On the 23rd February 2023, we held a special online event – a Meet and Networking, which gave our current and former Talents in the Women Talent Pool Leadership Programme the chance get to know and exchange with each other.

The event was opened by WIL Fellow Pauline Henaff, Regional Vice President Financial Services at Salesforce, who talked about her journey from being a Talent in the WTP Programme to holding senior leadership positions at her company.

Attendees were then invited to break out rooms where they got to know each other over a virtual networking session in small groups. Before the event event ended, WIL Fellow Cristina Hoffmann shared a poem by Kae Tempest, "Hold Your Own".

In a special online event, WIL Board Member Paulina Dejmek-Hack, Director for General Affairs at DG FISMA at the European Commission, shared her expertise on how to effectively managing a complex negotiation, drawing on her time working alongside Michel Barnier on the EU-UK Trade Agreement while she was Director in the Taskforce for Relations with the UK at the Commission.

To commemorate International Women's Day, we hosted our "How to Become a Board Member" workshop in partnership with Voxfemina. WIL Member, Rania Ekaterinari and Voxfemina Member Isabelle Hilali shared key insight into what it takes to become a strong candidate for board nomination.

 

On 19^th January, WIL Europe organised its first event for Members in 2022 – a New Year’s Virtual Networking.  

The event was opened with an introduction by WIL Board Member Pervenche Berès, Chair of the AEFR, who presented the discussion topic: gender pay gap and how to ensure that the Covid-19 pandemic does not continue to disproportionally impact upon women. After this, the participants move to breakout rooms for two networking rounds. 

Thank you very much to all the Members who were able to join us for this virtual networking session to build new connections and reignite old ones!

On 7th October, Christelle Cuenin, Coach in Career Development and Public Speaking and WIL Alumna, offered an interactive workshop to our Members on how to sharpen their storytelling skills to further increase their impact when sharing values and vision with their stakeholders.

 

‘International Trade and Globalisation in the Wake of the Sanitary Crisis: what impact and where do we go from here?’ with EVP Dombrovskis

On the 19th July 2021, we welcomed three speakers for a lively debate with our network on what the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been on international trade and globalisation and what the future holds:

• Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for An Economy that Works for People and European Commissioner for Trade
• Dorothée Coucharrière, Senior Advisor - Decarbonisation, Clean Energy, Smart Mobility at FIPRA
• Thaima Samman, Partner at SAMMAN Law & Corporate Affairs and WIL Europe President

The event touched on a variety of topics, including the US-EU trade relationship, and the global trade agenda’s link to the green agenda and digital revolution. 

The event was followed by a 45-minute networking session. 

On 14th April, WIL Europe held an interactive panel debate to discuss what can be done to ensure that technology addresses rather than perpetuates racial, gender, socioeconomic and other inequalities, and contributes to building a more just society for all. We welcomed a panel of inspiring female speakers from four European countries: Sue Berry, International Diversity Project Manager at Orange; Constanze Osei, Head of Society and Innovation Policy, DACH, at Facebook, Fiona O'Brien, EMEA Chief Channel Officer & Head of Operations at Lenovo, and Anna-Lena Hosenfeld, Managing Director at Digital für Alle ("Digital for All"). The session was moderated by Maija Corinti Salvén, Head of Government Affairs Nordic/Baltic/CH & Wallet at Apple, with a wrap up by Michaela Ben Amara, Business Development & Marketing Manager at Osborne Clarke Belgium. It was followed by a 30-minute networking session.

On 16^th February 2021, WIL Europe organised its second “Members Virtual Networking” meet up. At this informal online event, we welcomed 14 Members and their Guests from across Europe to meet and connect with each other.

The event opened with an introduction by our Board Member, Herke van Hulst, during which she revealed WIL Europe’s inspiring new vision, summing up our commitment and ambition: Connecting, Inspiring and Empowering Women to Lead the Way. After this, participants moved to breakout rooms for a networking session.

In small groups, participants shared their views on what lessons they had learnt from the Covid pandemic that were relevant to their professional or personal lives, with a range of perspectives put forward. For some, video calls had allowed them to build deeper relationships with the colleagues further afield. Others found that they had developed a greater appreciation for their friends and family, as well as for the natural world.

Thank you very much to our Members and Guests for joining us on this occasion. We look forward to welcoming you at our next virtual networking event in April 2021.

On the 14^th of January 2021, WIL Europe organised a “New Year’s Cocktail” for our Italian Members and Alumni. This was an opportunity for our members living both in and outside of Italy to reconnect in small groups to discuss personal and professional issues from 2020 and to reflect on the year ahead.

The event opened with welcoming remarks from our Board Members and event hosts Emanuela Palazzani and Enrica Jacobacci. WIL Board Member, Pinuccia Contino, also gave introductory remarks, in which she highlighted the importance of adapting WIL’s founding goals of empowering, supporting and educating female leaders in the current sanitary situation through technology, which helps us stay connected. Guests were invited to introduce themselves around the virtual table, before heading to a breakout room for smaller-group discussions.

In breakout rooms, participants discussed a wide range of topics. Among these were how to network effectively in a virtual setting and how to make the most of our networks.

Thank you to very much to our Italian Members, Alumni and Guests who joined us for this online New Year’s Cocktail. We are looking forward to welcoming you, and other members, to similar virtual events over the course of 2021!

On the 16^th of December 2020, WIL Europe organised its first “Members Virtual Networking” meet up, an opportunity for our Members to re-connect with their peers from across Europe, in small groups, to discuss personal and professional issues and discover new ideas and ways of thinking.  

The event opened with an introduction by our President, Thaima Samman, before members moved to breakout rooms for a networking session. Among the topics discussed, our members considered how to attract more women into STEM careers, including through the promotion of role models for younger women in the field, and also shared their tips on how they are coping with working from home and managing teams at distance in the current crisis.

Thank you very much to the participants for joining us on this occasion. We look forward to welcoming you at our next virtual networking event in early 2021!