President's Newsletter – October 2014
Dear Member,
The highlight of September was undoubtedly the CWN Gala Dinner, a wonderful evening of networking, fundraising and inspiring and entertaining talks. It was great to be a part of an occasion which embodies what CWN is all about. We had more than 170 attendees and raised a fantastic £31,000 for CWN’s Charity of the Year, Eaves. Putting together such an event requires a tremendous amount of work and I would like to thank everyone who gave their help and support, particularly Jackie Ronson and the Gala Dinner Committee as well as our two sponsors – GE Capital and LV.
Other events during September included a Networking Breakfast on the 4th attended by a good sized gathering of members and non-members. CWN was also involved in a charity event on the 19th, when Lord Mayor of the City of London Fiona Woolf CBE persuaded Inga Beale to join her in abseil down the Lloyd’s of London Building. As part of our partnering and supporting other organisations, CWN members went along on the same day for a wonderful evening at the Guildhall to celebrate Powerful Women in Opera.
We have some exciting CWN events coming up, social as well as professional and personal development, which I’m sure that you will not want to miss. The first, CWN Communications in the Workplace on November 11 is looking full now, but if you are interested in attending, please check the website to see if availability opens up. Start the holiday season with the CWN Christmas Drinks, taking place on December 2nd at the elegant Bentley’s bar on Swallow Street. Then, on December 9 there is the opportunity to hear Ruby Wax, the lively and provocative comedian, speak about finding calm in today’s frenetic world. Having become a mental health campaigner, she will be speaking from her critically acclaimed book, Sane New World.
On January 27, back by popular demand, is Professor Roger Steare, author of ‘ethicability: how to decide what’s right and find the courage to do it’ and co-designer of the ‘MoralDNA’ personality profile to give us a presentation on Managers and their MoralDNA. When he used this ‘MoralDNA test’ to measure the moral values of 60,000 volunteers across 200 countries, Roger found that women are more likely than men to make decisions based on how they impact on others. Roger will identify the MoralDNA of sustainable, high performance cultures and will show the correlation between leadership with strong moral values and superior performance.
And finally, I want to remind everyone to register for the CWN Fourth Annual Conference ‘Plugged in- Tuned Out?’, which will take place on February 10, 2015 at the Royal College of Physicians. Non-members can take advantage of a £20 Early Bird discount until the end of November. We promise a fascinating day with industry leaders engaging in a series of debates on the implications of digital connectivity and asking whether this is empowering or isolating. With technology leaving few aspects of our lives untouched, this topic couldn’t be more timely. The day will be structured around three themes. The first, ‘Polarisation out of digitisation’, will look at what the costs and gains are to business and will raise the question of whether we are creating a greater divide between the ‘Haves and Have Nots’. The second, ‘Collaboration through connection’ will examine the costs and benefits to innovation. And finally, ‘Optimisation or dehumanisation’ explores the risks and gains to society and ourselves, as we demand more from technology and reduce direct human interaction. We will also have a special Head to Head debate in which renowned Oxford vs Cambridge Union debators, coupled with industry experts, will put forward opposing views on one of today’s increasingly important and emotive issues – whether we are taking data privacy seriously enough in this digital era.
Please stay in touch with CWN through the website, twitter and Linked In. In addition to finding out what is coming up, these highlight reports, discussions and media coverage on women and the workplace that will be of interest. And as always, we welcome participation through these communications channels and invite you to take part by joining a committee.
I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming events.
Warm regards,
Brenda Trenowden
President, CWN