Elite Group of Global Women in Business to Convene at WomenCorporateDirectors Global Institute

NEW YORK, April 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Many of the world's top women corporate board chairs, directors, and CEOs will convene in New York City May 14-15 for the WomenCorporateDirectors Global Institute – setting the agenda for many boardroom discussions in the coming months worldwide. Now in its fourth year, the WCD Global Institute is an annual gathering of global business leaders, linked by a common quest to share ideas on the challenges and opportunities facing boards today.

The 275 Institute attendees will assemble around the theme of "Leading Through Uncertainty – Directors Think Strategically About Risks and Opportunities," tackling topics ranging from "Executive Compensation and Succession" to "The Crises Yet to Come." New this year is a pre-conference program that features a Chair and Lead Directors Roundtable, as well as a special seminar for new board directors. The Institute will also feature the first meeting of the WCD Family Business Council, which WCD will launch more broadly later this year to provide governance best practices and mentorship for women family members serving on the boards of their family companies.

"This year's program sheds light for directors seasoned and new on the particularly complex challenges boards struggle with as they think globally about risk," says Susan Stautberg, co-founder and CEO of WCD. "Our Institute fosters the kind of critical thinking required of directors today as they manage both strategy and optics." The event opens up otherwise private, off-the-record chapter meetings to a larger, multinational group and to selected members of the press. Founded in 1999, WCD has nearly doubled its number of global chapters (from 32 to 62) in just the last 3 years, with more than 3000 members serving on 5000+ boards.

Speakers at the Global Institute include (among others):

• Kathy Matsui (Japan), Managing Director, Chief Japan Strategist, Co-head of Asia Economics, Commodities and Strategy Research, Goldman Sachs; Director, Asian University for Women Support Foundation
• Gulsum Azeri (Turkey), Chief Executive Officer and Director, OMV Petrol Ofisi AS; Executive Vice President, Flat Glass at Trakya Cam Sanayii AS; Director, Izocam Ticaret ve Sanayi AS
• Isabelle Courville (Canada), Chairman, Laurentian Bank of Canada; Director, Canadian Pacific and Groupe TVA
• Carmen "Toti" Graham (Peru), Presidente del Directorio, Fundacion Backus; Director, Ferreyros S.A.A. and Interbank
• Fatima Al Jaber (United Arab Emirates), Board member, Al Jaber Group; Chairperson, UAE Businesswomen's Council
• Alice Gast (United States, United Kingdom), President, Lehigh University; Director, Chevron; incoming President, Imperial College London
• Phyllis Campbell (United States), Chairman Pacific Northwest, JPMorgan Chase; Lead Director, Alaska Air Group; Director, Nordstrom, and PATH
• Neera Saggi (India), Chief Executive, Larsen and Toubro Seawoods Pvt. Ltd.; President, Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI)
• Louise Koopman Goeser (Mexico), President and Chief Executive Officer, Grupo Siemens S.A.; Director, PPL Corporation
• Dr. Namane Magau (South Africa), Executive Director, B&D Solutions; Founding member and Director, Tselane Basadi; Director and Shareholder, AON South Africa
• Sandra Peterson (United States), Group Worldwide Chairman and Executive Committee Member, Johnson & Johnson; Director, Dun and Bradstreet
• Kulpatra Sirodom (Thailand), Professor of Finance, Thammasat University; Director, Thai Wacoal Public Company Limited, Thai President Foods Public Company Limited, President Bakery plc, and The Siam Commercial Bank Public Company
• Ann Berner (Finland), Chief Executive Officer, Vallila Interior; Chairman, Foundation New Children's Hospital 2017
• Irene Chang Britt (United States), President, Pepperidge Farm, Inc.; Senior Vice President, Global Baking and Snacking, Campbell Soup Company; former Director, Sunoco, Inc.
• Iyalode Alaba Lawson (Nigeria), Chairman, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA)
• Marion Blakey (United States), President and Chief Executive Officer, Aerospace Industries Association; former FAA Administrator and Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board; Director, Alaska Airlines
• Ann Veneman (United States), Former Secretary, United States Department of Agriculture; Director, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,Nestle S.A., and S&W Seed Company
• Ambassador Melanne Verveer (United States), Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security; Former Chief of Staff to First Lady of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton

On the evening of May 14^th, WCD will also hold its annual Visionary Awards Dinner, during which it will honor:

• RBC, winner of the Visionary Award for Leadership and Governance of a Public Company (accepted by Gordon Nixon, President and CEO)
• Beth Mooney, Chair and CEO of KeyCorp and WCD member, winner of the Visionary Award for Strategic Leadership
• Abbott, winner of the Visionary Award for Innovation in Shared Value (accepted by Miles D. White, CEO and Chairman)
• Sodexo Group, winner of the Visionary Award for Leadership and Governance of a Private Company (accepted by Michel Landel, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee)

For more information about the WCD Global Institute, please contact Suzanne Oaks or Trang Mar of Temin and Company at 212-588-8788 or [email protected].

About the WCD Global Institute
The WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD) 2014 Global Institute is an unprecedented opportunity for global board directors to share corporate governance and business strategies and to build partnerships with a purpose, in a private, invitation-only setting.

The Institute is a high-powered idea forum exploring compelling issues on the minds of today's board directors and their companies. The program includes keynotes, panels, and discussion groups that facilitate informal peer exchanges – as well as the WCD Visionary Awards Dinner.

About WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD)
WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD) is the only global membership organization and community of women corporate directors, comprised of more than 3000 members serving on over 5000 boards in 62 chapters around the world, with many more slated in the next two quarters. The aggregate market capitalization of public companies on whose boards WCD members serve is $8 trillion – if WCD were a country, its economy would be the world's third largest, behind only the U.S. and China. In addition, WCD members serve on numerous boards of large private companies globally.

WCD membership provides a unique platform for learning from the intellectual capital of accomplished women from around the world, and WCD's mission is to increase courage, candor, inclusion, and cohesion in the boardroom. KPMG is a Global Partner of WCD. Spencer Stuart is a Premier Partner, and WCD Strategic Partners include Marriott International and Pearl Meyer & Partners; WCD Alliance Partners include International Finance Corporation (IFC), JPMorgan Chase, and Northern Trust.

WCD has 62 global chapters, located in Arizona, Atlanta, Beijing, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Chile, Cleveland, Colombia, Columbus, Dallas/Fort Worth, Delhi, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Gulf Cooperation Council, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Houston, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kansas City, London, Los Angeles/Orange County, Malaysia, Melbourne, Mexico, Milan, Minnesota, Morocco, Mumbai, Netherlands, New York, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern California, North Florida/South Georgia, Panama, Peru, Philadelphia, Philippines, Quebec, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, San Diego, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Shanghai, Singapore, South Africa, South Florida, Switzerland, Sydney, Tennessee, Toronto, Turkey, Washington, D.C, and Western Canada. Upcoming chapters include Argentina, Brisbane, Brussels, Denver, Egypt, Guatemala, Hawaii, Kenya, New Mexico, Poland, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Spain, Tampa, and Thailand. For more information, visit www.womencorporatedirectors.com.

SOURCE WomenCorporateDirectors