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EV50 Report |
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Full nomination text published in EV50 Europeans of the Year 2007 Magazine Mirella Visser – The Business Mentor When Neelie Kroes was appointed European competition commissioner in 2004, concerns were expressed about her business connections. Her compatriot Mirella Visser was also worried: what were the chances of women being appointed to the numerous company boards where Kroes’s resignation had left a vacancy? At the time only 7% board positions in The Netherlands were filled by women, so she was not optimistic. It was in 2004 that Visser became vice-president of the European Professional Women’s Network (EPWN), taking over as president in 2007. In these roles she has been at the forefront of efforts to promote women in business, both in The Netherlands and across Europe. ————————————————————————————————————-- My personal report on the EV50 Gala on November 27 2008 in Brussels Being nominated as ‘European of the Year’ and ‘Campaigner of the Year’ was an amazing experience. Attending the Awards Gala in Palais d’Egmont in Brussels was as impressive. What would have been my message to all these distinguished European officials be, should I have won? And what could be our advice to them to further promote the cause of professional women in Europe? What can the EU do to promote the progress of professional women? Continue to place the issue of gender equality on the social agenda. As long as the equal pay gap (now at 15%) and discrimination on the basis of gender in the work place still exist, it remains necessary. 2. From social to business issue Enrich the definition of gender equality; it is not only a social issue but a business issue. Gender diversity should be a priority on the agenda of the EU’s competitive position in the world. With the aging population and the increasing need for talented, educated workers, we cannot afford leaving half of Europe’s talent behind. The women are out there and are eager to contribute. The Economist in 2006 already noticed: “Forget India, China and the Internet: economic growth is driven by women”. 6 out of the 8 million jobs created in the EU since 2000 were taken by women. Recent research by McKinsey has shown that severe labor shortages will appear in 2040 if women’s labor force participation rate does not reach men’s. So there is a definite need to stimulate women to work and to put policies in place that make it possible. 3. From work force to brain force The topic of Gender equality is part of the EU portfolio of ‘Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities’. This positioning results in an emphasis on women as ‘work force’ and the development of policies to increase labor force participation by women. However, women are severely lagging behind in decision making functions. Across the EU only 24% of members of parliaments are women and only 10% of top management of Europe’s largest 50 companies are women. Contrary to popular belief, highly educated women do not leave companies to raise children, but because they feel undervalued (sometimes even underpaid) and are not being offered interesting opportunities for development of their talent. Companies are experiencing a brain drain of highly educated and experienced women, who set up their own businesses or leave to work for companies with more flexible policies. The EU should be concerned about this trend and should stimulate the development of policies capturing women’s talents not only as “work” force but as “brain” force in leadership positions. 4. Capitalize on differences for betterment of society The EU itself is the best example of our ability to work together harmoniously with people of different nationalities, backgrounds, religions, gender and education. After all, we are living in Europe in a historically unprecedented area of peace, prosperity and economic growth. The issues facing the EU today cannot be solved by countries or companies on their own, but also not without women taking equal part in the decision-making processes. An impressive body of research nowadays indicates that gender diversity has a significant impact on company’s financial performance and corporate governance. With 3 or more women in a team companies perform better in many ways creating a better company and by doing so a better society. However, paradoxically, the EU still shies away from promoting innovation, better quality of decision making and improved corporate governance as reasons for the need of gender diverse leadership. The picture of Europe’s leadership tells the story: among the 27 leaders of EU’s countries only one woman stands out, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel. Her way of leadership is seen as different and has received much acclaim among her peers. At the EV50 Gala she was awarded the title of ‘Stateswoman of the Year’ for which I congratulate her wholeheartedly. What is so different about her style? In the Economist (October 1, 2006) she explained: “I do not bang my fist on the table. My way is to think, consult and then decide. Sometimes I think people still have to get used to the leadership style of a woman”. The EU would benefit from having more role models in leadership like her. 5. If it gets measured, it gets done Last but not least, best practices in Europe can provide important insight into how best to implement gender equality policies. Developments in the Scandinavian countries, where pro-active policies and legislation have been put in place to promote the representation of women in decision-making functions, are indicating that “if it gets measured it gets done”. Policies without teeth make matters worse because they create uncertainty and favoritism by relying on the good will of parties involved. The Scandinavian countries are leading the pack in terms of women in leadership, which is the result of decades of consistent strategies originating from a vision on society in which the absence of violence takes a central position. The EU could learn from these role model countries. The Key Question: Did you win? Well, yes and no. Winning this great nomination, referred to as ‘Europe’s Oscars’, is absolute testimony to the fact that EuropeanPWN’s activities are making a significant impact. Our approach of working with corporations to develop female leadership talent and sustainable careers resonates with many people. The topic of ‘promoting professional progress of women in Europe’ is now firmly on the agenda, among topics as climate change, protection of civil rights, sustainable production methods, the integrity of leadership of the World Bank and protection of journalists in war zones. Our name remains listed among previous nominees and winners of the Campaigner Awards as Colin Firth, rock star Bono and Pope John Paul II, to name a few…. I ‘won’ the title of ‘The Business Mentor’, an excellent find, combining our business focus with acknowledgement for the ground-breaking Mentoring book edited by Therese Torris and the newly introduced Think Tank Groups led by Cecile Demailly. What I didn’t win was the actual title of ‘Campaigner of the Year’ as it went to California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Called ‘The Climate Action-Hero’ he was awarded the title for taking action against climate change with the California Global Warming Solutions Act and plans for an emissions trading scheme with the EU. Arnold walked the talk and did not attend the ceremony as it would have meant getting on an airplane and polluting the air for just this one occasion. From this position I would like to congratulate him with his award and applaud the great work he is doing. Creating connections for our community I was privileged to be part of this group of opinion leaders and sharing the atmosphere of connections across borders with them. What they had in common was a thorough understanding of and commitment to the European cause. It is like ‘European of the Year’ Valdas Adamkus said in his impressive acceptance speech talking about the significance of the Reform treaty that forms the basis of Europe’s future: “Nothing in the Reform Treaty is more important than the reaffirmation of the principles making 27 different nations into one united European Union: democracy and freedom, respect for human rights and openness, tolerance and solidarity”. EuropeanPWN is proud of the Europe in its name. Mirella Visser ———————————————————————————————————- Nomination text on this page courtesy of : European Voice, copyright The Economist Newspaper Limited, www.europeanvoice.com. All photos by Antoine Gaussin and Gregory Halliday (IP Medias). |
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Picture left: left to right: Dalia Grybauskaite, last year’s Commissioner of the Year, Valdas Adamkus, this year’s European of the Year, Mirella Visser, a Campaigner of the Year nominee, and Viviane Reding, this year’s Commissioner of the Year Mirella’s nomination is for her work in promoting the professional progress of women and gender diversity programmes to help women and corporations succeed together. The full nomination text and her personal report are below. |