March 17th in Uncategorized by jason2009 .
“Take control of your destiny” urges female entrepreneur at PwC event
The PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Women’s Network has marked International Women’s Day with a live webcast and event attended by over 100 PwC employees and guests from the public and private sectors.
Stargate Capital was the first firm to create a business fund, Trapezia, which solely invests in businesses with a female interest or focus. Gita Patel, a banker and entrepreneur shared her experiences of the City and working life, saying more needed to be done to capitalise on the differences men and …
The PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP Women’s Network has marked International Women’s Day with a live webcast and event attended by over 100 PwC employees and guests from the public and private sectors.
Stargate Capital was the first firm to create a business fund, Trapezia, which solely invests in businesses with a female interest or focus. Gita Patel, a banker and entrepreneur shared her experiences of the City and working life, saying more needed to be done to capitalise on the differences men and women operating in the same professions in the City bring to the table.
“Though men and women may operate in the same profession, there are key gender-specific differences in terms of strengths and contributions that are a reflection of their attributes. Consequently, they may perform the same task but approach aspects of the task differently. Our purpose should be to capitalize on this difference.”
Patel said that the confidence of the City had to be renewed and restored, to tackle cynicism, fear and greed. “The business case for change” would restore faith in corporate governance by realising the potential of women’s skills and contribution, their attitude to risk and their different leadership style..
Kevin Ellis, head of PwC’s advisory practice commented at the event: “What the recession has demonstrated is that the opportunity for new ideas and doing things differently has never been greater. People are more open to new approaches and it’s easier to see the business case for change. That’s why we continue to see our investment in the advisory women’s leadership programme as a priority.”
The firm’s advisory women’s leadership programme has resulted in 20% of the programme’s participants making partner in 2008, and helped the firm break the 100 female partner milestone for the first time.
Richard Collier Keywood, PwC managing partner and Ellis took questions alongside Patel, PwC tax partner Pam Jackson, and Cleo Thompson, of the PwC Global Gender Advisory Council. The panel rejected ideas for quotas to promote women to the boards of UK plc, and the idea that the financial crisis would not have happened if women were in charge.
Patel commented: “If you haven’t focused on talent when appointing your board, then it will be to the detriment of your entire business. Identify the skills and qualities you want in a leader and nurture that talent for the boardroom. Focus on that, and you won’t need quotas and targets.”
Thompson added: “Business needs to look at the qualities of leaders they need and focus on how their male and female personal and professional skills can be blended together. It’s not as simple as ‘men are one thing, and women another.’”
Keywood urged more women to come forward as role models, and for women to seek out mentors as well.
The event is one of a series to mark International Women’s Day (March 8th) by the firm. Other events include the release of a global survey about the impact of the recession on women’s roles and careers; screenings of the PwC film “Closing the gender gap” examining women’s role in the global economy in 2050; and a series of careers seminars at schools nationwide by PwC partners and employees.
