On the 26^th of October, WIL Europe organised an Online Debate on the EU Green Deal in the face of COVID-19, sponsored by Kering. The event, which was moderated by Thaima Samman, WIL’s President, featured a high-level panel of speakers, including Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice; Heidi Hautala, MEP; Antoine Colombani, Member of Cabinet of Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal; and WIL member Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of International Institutional Affairs at Kering.

This conference provided an opportunity for sustainability experts from different sectors to come together to share their perspective on the future prospects for a Deal which has been at the heart of the EU Commission’s agenda since 2019, given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. During the debate, the high-level speakers debated both opportunities and challenges in generating engagement for the EU Green Deal during COVID-19. Among the issues debated were the critical role of consumers and producers for achieving the SDGs, and the importance of collective buy-in and action to make the Deal a reality.

   

On the 30th of January, WIL Europe organised an EU Debate on Digital Health at the European Parliament in Brussels. The event, kindly sponsored by Fipra and Microsoft, was hosted by MEP Lieve Wierinck (ALDE Group) and featured a high-level panel of speakers, including Belgian Minister of Health Maggie de Block.

In light of the European Commission’s recent adoption of its “Communication on Digital Transformation of Health and Care in the Digital Single Market”, and Belgians innovative strides to build a “Digital Belgium” and “Digital Health Valley”, this event provided the opportunity for different perspectives centered around digital transformation within the health sector, to come together. Both possible opportunities and challenges around digital health, were shared and deliberated. Talks relating to the link between health policies and improved patient, and societal outcomes, were just one of the many fascinating discussions that took place.

The panel discussion, moderated by Laura Batchelor, Director of Health and Life Sciences Practice at FIPRA International, featured a high-level panel of speakers, representing various organizations:

• Dr Ann Aerts, Head of the Novartis Foundation
• Elena Bonfiglioli, Managing Director Health and Life Sciences, EMEA, Microsoft and WIL Board Member
• Marco Marsella, Head of the eHealth, Well-Being and Ageing Unit, European Commission
• Bart Vermeulen, Deputy Head of Office of Belgian Minister Maggie De Block

On the 29^th of November 2018, thanks to our host and member Pervenche Berès, Member of the European Parliament, and to our sponsor Procter&Gamble, the European Network for Women in Leadership (WIL Europe) gathered female leaders from across Europe to highlight some of the best practices for retaining and attracting women and supporting them to climb up the professional ladder.

The discussion, moderated by WIL Europe’s President Thaima Samman, took place at the European Parliament and featured a high-level panel of speakers, representing various organizations and industries:

- Ourania Ekaterinari, CEO, Hellenic Corporation of Assets and Participations S.A

-    Isabella Lenarduzzi, Founder and Managing Partner, JUMP

-    Renate Nikolay, Head of Cabinet to Commissioner Jourov

-    Caroline Thomaes, Benelux Country Leader, P&G

Moderated by: Thaima Samman, WIL President

Wrap-up remarks: Montserrat Pardo Bayona, Government Affairs Manager, Microsoft Iberica

Thanks again to our host Pervenche Berès and our sponsor Procter&Gamble for making this event possible!  

Wednesday the 11^th of April saw the WIL Network come together to meet and discuss ‘The New Face of Digital Transformation: Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and Blockchain’ with a focus on how to make users understand and remain comfortable during the transition induced by these cutting-edge innovations, that will be transforming health care, transportation, education and much more.

50 WTP participants, WIL members, Alumni and Guests assembled at the European Parliament in Brussels, where we were hosted by MEP and fellow Board Member Pervenche Berès for a Luncheon Debate and had the opportunity to hear a high-level panel:

• Pinuccia Contino, Head of the Unit "Product Safety and Rapid Alert System”, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers at the European Commission
• Paulina Dejmek-Hack, Member of Cabinet, Financial Advisor of the President of the European Commission, J-C. Juncker
• Benjamin Docquir, Partner at Osborne Clarke
• Antonietta Mastroianni, Senior Vice President IT Development at TDC Group
• Marina Niforos, President and CEO at Logos Global Advisors and Advisor to IFC/World Bank Group

     

  

“There are amazing women everywhere – those that can’t see them need to get better glasses!”, were among the words of the EU Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, at EU Breakfast Debate that took place at the European Parliament,  on Tuesday 5 December.  The event was organized by European Network for Women in Leadership (WIL Europe), and moderated by Thaima Samman, WIL President. 

The event began with warm welcome delivered by Thaima Samman, WIL’s president and was followed by introductory words of Laura Batchelor, Director of Fipra, sponsor of the event and by Pervenche Berès, MEP and the hostess of our debate.

  

  

The meeting, which took place at the European Parliament in Brussels on the 26th of September 2017, gave rise to an exceptional exchange of views, as Mr. Barnier shared insights on Brexit negotiations and its latest developments, while WIL members and guests coming from across Europe and representing various organizations, showcased how Brexit may potentially influence the sectors for which they are responsible.

Following the debate with Mr. Barnier, the discussion on Brexit and its impacts on Europe continued with Anne Houtman, Lecturer at Sciences Po Paris, former Director for General Policy at DG Energy of the European Commission. 

   

 

To kick off the Brussels-based sessions, we thought that the symbol of the International Women's Day would provide us an excellent opportunity to reflect on the meaningful concept of "women in leadership". We are witnessing in the recent years an increasing number of women entering leadership roles, and the discussion will focus on how it has transformed not only the bottom line of business models and companies’ development, but also organizational behaviors, vision and practices. At the time of major economic and social shifts, leading transformation successfully requires change in management styles, and we believe that women have key roles to play.  

Speakers:

- Laurent Derivery, Partner at Activ’ Invest/ President of Alpha CDI/ Founder and CEO of Valeurs & Développement

- Avinash Chandarana, Director of Learning & Development Group at MCI Group

- Diane Einterz, Executive Vice President, Directrice de la Direction des Grands Clients, Orange Business Services

Moderated by: Thaima Samman, WIL President

Wrap-up remarks: Raluca Anghel, Head of Office, European Parliament and WTP 3rd Edition Emerging Leader 

    

  

On December 6^th, 2016, WIL Europe organized its last Breakfast Debate of the season at the European Parliament in Brussels, which focused on Innovation in Healthcare, as it is on the brink of massive change by facing unprecedented challenges.

To discuss this timely subject, WIL Europe was honored to have a panel of diverse and high-level speakers such as:

- Elena Bonfiglioli, Senior Director Health Industry, Europe Middle East Africa (EMEA) at Microsoft

- Karin Kadenbach, Member of the European Parliament

- Elinaz Mahdavy, Director of European Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at Orange Healthcareand

- Deborah Papiernik, VP, New Business Development, Technology and Strategic AllianceUbisoft Entertainment.

Moderator: Thaima Samman, WIL President

Wrap-up remarks: Claire Jones, Head of Procurement for Roche Diagnostics Ltd. and Women Talent Pool Emerging Leader