Cardinal Health's Women's Initiative Network wins Healthcare Businesswomen's Association ACE award for corporate programs advancing women's careers

FAIRFIELD, N.J., Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) is pleased to announce that the Cardinal Health Women's Initiative Network (WIN) is the winner of the 2012 HBA ACE Award. HBA created the award to recognize corporations' efforts to strengthen the advancement, commitment and engagement of women's careers in the healthcare industry. The ACE award will be presented on November 8, 2012, at the 2012 HBA Leadership Conference in Florida.

"At HBA, we are delighted that the ACE award is recognizing significant accomplishments of Cardinal Health's WIN in fostering the leadership development of women" said Buket Grau, HBA president. "Cardinal Health's WIN clearly demonstrates a strong commitment to the career advancement of women and their impact on the healthcare industry.

The Cardinal Health WIN fulfills the required criteria for leadership programs that perform, specifically demonstrating excellence in business performance, stewardship, execution, sustainability and measurable results. Cardinal Health proves why internal corporate initiatives that support women are no longer just a "nice to have" – they are "a must" to realize better business results.

The Cardinal Health Women's Initiative Network (WIN) works to foster partnerships that help create a community of support and best practices for its female employees while creating a sustainable advantage for Cardinal Health. WIN is supported by an executive sponsor, steering committee composed of senior leaders from all business segments, an external coach and a dedicated program manager. The network has 2,000 men and women members throughout the company and offers mentor programs in all of its chapters. WIN also partners with highly regarded women's organizations for insight, benchmarking and programming. 

"It is an honor to be recognized for our efforts with the 2012 HBA ACE Award. As part of the overall Cardinal Health diversity and inclusion strategy, our Women's Initiative Network has meaningful impact on the development of our leaders. We know that focusing on women and diversity is not only the right thing to do but it is also the smart thing to do – for our customers, our communities and our business," said Mike Kaufmann, chief executive officer of the Pharmaceutical Segment of Cardinal Health.

A panel of industry leaders judged entrants against five criteria: measurable results and impact on target population; degree to which it supports the overall business; stewardship, or depth of commitment to the program; effectiveness of the execution; and built-in sustainability.

Judges for the ACE award were:
Tamar Howson, partner at JSP Partners and 1999 HBA Woman of the Year
William S. Sheldon, former president and COO of Eisai Inc, current member, board of trustees, Lakeland College, Sheboygan, Wisconsin and the HBA's first Honorable Mentor
Lynn Gaudioso, president at Ivanhoe Strategies and 1996 HBA Woman of the Year
Paul Katz, MD, founding dean of the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Carolyn J. Slaski, managing partner at Ernst & Young
Kristi Raube, adjunct professor in the graduate program in health management at the Haas School of Business
Deborah Coogan Seltzer, life science practice at Spencer Stuart and HBA immediate past president.

The ACE Award builds on the HBA's leadership role in recognizing women in the healthcare industry and creating high-profile role models. The HBA Woman of the Year award, which recognizes an outstanding woman in the industry, is presented each May at a luncheon in New York City attended by more than 2,000 industry executives. Also honored at the Woman of the Year event are the Honorable Mentor, a male industry leader who supports the HBA mission; the HBA STAR winner as well as over 100 Rising Stars, high-potential women leaders at HBA Corporate Partners.

About The HBA
The Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) is in its fourth decade as a global not-for-profit organization dedicated to furthering the advancement of women in healthcare worldwide. With 15 chapters throughout the US and in Europe, the HBA is headquartered in New Jersey with offices in Philadelphia and Research Triangle Park. The HBA provides educational opportunities for women and men to develop cutting-edge healthcare industry knowledge and leadership skills; recognizes outstanding women and men in the industry; provides opportunities for networking; creates greater visibility for women in the industry; fosters mentoring relationships and serves as a conduit and sponsor for research on career advancement issues. HBA has over 6,000 individual members and over 130 Corporate Partners. It is widely recognized as the catalyst for leadership development of women in healthcare worldwide. For more information, visit www.hbanet.org.

SOURCE Healthcare Businesswomen's Association