–10 May 2011

The Business Excellence Event connects you with leading global companies looking for talented graduates and professionals for positions in management, finance, marketing, logistics, HR... We’ll help you seize the right opportunity and meet employers face to face at this invitation-only event. Apply now. It’s your chance to fix your own horizons and take your first step to a top-flight international career.

APPLY BEFORE 20 MARCH

Participating companies in 2010:

CareersInternational

Business Excellence

LIfE Is A jouRnEy. sTART youRs on www.CAREERsinTERnATiOnAL.COM

Top Women E-Guide

Documents

Transcript of Top Women E-Guide