PR and marketing

Social Media Women September: Learn how to make your real life presence compliment and match your online presence

Catriona Pollard - Monday, August 22, 2011

Once upon a time, in a non-digital world, people met in real life and got to know each other as people rather than as brands. Business and branding were an extension of a person but they didn't make a person.

Today everyone is, in one way or another, digitally branded. Whether it is through Facebook, Twitter, a blog or LinkedIn, your personality and your brand - in both colour and design - are online for all to see.

So what happens when you meet your friends and contacts in real life? Does your personality in real life match the experience people have of you online? In real life do you reveal another (better or maybe worse) aspect of yourself? How do you live up to the expectations that have been created by you online?

Mariette Rups-Donnelly will share with you some tips, tricks and techniques to make sure that when you meet your contacts in real life you live up to every expectation and perception that they have of you.

Mariette will explain that in order for your physical being to compliment your digital one, you must first understand that people have created perceptions of you because of what you put out there both in branding and online presence.

When you understand that, then you can actively work to make sure your real life presence is just as strong.

About Mariette Rups-Donnelly:
Mariette has taken her years of experience as a leading actor and teacher of actors and combined it with an astute business understanding to create programs that go to the core of presence, presentation skills and business performance.

Through her company, Powerhouse Presentation, she runs a wide variety of one on one programs and customised workshops for small business owners, professional speakers, executives and corporations.

As a professional speaker and MC she is becoming more and more aware of the disconnection between people's online presence and their 'In Real Life' presence and performance.

She draws her expertise from a 34-year career as an Actor/Singer/Dancer and 26 years of teaching in some of Australia's leading acting institutions.

Her professional acting work is both national and international and includes theatre, television, film and cabaret with leading roles in A Chorus Line, Annie, Big River, Company, The Seagull, Hamlet, Emerald City, Away, among many others, and the title role in Evita, twice.

With her experience both in the performance world and the business world she has a wealth of knowledge to share.

A not to be missed event - learn how to match your real life presence to your online presence.

Register here for our September event.

Date:      Tuesday 13 September 2011
Time:      6:00pm - 8:30pm
Venue:   The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel,
                134 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.
(Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

Enter the draw to win LUCKY DOOR PRIZES, simply by attending!

Meet amazing women as well as discussing the ever changing world of social media.

The open discussion about social media is one of the best parts of the event. So bring your social media questions for the group to answer.

Social Media Women is all about inspiration, collaboration, supporting each other and growing. Join the community:


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Social Media Women July: STARTUPS, Tips & Tools for Overcoming the Hurdles with Catherine Eibner

Catriona Pollard - Monday, June 27, 2011

Starting any business can be challenging. Practical advice based on experience helps save time, energy and money and a free program that helps support a start-up is the cherry on the cake!

Catherine Eibner will share her tips and advice for entrepreneurs on starting a business.

Catherine runs the Microsoft BizSpark program in Australia. BizSpark is a free program specifically designed by Microsoft to help early stage technical companies really hit the ground running during the first three years of business - a time when resources are low, cash is strapped and challenges are plentiful.

Catherine will explain how BizSpark works and how she learnt her lessons the hard way and in turn hopefully she will save you from experiencing some of the stress, insanity, health issues and money losses she experienced!
 
Catherine Eibner - Developer Evangelist (Startups): Partner and Customer Innovation Team

Catherine is responsible for the Microsoft BizSpark program in Australia. BizSpark is designed to fast track the success of early stage technology companies by offering software, support and opportunities to increase visibility.

Catherine joined Microsoft in 2008 as a Dynamics Developer Evangelist to build the local Dynamics Developer Community. She is particularly passionate about supporting and encouraging other women in IT and is involved with the GeekGirlBlogs.com site.

Twitter: @ceibner
Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/ceibner

A not to be missed event - learn how to start a new business properly!

Register here for our July event.

Date:      Tuesday 12 July 2011
Time:      6:00pm - 8:30pm
Venue:   The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel,
                134 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.
(Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

Enter the draw to win LUCKY DOOR PRIZES simply by attending!

Meet amazing women as well as discussing the ever changing world of social media.

The open discussion about social media is one of the best parts of the event. So bring your social media questions for the group to answer.


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Media Announcement: Macquarie University continues to spark debate on women in management issues at annual Women, Management & Work Conference

Catriona Pollard - Thursday, May 19, 2011

Macquarie University’s flagship Women, Management & Work Conference on 28-29 July 2011 will inspire women to take the next step by utilising and building on their signature strengths to become influential leaders.

Leading women speakers will focus on strategies to achieve higher levels of women in leadership roles throughout Australia. The conference will share practical tips and tools to facilitate career progress and success.

The two-day conference is in its 23rd year and conference co-director Melanie O’Connor said, “This year we are aiming to ignite discussion and encourage women looking to make their mark in the leadership stakes to act on their strengths.”

“Debate continues to circulate around management circles as women start taking more positive and active leadership roles. But it isn’t enough. We need to ensure that the corporate landscape continues to change for the better.”

“Although we have recently seen some increases in the numbers of women in senior management roles and CEO positions, the numbers are still too small to get excited about,” said Ms O’Connor.

According to research conducted by Macquarie University’s Faculty of Business and Economics’ Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency Census 2010, women are still underrepresented within key decision maker roles within Australia. The Australian Institute of Company Directors reported that in 2010 women made up about 25 percent of board appointments in Australia, but it slipped to 11 percent for the top 200 companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

These findings highlight that few significant changes have occurred in the business landscape to address why capable women are still prevented from contributing at high levels of business.

“It is clear that we still have a long way to go to fully integrate talented women into leadership roles. We hope that this conference will continue to spark the conversations needed to make cultural change a reality,” said Ms O’Connor.

Women, Management & Work: Ignite Your Strengths conference will consist of presentations and workshops with expert speakers from diverse backgrounds and industry sectors. Each section of the conference has been specifically developed to provide practical and relevant advice on negotiation, communication, mentoring and career development.

Topics to be discussed over the two days include what the future of leadership will look like and how women fit into this concept, as well as tips on how to fast track your strengths to become an influential leader.

Date: 28 and 29 July 2011, 9am – 5pm
Where: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 61-101 Phillip St, Sydney
For more information, program details & registration: www.lmsf.mq.edu.au/womenandleadership
Fee: $2,300


Conference speakers available to be interviewed include:
Melanie O’Connor, Managing Director, The Academy Network
Conference spokesperson. Melanie is highly regarded for her work in advising corporations in the development of talent management and capability strategies, and is considered by many to be one of the foremost advisers in this field in Australia.

Lynelle Briggs, CEO, Medicare Australia
Topic: Leadership Success Stories. Lynelle became CEO of Medicare in 2009. She has 30 years experience in the Australian Public Service. In 2004 she was appointed Australian Public Service Commissioner.

Anna Booth, Board Director & Policy Developer
Topic: The Future of Leadership. An executive director of CoSolve, a non-executive director of Industry Holdings Pty Ltd and a non- executive chair of Slater & Gordon.  Anna is a specialist in workplace relations, training and managing workplace change for positive outcomes.

Margy Osmond, CEO, Australian National Retail Association (ANRA)
Topic: The Future of Leadership. Margy is the inaugural CEO of ANRA which was established in 2006. She sits on the Boards of the Australian Sports Commission, the Bell Shakespeare Company and the Retail Employee’s Superannuation Trust.

Mara Olekalns
, Professor of Management – Negotiations and Deputy Dean (Academic), Melbourne Business School
Topic: The art of negotiation: Strategies for success. Mara’s expertise is within the fields of negotiation and conflict resolution. Her research focuses on communication processes in negotiation. Mara has published in leading international management, psychology and communications journals.

Helen Conway, Director, Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency
Topic: Leadership Success Stories. Helen’s appointment as Director of EOWA comes after many years of experience in the top tiers of the corporate sector, including General Counsel, Company Secretary and the General Manager of the office of the CEO at Caltex Group and Senior Judicial Member of the NSW Equal Opportunity Tribunal.

-ends-

Women At Work Australia online community:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/womenatworkoz #WWMC
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WomenatWorkOz
Blog: http://womenatworkoz.posterous.com/


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CP Communications client Women on Boards was featured in In The Black Magazine

Catriona Pollard - Monday, May 16, 2011




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Media Release: 100th International Women's Day - Women still marking time in the boardroom

Catriona Pollard - Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Australian boards are not becoming more gender diverse and we run the risk of sidelining this critical issue in the hype surrounding the ASX200, a leading advocate and broker for women into board roles warned today.

Women on Boards used the occasion of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day to remind people that women occupy fewer than 25 per cent of board roles on all but Government boards, and this is not trending upwards.

Launching its 2nd Boardroom Diversity Index, the only comprehensive publicly available index that tracks the performance of key sectors in our economy on gender diversity in the boardroom, Claire Braund, co-founder of Women on Boards, said it was easy to get carried away by the media hype surrounding the ASX.

“While ASX200 boards have increased directorship positions held by women by more than two percent in the past year, there is little or no movement in any other of the key sectors in our economy,” Ms Braund said.

“The 2nd Boardroom Diversity Index shows that some sectors, such as Credit Unions and Building Societies, have gone backwards in terms of the numbers of women and there has been little improvement in their processes around selection.”

 “A lot of people and organisations have suddenly found religion on the ‘women on boards’ issue, but the reality is that we are still fiddling at the margins when it comes to significantly addressing the percentage of women on boards and committees.”

Government to introduce quotas
Ms Braund said Women on Boards is calling on Governments at all levels to follow the South Australian Government example and introduce mandatory gender quotas for all publicly funded boards and committees. This includes Cooperative Research Centres, Rural Research and Development Corporations and National Sporting Organisation, which are all heavily funded by taxpayers.

“Where public money is involved there is a clear case for boards to be more gender and skills diverse. This not only improves governance and performance, but increases Australia’s standing in the international community, where it is clearly not well regarded in this area.”

Everyone else on notice
ASX companies, in particular the 85 in the ASX200 who still do not have a woman on their board, as well as Superannuation Trustees, Credit Unions and Building Societies are all on notice that they need to significantly lift their game over the next year.

“We are all praising ASX200 companies, but they need to double the rate of appointment of women this year to achieve our target of 25 per cent by 2012,” Ms Braund said.

“This is really not a difficult task as there are plenty of experience and qualified women who are ASX board ready – without additional training.”Ms Braund said.

"Women on Boards has the CVs of approximately 2,500 board ready women from its subscription base of 10,500, so here is a good starting point for any organisations not sure where to look," Ms Braund said.

Women on Boards has a free vacancy posting service for companies seeking to advertise to high quality female applicants and will conduct private searches on request.

Boardroom Diversity Index at: http://www.womenonboards.org.au/pubs/bdi/

-Ends-

Women on Boards is a social enterprise to improve the gender balance on Australian company boards. Women on Boards brokers women into board roles, offers professional development and mentoring programs, hosts excellent events and ensures a high level of dynamic interaction across its large and influential network. 

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Social Media Women March: Contributing to Wikipedia and celebrating International Women's Day 100th anniversary

Catriona Pollard - Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Never edited a Wikipedia page? You are not alone! Did you know only 13% of contributors to Wikipedia are women?

Women should actively add to the collected knowledge of the information age embodied in Wikipedia. Suzanne Francis from Collective Action will be discussing the campaign Women for Wikipedia which provides an environment for women to share their experiences with Wikipedia in an enthusiastic and engaged community.

Suzanne will discuss Wikipedia and offer a guide about how to contribute to Wikipedia and even create your own page.

Women for Wikipedia is a way that every open source group in Australia can introduce the concepts of free and open software to a general audience and also while at it, do something to address the gender imbalance that characterises both this community and, obviously, the Wikipedia knowledge base.

A not to be missed event - help us celebrate the centenary of International Women's Day, and Social Media Women's 1st anniversary!

To follow the campaign on Twitter follow #women4wikipedia and join in the weekly Twitter Chat Monday nights 8pm AEST (Melbourne-Canberra-Sydney); 7pm Brisbane; 7.30pm Adelaide; 5pm AWST Perth/WA; 9am UTC/GMT.

Register now for our March event at http://socialmediawomenmarch.eventbrite.com/

Date:      Tuesday 8 March 2011
Time:      6:00pm - 8:30pm
Venue:   The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel,
               134 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.
(Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

Enter the draw to win LUCKY DOOR PRIZES, simply by attending!

Meet amazing women as well as discussing the ever changing world of social media.

The open discussion about social media is one of the best parts of the event. So bring your social media questions for the group to answer.

Social Media Women is all about inspiration, collaboration, supporting each other and growing. Join the community:


Bookmark and Share

Social Media Women February: How to create a powerful LinkedIn profile with Karalyn Brown

Catriona Pollard - Tuesday, January 18, 2011
  • Do you want to be found by Headhunters and HR Managers?
  • Do you want business from around the globe?
  • Do you want business to come to you for free?

With over 80 million members globally LinkedIn is the world's biggest bucket of business cards, full of recruiters and people in your target market.

A powerful LinkedIn profile can position you against your competitors, highlight you as unique and give you and your name a Google ranking.

Come along to hear Karalyn Brown speak about how to create a masterful profile and make the most of what LinkedIn has to offer.

A not to be missed event where you will leave understanding how you can create a powerful LinkedIn profile.

Karalyn Brown runs InterviewIQ. A former recruitment consultant and HR Manager, she helps people find jobs and win business via LinkedIn and blogs. She writes for The Australian on career issues and runs a popular career hunting blog: InterviewIQ. The only way Karalyn wins new business is through social media. Google... "Australia's most connected career blogger"...to find out more.

Register now for our February event at http://socialmediawomen.eventbrite.com

Date:      Tuesday 8 February 2011
Time:      6:00pm - 8:30pm
Venue:   The Supper Club at the Oxford Hotel,
               134 Oxford St, Darlinghurst.
(Enter the Oxford St side of the hotel and walk up the stairs. Metered parking is a few steps away on Bourke St, $1.10 per hour)

Enter the draw to win LUCKY DOOR PRIZES, simply by attending!

Meet amazing women as well as discussing the ever changing world of social media.

The open discussion about social media is one of the best parts of the event. So bring your social media questions for the group to answer.

Register now for our February event at http://socialmediawomen.eventbrite.com.

Social Media Women is all about inspiration, collaboration, supporting each other and growing. Join the community:


Bookmark and Share