It is so amazing to think that so many influent women are actually packed in here for a few days. Even though you can’t actually tell  who’s who (unless scruitinizing everyone’s pass, which might not be the best way to fit in), you definitely KNOW every single woman here has done somthing meaningful and important, whether in advertizing, publishing, business or even circus (and that makes me feel pretty much like a tourist here, but that’s a different story) . And that’s what’s so great about this whole forum thing : If they had decided to create a “Men’s Forum for Economy & Society” instead, I guess the entire city of Deauville wouldn’t be enough, and they would have needed a much much bigger place to hold it (probably some huge city in Brazil or something)

When I was invited to the forum’s 3rd edition, I immediately noticed an interesting place for me not to feel absolutely exotic: the men’s corner; a little dark stall where minority men who dare attend the event can freely gather together (at least that is what I thought at that time). Every women were supposed to be prohibited from that place built on a club-style basis with a giant TV screen and leather armchairs. A sort of forbidden city in which the men could compound in case of any sudden feminine attack.

After the two first days I must confess the organizers were right but on the other way around what they had imagine: men have been ferociously attacked by hordes of women that seemed to consider the little square the best in the all Deauville CID (our host resort). So much so that men began to cautiously avoid the men’s corner.

But manliness had not enunciated its last word. The battle was going to its apogee on this afternoon. The forum comprehensive program was announcing the arrival of Carlos Ghosn (CEO of Nissan & Renault), Frank Brown (Dean of INSEAD), Olivier Marchal (Bain&cie) and JP Tricorie (CEO of Schneider). Yes, in the twenty-square-meter thing. Of course the idea was to enable these well-known economic figures to meet the happy few other men in Deauville and talk between men about something like how and why women matter in business.

That’s not saying much that the she-army would fight tooth & nail to evacuate the poor guys who dare to try to attend the conference planned specifically for them.Here’s come a genius idea from an organizer: let’s change the place for the conference: a very classical feint in war period. The women would headed like a whirlwind into the men’s corner, while, we, happy and victorious would celebrate peacefully our victory in good company. The machiavelic plan worked out, only one thing mattered: discretion. (you know Guitry? If you’re man, rush to that: “Of course women can keep a secret, they only need to be several of them”).

How The James Bond stronghold was attacked

Men rushes into a first floor conference place, hidden behind a big totem that advertises the event. But there was a previous conference that was taking place there. And guess what, the men’s gathering in front of a door was noticed by passing women that was hanging around. In less than five minutes, streams of red-headed, blonde or dark, asian, indian, american, european and african women were surging toward us, perched on stiletto heels, full of rage for the attempt to elude them. We could hear from the depth of the pit the victorious rumour moving upward. Our guests were already arriving to the James Bond room and the James Bond girls were following them in an unbelievable uproar.We tried diplomacy in order not to surrender immediately.After hard peace talks we agreed on the following rule: three women should have at least one man to assail the place.

Let’s make it clear they didn’t respect the treaty as soon as they were numerous enough inside to put us down: powerful women are crual and pitiless.

As there were so few chairs for these numerous women present, they began to sit onto the fitted-carpet, leaving shoes and pushing their peers just as if in a mud battle. Indeed women wanted to eye their hero intently.The conference started in a strange way: M. Ghosn, who probably meant to be sincere, explained that diversity was compulsory in order to achieve effectiveness in companies but had to be meticulously prepared, and so that in his executive there were no women so far. Here we were and I really thought at the time we were on the verge to a nuclear war. I grabbed my bag and rushed to the door. Actually I am too young to die and I cannot bear physical torture. Thus I ran toward the door in an desperate attempt to save my life as the popular discontent voices were coming up. Were the bodyguards ready to evacuate the unlucky Nissan CEO? Never mind, every man for himself in hard times.

The diplomatic crisis was managed by Bond, James bond (his friends also call him Carlos Ghosn). My colleague Camilla, much stronger than I and determined to cover the event, has already posted her summary of the risky debate those four men dare to host. A strong historical moment. That’s how a private men’s clandestine meeting was ruin in Deauville, October 12^th 2007 by the vikings of modern times, I mean, women.

In the Men’s Corner yesterday Friday, the question of why CEOs should be serious about sex was raised again. The interest of the audience in what the speakers had to say about this and in the speakers themselves was so big that the Men’s Corner had to move to the James Bond room (no pun intended). The Men’s Corner transformed into a room crowded with ladies and even the James Bond room was not big enough for all the people who wanted to attend. In the end, we had an interesting configuration, with three men standing in front of an audience mostly composed of women, some of them seating on the floor and with their shoes off.

The three speakers, Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Renault and of Nissan, Frank Brown, Dean of INSEAD, and Jean-Pascal Tricoire, CEO of Schneider Electric, France, were provoked by the journalist and editor of Les Echos Virginie Robert, who was very sharp and asked for precise answers.

All of the three speakers said that gender is an important question for their companies. Frank Brown reported that the percentage of women at INSEAD is around 28% and they are trying to increase this number in the next years. I interviewed an alumni student from this business school in 1977 and she told me that in her class they were 20 girls out of 220 students, which corresponds to 9%. This means that there has been a great progress in the last 30 years, but there is still a big space to raise this percentage.

Jean-Pascal Tricoire said that gender diversity started being a more important issue for the company in the last 10 years, more strongly in the last 5 years. Companies such as Schneider, a leader in electricity and automation management, have a historic of having less women, but they are making initiatives to raise this number. They began to give much more attention to the statistics of gender in the company and are making initiatives to recruit and retain more women.

Carlos Ghosn called attention to the fact that, when it comes to choose a woman to the executive committee, sometimes there are simply not women on the list. He thinks that the important thing to do is to prepare women so that they acquire the competencies to be on the list. Some women, he said, are just so competent that they are going up for themselves. Others, who are not very confident, need more coaching. He also said that today, if they have to choose between a man and a woman with the same competencies for the executive committee, they would certainly choose the woman. But he believes that the business plan is essential. He even proposed a study. He is willing to finance a study that proves that more diverse groups makes the company more profitable. Anyone interested?

UPDATE - See also The man’s version on the Men’s Corner, offering a different take by one of our male bloggers on the same event.

First of all, a thank you note to my dear fellow blogger Jonathan, for his post on “To be a novelist in China: A missed appointment but no disappointment”. A rather charming post, I must say, and very much like the writer himself. Well, I am not sure whether the event was “no disappointment”, but there was certainly “astonishment”. A casual invitation by the Forum’s Chief Operating Officer, Bruno Vinay, to a chat with acclaimed writer and journalist, Irène Frain, turned out to be a full interview in front of an audience of distinguished women participants, photographer and writers….

So, Jonathan, you think I am an “ambitious and determined young shark”, huh? Hmmm… I have never thought of myself that way. What I can tell you is that there were many moments during the session when this young shark felt more like “Nemo” lost in the wide ocean. Shark or clown fish, the interview was an incredible experience for me. It was an honour to be interviewed by Ms. Frain, a gentle woman with the highest level of perception. She raised some tough, but truly thought provoking, questions (certainly much tougher than many job interviews!). We talked about living as a foreigner in a globalised economy, about Chinese values and about my personal beliefs. Moreover, to have an audience of such high achieving women listen to my young, inexperienced mind, I feel incredibly privileged. The experience made me realise why these women are so successful - because they have the openness and patience to listen to different viewpoints, no matter how naïve or foreign they may be.

My apologies to those who arrived late and thought for most of the session I was the young, talented Chinese writer. Unfortunately, a novelist I cannot pretend to be. But I will remember the first question of the Q&A session for a long time to come: “As a writer, why would you want to pursue an MBA?” A missed appointment – Yes. An astonishment – Yes. An incredible experience – Definitely.

Meeting so many dedicated and generous women in this forum, committed in social entrepreneurship, in NGOs, fighting for human rights and helping people, I sometimes feel a little bad only “selling creams and perfumes”…

So I decided to have a look at the L’Oréal Foundation Discovery Corner, just in case, to see if it could pump up a little my corporate pride.

That’s how I met Delphine Sevelinge, director of the “Look better, Feel better” Program for France (under the name “la Vie, de plus belle“), a program run by leading cosmetics companies and cancer associations. And there she started an enthusiastic explanation…

The “Look Good…Feel Better” program started 20 years ago, after realizing the impact of a “make-over” on a woman in cancer treatment experiencing appearance-related side effects. “The woman was so depressed and self-conscious she would not venture outside her hospital room. [The doctor] made some calls and was able to provide cosmetics and a make-up artist. Miraculously, the make-over transformed not just the woman’s look, but her outlook, as well. She immediately felt happier and less burdened, laughing for the first time in weeks. The doctor credited the make-over with improving her attitude and emotional approach toward her treatment.”

With such a profound result, the cosmetic industry recognized the opportunity to help more women maintain self-esteem and face cancer treatment with greater confidence, and many cosmetic brands immediately offered funding and cosmetics. Cancer associations provided their medical network and make-up artists volunteered for this generous cause. Today, LGFB group programs are held in 19 countries and helped 830K women around the world.

Sure, it doesn’t save the world, but it definitely helps it feeling better.

Living Tomorrow is a house museum with a twist- It provides a glimpse into future in contrast to a walk down memory lane, which a more tradition house museum offers. However, there is as much to learn and experience here. The Living Tomorrow project, presented at the WF by Suez, is a platform that showcases home innovations that maybe available in the not so distant future. The general theme of the project combines convenience of technology with the benefits of energy efficiency. So far, there have been three such model homes and the latest one was completed last year. Do visit LivingTomorrow for more information on the project.

What we see in the discovery area is a sample of the latest model home in Vilvoorde near Brussels. Below are some displays in their exhibit that I found to be interesting for their simplicity, cleverness and benefits.

Who needs a toothbrush that only cleans teeth:
On display is a toothbrush that measures your body temperature and blood pressure while you clean your teeth. It then sends the information wirelessly to a display screen in your bathroom and to your doctor. The doctor can use these vital signs to check your health and accordingly adjust your medication, which by the way is also displayed on the screen. With the increasing aging population, such systems that integrate health management into daily routines are positioned to be clear winners.

A simple way to heat up your shower:
This is a very simple solution to save up to 40% of heat calories used for a shower. Basically, this system re-circulates the wastewater from your shower and uses it to warm-up the fresh water. While you will still need a water-heater there is considerable saving in energy, as this solution can increase the water temperature by about 10C. The system was developed by Suez as part of their partnership with Living Tomorrow.

A super solution for super-moms and dads:
Living together along with Microsoft has developed an integrated computer system that helps with the organization of your home. From directly sending your grocery list to your local supermarket to confirming the freshness of food, this system helps in your daily kitchen routine. In addition, the system can teach you how to cook! Yes, you read that correctly. This solution was developed in conjunction with Delhaize that provides menus for the week in a bag. With a touch of the screen, the system will demonstrate via a cooking show on TV, how to put these meals together. The system has several other interesting features that should be checked out.

Mother nature to the rescue:
Suez with Clima Cialing has developed an energy efficient water-based heating/cooling system for your home. The system consists of a series of pipes that runs water through the ground, which cools the water to 12C. This cooled water is then circulated through the home for cooling. The heat in the home in summer is harvested similarly by warming the water, which when circulated through the ground increases the ground temperature to 18C. Therefore the warmer ground now provides warm water to supplement heating in winter. It may sound complex, but the good news is: it works. A hotel in Northern Italy that is currently using the system reported a gas bill of just 5000 euros for the entire year.

All in all, this exhibit shows how simple solutions can make our lives more efficient and also demonstrates that some large corporates are indeed working to solve the looming environmental crisis.

Today, representatives of seven major corporations and organizations signed the “Call from Deauville“, which reports on the position of women in science and engineering and describes the signatories’ commitment to encourage young women into careers in these fields. The Call was signed in the context of the SciTechGirls initiative, a special program of meetings and exchange between some 100 young women from high schools, prep schools, universities and science schools, and some of the most accomplished women attending the Women’s Forum. We will blog on SciTechGirls later today, as the program is still unfolding. Here is the full text of the “Call from Deauville”, signed by Orange, L’Oréal Corporate Foundation, Cisco, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Suez, Thales, and Total.

The figures are shocking and call for immediate action—the place of women in science remains dire, in both public and private initiatives, in fundamental and applied research, and even among engineers.

Numerous studies, reports and recommendations give ample proof, filling up filing cabinets and putting to sleep even those with good intentions. A bad situation is getting worse.

It is time to take action. Too few girls and young women are embarking on scientific careers, leading to the development of a large-scale vocational crisis.

• At the university level, girls make up only 27% of students in fundamental and applied sciences.
• Among those who scored “very well” on the Bac S (scientific baccalaureat), 75% of boys went on to scientific preparatory schools vs just 53% of girls.
• In the Grandes Ecoles and engineering schools, girls make up only 25% of the student body.

It is time to take action. Women are perilously under-represented in public and private research.

• Women make up only 27% of researchers worldwide and just 28% of researchers in France; of which 33% work in the public sector and 20% in private companies.
• Out of 516 Nobel Prize nominees in science and medicine between 1903 and 2006, only 12 women have won the Award, less than 2.4%.

It is time to take action. A “glass ceiling” is holding back the professional progress of women, and this is especially apparent in science.

• In Europe, women represent 50.4% of professionals working in scientific-related fields, but only 29% of engineers, 29% of researchers and 15% of university professors.
• In French universities, 38% of associate professors are women, but a mere 16% are full professors.
• Women engineers are paid far less than their male counterparts: 3% less at the start of their careers and a staggering 42% less for women between the ages of 55 and 59.

We know the facts and we can predict the consequences. The time for sitting back, making observations and expressing regret is over—women have so much to offer in terms of imagination, contributing to research and innovation.

Tomorrow’s world is built today, now is the time for action—we are here, let’s do it.

To encourage girls and women to choose a scientific career path, we pledge:

• To update the image of science by giving aspiring young women role models to emulate.
• To provide information and to build self-confidence through innovative communication campaigns targeting young girls and their parents, including campaigns on academic orientation, consciousness raising and teacher training from primary school onwards.
• To reward girls’ performance, encouraging their talent through prizes, scholarships and increasing the number of women with visible roles in conferences and exhibitions.

Some of these initiatives have already been put into place by those signing the Call from Deauville. Many other projects are also underway, each representing the signer’s specificity, priorities and means.

However, we cannot act alone, the role of women in science is everybody’s business—public institutions, for the role they can play in education and for their legitimacy with politicians and public interest campaigns; corporations, for their recruitment and promotional capacities and support of numerous initiatives; and the media, to explain, raise consciousness and contribute to the creation of a feminine ideal for future
researchers and engineers.

Society on the whole needs to work on giving girls the confidence they need—science can offer a stellar future!

Or: A missing writer, and a young chinese MBA student standing in.

Yesterday at the afternoon tea time, the writer and journalist Irène Frain wanted to provide us with a sociological reading of Xiaolu Guo’s Village of stone (shortlisted for The Independent “Best Foreign Fiction Prize” 2005, and nominated for the Dublin International Literature Award (IMPAC) 2006).

Unfortunetely the novelist gave it a miss. A session less during the forum? Do not even think about it: for women (and all the more so as they are mighty women) do not get used to submitting to fate. So Irene Frain has a quick look outside the smart and affluent-looking “author’s corner”, she sees a dynamic chinese student having her way to the bar, and invites her to join the assembly. She pushes our perfect chinese candidate into the dark intellectual room, so far away (mentally I mean) from the bar with the petit-fours and the so sexy tiny pink champagne bottle created for us …euh I mean for the event.

The upset ambitious girl suddenly felt pushed on stage, in front of the women smilingly waiting for the renowned novelist.

That’s when it became clear to me that, even here, there was deep respect and reverence face to the artistic stuff. It rejoiced me, but there was more than that. The student did the sociological analysis thing by answering the snobbish but actually accurate questions she was being asked (and translated). She has lived both in Hong Kong and in the UK. She is now taking a MBA program at INSEAD. We learned that she considered herself as belonging definitely to the Asia area even if she confessed of feeling a foreigner when traveling now to HK and even more when attending in Beijing (clearly even less British). She talked about her cultural meeting with French people and Fontainebleau (nobody dares question whether that Fontainebleau or the INSEAD campus is at any level representative for the French spirit or reality) but it was really instructive to look at ourselves through her eyes. She quite simply make things clear about values in China vs. Western countries, and how she did not really feel at home anywhere. And above all without being the least troubled from that.

We all were eventually amazingly fond of what that little woman, however partly a Westerner, was telling us about ourselves. We did sociology, and pretty good one. We mentally went away. We talked about fundamental stuff. We talked about what really matters in such a forum: meeting the other with his or her specific experience that can be very valuable. That was an incredibly magical time to hear in that broadly superficial place an ambitious and determined young shark (sorry Bonnie, but it is a compliment) talking about how Chinese values were important to her.

Bonnie — yes, the Chinese student is one of our bloggers, Bonnie Fong — will probably tell about her experience of jumping in for the missing novelist in an upcoming post.

This is a kind of an irony. The great novelty in this edition of the Women’s Forum is the creation of a men-only area, where they can enjoy a relaxing time while waiting for their spouses to get out of their “feminist” conference. And the rules are very strict there: a security guy at the entrance makes sure only men get in there. Here is a picture of the “Men’s Corner”:

Men are a minority here at the Forum, about 15% of attendees – Aude de Thuin, the Forum’s founder and CEO, underlined in her introductory speech that complementarities were essential to our world today, but that to her, 30% of men is the top-limit to reach an ideal balance. Some women here find amazing that men would chose to join the Forum; other consider the dedication of a specific area to them as a provocation.

Crazy rumours have been spreading around this morning regarding this very selective and secret area. For instance, I’ve heard they were hiding a PlayStation somewhere…

But beyond the joke, I think we have a point. The WomensForum choose this year to welcome its male members with clichés – a huge TV screen playing rugby games, leather armchairs and possibly a hidden PlayStation – in the same way men welcome women back in the real world.

Nowadays, a lot of companies are trying to promote gender diversity among their Human Resources. Though the higher you are in the hierarchy, the fewer women you can find. Perhaps is it too soon to value the outcome of these women-friendly policies, and perhaps can they be improved. Indeed, behind the provocation, the purpose of the men-only area is to raise awareness towards all the differences between men and women in business, which a corporate day-care facility cannot erase. Men are invited there to discuss gender diversity issues and share their experience and best practices concerning the integration of female values in their managerial culture.

Of course, and according to the most recent rumour, until warrior women in the Forum have besieged the area.

A Women’s Forum? This sounds pretty threatening, doesn’t it guys?

Some of you did make the choice to come to Deauville, though… Why?

Beyond the usual jokes (”Well, 1200 chicks! What man wouldn’t come?”), I am impressed by the true interest these men are showing for this event, whether they come as partners, speakers, or attendees.

A trendy-dressed filmmaker working for the Women’s Forum smiles at the sight of the chattering ladies in the Discovery Moments space. “I’m glad to be here. I’m used to covering events, but this one is different: things are smoother, not as aggressive, more harmonious.”

Some men came as partners of the event, convinced of the importance of women in shaping the future of their company. Bain & Company partner Bertrand Pointeau, whose consulting firm runs the “Men’s Corner”, expresses the concerns of his company in attracting women at management levels and in meeting their professional aspirations and private constraints.

Gerald Lema, President Asia Pacific of Baxter International Inc., came as a speaker, to share his company’s experience on attracting women at management levels (an almost 50-50 ratio) and the great benefits of this balance. He expresses his enthusiasm in meeting inspiring women at the forum and definitely expects to take new ideas back to China. He will be debating on “Sustaining Corporate Loyalty”, on Friday.

A few men came as king consorts, as well. Claude G., a Belgian lawyer, accompanies his wife, and explains why there are so few of his kind. “Some men wouldn’t feel at ease with the idea of accompanying their wife to such a forum. It still isn’t in the mentalities. For others, it’s the wife who wishes to keep her own private space.”

All express their admiration for these women who, often on top of their family life, commit themselves professionally and in public life. Well, Messieurs, as women, we are very grateful that you came, and we are happy to welcome you!

This year, the Women’s Forum welcomes a delegation of 15 students, both men and women, coming from all over the world to live together this unique event and share their vision.

Last year, at the 2006 Women’s Forum, we were 18 students from 12 different countries who were given this unique opportunity.
It was amazing to meet each other; women students from all around the world, who were in many ways very different, but at the same time so alike in their concerns and their hopes.
It was amazing to meet women in top management and decision making positions, who shared with us their experiences and provided us with invaluable advices and guidance. It has also been a unique platform for us, to enrich the discussions and debates with the young generation’s perspective and to voice young women’s issues and aspirations.
We are very grateful for the inspiration which we brought back from the 2006 Women’s Forum. It has given us new ideas and built up new confidence. It has encouraged us to think “out of the box” and to start to act, to make changes, at our level; in the societies we live in.

The 2006 Forum has inspired us as women, and still today we acknowledge the richness and the impact these 4 days had in our lives.
I have no doubt this 2007 Women’s Forum will be as inspiring and uplifting for the coming student delegation, and I look forward to being part of it!