Top 50 Companies for Female Executives 2011

As someone once said, Gingers Rodgers did everything Fred Astaire did – only backwards and in high heels!!

 

The world is a fraught place for the contemporary women. However the latest figures show that we are now slowly but surely breaking through the glass ceiling. It is just that some day’s it certainly doesn’t feel that way! There are certain companies that definitely stand out from the rest when it comes to helping female execs climb the corporate ladder.

The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), annually recognizes organizations whose policies and practices encourage the advancement of women’s careers with their Top 50 Companies for Executive Women list. This year, they report a milestone: “At our winning companies, women are running 23 percent of the operations that bring in more than $1 billion in revenue.”

At the companies that made the top 50 list, women hold 23 percent of board seats (versus 16 percent at Fortune 500 companies) and represent 14 percent of CEOs (versus 2 percent of all companies nationwide). According to NAFE, “the winning companies are advancing women whose personal brands combine acute business acumen with collaboration, listening and people development.”

Some of those assets, characteristic of female leaders, are considered ‘soft-skills,’ Daniel Goldman argues that Emotional Intelligence drives excellence which is more than IQ.  In fact in his book ‘Emotional Intelligence – Why it can matter more than IQ’ Goldman says that our view of human intelligence is far too narrow, and that our emotions play a far greater role in thought, decision making and individual success than is commonly acknowledged.  Emotional Intelligence includes ‘soft skills’ such as self-awareness, impulse control, persistence, zeal and motivation, empathy and social deftness.  Research shows that these qualities mark people who excel in the workplace.

It would seem that those who made the list understand this. Here is an overview of the companies honoured and what they did to make the list.

Abbott

Abbott’s Women Leaders in Action (WLA) is a dedicated program that focuses on the development of women leaders.

— Find Abbott Jobs

Accenture

Accenture created the course “Developing Client-centric Women” to help female senior managers qualify for senior executive positions.

— Find Accenture Jobs

American Express

American Express offers a program called Pathways to Sponsorship, which helps pair women with sponsors who serve as advocates for their work.

— Find American Express Jobs

DuPont

DuPont has a P&L initiative committed to sponsoring and advancing 36 women within two years.

— Find DuPont Jobs

Fleishman-Hillard

At public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard, women run half the half the U.S. office and serve as four of the seven regional presidents.

IBM

IBM launched the “Building Relationships and Influencing” initiative (BRI) to target key “nuggets” that hold women back to help them progress in their careers.

— Find IBM Jobs

KPMG

KPMG created a Diversity and Inclusion Scorecard, which helps identify women stalled in the progression of their career.

Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods offers the course “Efficacy for Women,” which helps women improve skills they often lack, such as influencing, risk-taking and building networks.

— Find Kraft Foods Jobs

Marriott International

Last year, Marriott International selected women to fill five of their 12 newly created VP positions.

— Insider’s Guide to Marriott

— Find Marriott Jobs

Walmart

At Walmart, the President’s Global Council of Women Leaders focuses on developing female leaders and championing their opportunities internationally.

— Insider’s Guide to Walmart

— Find Walmart Jobs

WellPoint

WellPoint has improved gender fairness by offering a job-positing tool that makes succession planning transparent.

— Find WellPoint Jobs

Top 50 Companies for Executive Women 2011

1.     Abbott

2.     Accenture

3.     Aetna

4.     Allstate Insurance Company

5.     American Electric Power

6.     American Express Company

7.     AOL Inc

8.     AstraZeneca

9.     AT&T

10.   Bank of America

11.   Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceutical USA

12.   Bristol-Myers Squibb

13.   Cisco

14.   Citi

15.   Colgate-Palmolive Company

16.   DuPont

17.   Eli Lilly and Company

18.   Fleishman-Hillard Inc.

19.   General Mills

20.   HCA Virginia Health System – Richmond Market

21.   HSBC North America

22.   IBM Corporation

23.   Intel Corporation

24.   Johnson & Johnson

25.   KPMG LLP

26.   Kraft Foods, Inc.

27.   Macy’s Inc.

28.   Marriott International, Inc.

29.   McDonald’s Corporation

30.   McKinsey & Company

31.   Merck

32.   MetLife, Inc.

33.   New York Life Insurance Company

34.   Northern Trust

35.   Office Depot

36.   Pfizer Inc

37.   Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

38.   Prudential Financial, Inc.

39.   Sodexo

40.   State Farm Insurance

41.   Texas Instruments Incorporated

42.   The New York Times Company

43.   The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

44.   The Principal Financial Group

45.   The Procter & Gamble Company

46.   Verizon Communications Inc

47.   Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

48.   WellPoint, Inc

49.   Wyndham Worldwide

50.   Xerox Corporation
2011 NAFE Top Companies for Executive Women Non-Profits

1.     Bon Secours Richmond Health System

2.     March of Dimes Foundation

3.     Mercy Health System

4.     MidMichigan Health

5.     Moffitt Cancer Center

6.     Northwestern Memorial HealthCare

7.     TriHealth

8.     VCU Health System

9.     WellStar Health System

10.   Yale-New Haven Hospital

Helen Child Welcomes Lord Davies’ Equality Report

I was delighted to hear that there will be a report into the lack of female representation within the boardroom.

Lord Davies, a former London banker and trade minister for Gordon Brown, has announced he will produce a report on the subject in order to help the government to improve equality in the workplace.

As many of you already know, I’ve been at the forefront of providing card payment services, technology and expertise to clients such as Pilkington Glass, PizzaExpress, Travelodge and Virgin Experience Days. And in this role, I’ve really been keen, and some might say, mighty active, in advocating the need to see more successful women in the area become more engaged with the business world.

Lord Davis is on record saying: “That a quarter of the large FTSE companies don’t have women on their boards. We should change that. It is all about providing role models. We need to showcase women who have done great things.”

Helen Child (G-T-P) and Rachelle Smith (PPS) on the speaker panel at the UK Gift Card and Voucher Association Conference, April 2010

He added that he believed there would be 750,000 more small businesses in existence in the UK if women were permitted at the top.

G-T-P Client PizzaExpress ‘Most Popular Among Vouch Users’

I never stop telling everyone that will listen that loyalty cards and online discount vouchers are becoming incredibly popular among UK diners in order to save funds when eating out. And something that I’m so proud about is the fact that our client, Pizza Express, was the most popular high street restaurant chain among voucher users over the last year.  And that’s not just me getting enthusiastic, this fact comes from Moneysupermarket.com.

The online comparison site found that vouchers were used to pay for some 14 million meals every month in the UK, with Italian restaurants coming out on top.

So it will come as no surprise that in this post I am urging all resturants and retailers to consider prepaid cards as a means to increase customer loyalty.

Prepaid cards can increase profitability by streamlining payment processes and reducing costs. They are much more convenient than cash and are more secure than paper vouchers.

G-T-P we offer businesses closed, open and restricted loop prepaid cards and is an issuer of both MasterCard and Visa Prepaid Cards, giving companies the freedom to choose.

Holidaymakers Save with Prepaid Currency Cards

Prepaid cards as an alternative to holiday currency are a great way to save money and economise.  I really believe these card offer real peace of mind to anyone on holiday.

Recent statistics issued by the Post Office found that during the rest of 2010, Brits on holiday will be charged a combined sum of £62 million for using debit and credit cards abroad. This is where prepaid cards come into their own as far as I’m concerned. It’s not always clear how much you will be charged for using credit and debit cards while out of the country, but many people prefer not to carry large sums of cash with them. A prepaid card can be loaded with money before holidaymakers leave the country, and can be topped up as and when needed during the trip.

According to Bob Atkinson, travel expert at moneysavingsupermarket.com, looking at the differences between using a prepaid card, buying online or at the airport it is clear that there are savings to be made

Photo by harlandmartin

The price comparison site revealed that holidaymakers could save an average of £97 by exploring the currency options available to them and finding the best deal before they go.

Loyalty Cards: A Helping Hand During Recession

Self-styled money saving expert, Martin Lewis talking about Loyalty Schemes on GMTV

I was interested to hear self-styled ‘money saving expert’ Martin Lewis talking on the GMTV sofa this week on the subject of loyalty schemes, especially as his views are aligned to those of G-T-P.

At G-T-P we understand that in these lean economic times, people need to make savings where they can, and Martin rightly points out that supermarket cards and other loyalty schemes can offer significant savings.

G-T-P has a number of clients who offer loyalty schemes, so it’s important that popular TV programmes such as GMTV feature loyalty schemes because they can really come into their own for shoppers during recession. They represent a ‘win-win’ situation in that the retailer gains valuable information about consumer spending habits while helping keep customers ‘loyal’ – which is to say, away from their competitors.

I’m proud that G-T-P helps the average consumer through its work with leading brands to reward customer loyalty. These schemes work very hard for customers whatever the economic climate, though, and although recession is highlighting the savings benefits of loyalty cards, at G-T-P we believe it’s important to realise that they’re good for business and good for the customer whether times are good or bad.

Since 2001, my team and I at G-T-P have built up a client portfolio which includes customer loyalty cards, pre-paid and account card solutions for brands including retailers Pizza Express, Crabtree & Evelyn and AllSaints.

Bending the Lending

This is my plea to banks: Please help SMEs survive the recession

I really am calling on the banks to do their duty and help small- to medium-sized businesses survive the recession through lending to them where required.

I’ve been moved to comment after media coverage around the banks’ lending as in the last couple of weeks, so many banking representatives have been on national radio and TV talking about how they’re trying to help smaller businesses weather the recession, but it’s just not what I’m hearing on the ground from SME owners.  And my colleagues at G-T-P are hearing the same thing.

Having built G-T-P into one of the UK’s top companies since 2001, I’ve gone done the same road as SMEs and I understand business growth and the challenges faced by businesses along the way. At G-T-P I was fortunate to be able to grow the company in better economic times but as a businesswoman I’m constantly hearing about the very tough times smaller businesses are facing, and they’re telling me that the banks are simply not doing enough to help.

I want to use my position as chief executive of G-T-P – a successful, established company – to appeal to the banks to be easier on lending to smaller businesses during this period. It’s essential, or many of them won’t survive. G-T-P is in a position to champion the younger, smaller businesses now, and it’s important to us at G-T-P that we do our bit.

Courtesy istockphoto

My Slice of Success at Prepaid 2010

It is always such a great source of pride to me how audiences still love to hear about G-T-P’s success with our PizzaExpress Gift Card

I had another occassion to present this case study at the PizzaExpress Gift Card at the Prepaid Conference & Expo (14 – 16 June 2010) , one of Europe’s largest prepaid events.

We again exhibited at the annual event, which this year had an extensive speaker panel and wide range of attendees, but it was the speaking opportunity that I enjoyed the most, sharing the stage with  Andrew Johnson to talk about the PizzaExpress Gift Card case study, which among other things, demonstrated the success of the scheme that resulted in a tenfold increase for the company in 2001.  The PizzaExpress Gift Card was the first of its kind in the UK, an innovation that , as I said am very proud of.

I also took time out with my G-T-P cohorts to lend support to one of ourr clients, Caroline Meechan of The Wave Gift Card.  Caroline, a valued client of G-T-P since 2007, was another of the speakers at the event and presented her case study on the journey she has experienced with her Gift Card.

I am looking forward to next year event already as I truly believe the conference is an important platform for knowledge transfer and relationship building for the prepaid industry.

It Takes More than Volcanic Ash to Keep Me Away from UKGCVA

It took more than volcanic ash clouds to prevent me and the G-T-P team from taking the stage at the UKGCVA Conference.  Despite the majority of flights being grounded by volcanic ash, and a number of speakers and attendees unable to attend, we all made it to London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel, for what I believe was another successful event for G-T-P.

Photo by Fridgeirsson

This year G-T-P sponsored the break-out room and the after drinks reception, the former being a new addition to the event and the venue for some leading international speakers, including Cindy Mielke of JC Penny and Rebekka Rea of the Retail Gift Card Association USA, a real highlight for G-T-P.

I joined two speaker panels alongside some of the most influential people in prepaid.  I was also asked to close the conference on behalf of G-T-P, together with Andrew Johnson, Director General of the UKGCVA.  During my closing speech, I reflected on the tough year that the prepaid industry had experience but I also spoke about my confidence in both G-T-P and the industry we all started to feel the benefits of an upswing in the economy.

According to my cohort Andrew Johnson: “The day wasa huge success and I expect that delegates will have taken a lot of food for thought back to their organisations that will help to shape voucher and gift card strategies for the coming year.  As ever, there is so much going on in this market at the moment with the development of new technologies, introduction of new products and a diverse array of new opportunities – more than we could possible cover in a day! But the conference does continue to provide an important forum to raise debate and discussion as well as inform organisation of all the potential on offer in this lucrative market.  A successful day and enjoyable occasion for all!”

Top of The Pops and Top of the World

I was incredibly honoured to have been named one of the Most Powerful Women in Prepaid by Paybefore readers.  As many of you know, I started G-T-P in 2001, and have been one of the industry’s staunchest supporters for women in business since then, having established Women in Prepaid, a professional development group that seeks to offer networking and relationship building opportunities to women in the industry.  So what a thrill to be voted one of the industry’s leading ladies.

Helen Child, G-T-P

Bill Clinton Endorses Prepaid

Bill Clinton, master orator

Just a week after his angioplasty operation I was priviledged to listen to Bill Clinton’s keynote address at Prepaid Expo 2010. He held his audience captivated for a well over an hour; an inspiring orator, passionate and araldite with the command of the facts that you would expect from the 42^nd President of the United States. To use an Americanism – he was truly awesome. Though he looked frail, he certainly had not lost any of his legendary charm.

Healthcare and humanitarian aid to Haiti are his overwhelming drivers. He shared his philosophy and perspective on how these and other political issues could be addressed by applying the answer two powerful questions:

1. Government typically spend too much time and resources debating the issues of “what are we going to do?” and “how much should we spend on it?”
2. It spends far too little time on the important issue on “how will we do whatever we’ve decided to do, so we have the maximum impact?”

An approach that could equally be applied to business too!

Turning to the issue of how the prepaid payments industry could make a technological contribution to important societal issues, he offered six broad ideas:

1. Use general purpose cards to reduce the costs paid by some 35 million Americans who utilise relatively expensive “alternative financial services” today
2. Help the healthcare industry become efficient and transparent by reducing the overall administrative burden and paper flow in that business
3. Use prepaid cards to educate young people on financial management issues and raise the overall level of financial literacy in the US
4. Provide modern financial services to people who live in remote and isolated communities all around the world
5. Improve the efficiency and control of disaster relief efforts and payments through the use of prepaid cards
6. Help move the country in the direction of “electronic accounts” and reduce the amount of paper and waste typically generated by financial accounts

Capitalising on the upstream.
The recession certainly shaped the pace of market development. Long gone are the intriguing and slightly wacky applications for technology – it is practical, cost effective and targeted applications that are being ruthlessly used to drive programme volumes. Some of the key predictions from the Expo for the future certainly have great resonance with G-T-P’s straight-talking, forward-thinking philosophy:

Mobile Technology…no longer “next generation”.
Retailers on the other side of the pond aren’t just talking about using mobile technology as a communications tool with their customers, they are delivering it. Most prepaid programmes use text messaging to confirm despatch of cards and balance enquires and although few have a totally integrated CRM package that using card holder transaction data can drive footfall and change buyer behaviour habits – in simple terms increase customer spend – the conference highlighted that the market is rapidly moving towards this.

Virtual Gift Cards…making prepaid “green”.
With the rise of e-marketing, social media and everything electronic, virtual Gift Cards or e-Vouchers are set to become the next big trend in prepaid, and an effective way to truly engage with customers. What’s more, the Expo highlighted the environmental advantages of Virtual Gift Cards – offering all the benefits of prepaid without the plastic.

Loyalty programmes…a business systems tool.
It was debated that badly managed programmes contribute to loyalty fatigue and that smart redemption and a larger share of the mind (as well as the pocket) can be delivered by:

1. Engaging with card holders – by offering a choice of redemption they have to act, therefore are motivated. Interestingly, the data shows that whilst choice of redemption is the first step, the choice in order of reward priority is:

• Prepaid Visa or MasterCard – the ultimate choice and not limited by a catalogue
• A Closed Loop Prepaid Card – i.e. redirecting spend to the retailers’ store
• Promotional pricing offers (accounting for less than 10% of redemptions)

1. A clear message – less functionality and smarter communication.
2. Using the programme data – the biggest challenge seems to be to engage clients to look, analyse and use their data to drive sales.  Heart-breakingly, an overwhelming percentage of programmes just languish, not reaching their full potential as some of the obvious messages are missed…an easy one to fix.

State of the prepaid market.
As the economy begins to move forward (and upward), it is evident that prepaid DOES have a significant role to play in driving cost-savings and efficiency. In practical terms this means engaging at grass roots and LISTENING to what your customers want.”

By Helen Child, G-T-P