A Year Long Nap

I'm ashamed of my year long nap in the blogosphere. I've been 'living the challenge'. I had a baby last July, then bought a house, moved from Singapore to London, returned to work after three months and tried to establish new routines that would allow me to have personal time again. That last piece has taken ten months but I'm here now, and to be honest having to postpone my extra curricular labours of love was an acceptable short-term compromise in return for a healthy, happy, loved little son and a still-on-track career. But now I'm back (as in, I'm getting enough sleep to emerge from survival mode)! And I have a new mission; to quantify the power of the secret adviser (that is, the woman who shares a big man's pillow). I'm hoping this will help illustrate the useful role more women could play in formal decision-making settings too. It feels like a fun way to make a point. If you have ideas on this subject please let me know. I'll chart my progress here. The project starts now.

Replacing CVs with Online Profiles

A friend told me last week that the World Economic Forum is advertising certain jobs by inviting names only - i.e. no cover letter or CV - on the basis that your contribution to society should be sufficiently impactful for them to learn about you from the cloud. (I haven't verified this but she's a reliable source.) Fantastic idea but bad news for late adopters and those too busy or humble to manage their image online. It gave me a wake-up call. Since this conversation I've blogged, tweeted, googled myself, had two meetings on flippin' feminism, attended the e-G8 forum in Paris, begun research for a new personal content project and created very cool photo and video collections on Phanfare and YouTube.

The Gender Agenda - Why Sex Matters!

It happened! The first 'Flipping Feminism' event took place in Davos at the World Economic Forum - a CNBC televised debate asking 'Why Sex Matters' to engage men (as well as women, but that's easier) on gender equality in the corporate world.

Our panel was fantastic. Sir Martin Sorrell, Carlos Ghosn and Muhtar Kent gave passionate speeches. But it was the women who got me really excited because it's such a rare treat to meet female global business leaders (because there are so few of them)! Orit Gadiesh, the Bain and Co Chairwoman, was laser sharp with real X-Factor. Arianna Huffington was smart, humorous, kind and a very classy lady. And Sheryl Sandberg instantly became my hero. Google her and you'll see why. She's truly remarkable yet still manages to be a warm, humble and generous person who clearly does all she can to support other women.

Take a look at the video if you have time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw0vaRiWIp0
and send me your critique or just check out what others have said following a New York Times write-up: http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/30/tale-of-woman-sleep-deprivation-and-financial-meltdown/

Women of Wall Street: Diversity of Thought

If you happen to be in New York City this Christmas, the Women of Wall Street exhibition at the Museum of American Finance is a must see! From Abigail Adams to Muriel Sievert, it showcases how the inclusion of women has changed the financial services industry. To give you a sense of perspective of how far we've come, here's a favorite quote from a contemporary woman of wall street. (Images from American Museum of Wall Street):

“...it’s not a diversity of gender or color that’s needed, but really a diversity of thought. The diversity of experiences comes from being female as opposed to male or coming from a different country...”– Sallie Krawcheck, Former CEO and Chairman, Citi Global Wealth Management

Ross Westgate to host The Gender Agenda Davos Debate

Ross Westgate, CNBC's "Worldwide Exchange" anchor, is to host the Gender Agenda Debate show at the World Economic Forum in Davos. With his ll years experience in financial broadcasting, he also co-hosts Strictly Money, CNBC's new UK business and money programme and previously worked as a stockbroker in the City of London.

Arianna Huffington in CNBC Davos Debate

Arianna Huffington agreed tentatively this week to be in our CNBC Davos Debate. She'll participate in one of two teams challenged with devising game changing ideas for popularising gender equality. I'm delighted. She'll be a fantastic addition. (Images from ABCNewstore & LibertyHill.org)

Flipping Fergie Perfect for Flipping Feminism

This is the picture that just inspired me to add Fergie to my wishlist of ambassadors for the Flipping Feminism project. We wouldn't require her to deliver all of her speeches mid-flip like this. (I borrowed the photo from JustJared.buzznet.com. Thank you)