Global Summit of Women 2007
Remarks
Susan Unger<=
o:p>
Opening Cere=
mony
- DaimlerChrysler: Driving Equality for Women
- Good evening. Thank you. Ladies and Gentlemen, I=
am
honored to be here tonight to share in the ceremony and spirit of the
opening event.
- Everyone in this room spent a considerable amoun=
t of
time; some more than others, getting to Berlin for tonight’s opening
ceremony.
- You’ve traveled from cities across Germany and from countries around the
world, including the United States,
Latvia, Finland, South
Africa, Vietnam, and beyond!
- No
matter how long your journey to Berlin
was, it is very short compared to the journey women around the
world continue to face each and every day.
- I&=
#8217;m
talking about the journey women undertake for inclusion and equality in
the workplace and in the market place.
- Da=
imlerChrysler
is very aware of the difficult road women travel in this quest and is
committed to helping women reach the goal.
- Th=
at’s
why DaimlerChrysler is the exclusive automotive sponsor of this
year’s Global Women’s Summit,
and why we’ve sponsored eight previous Summits.
- Ma=
ny
of you have heard the news about changes at DaimlerChrysler.
- Wh=
ile
there will be a change in relationship and a different ownership struc=
ture
sometime in the future, what will not change or be diminished in
the future at either company is the commitment to diversity and the gr=
owth
of women in the business place.
- Ra=
ther
than looking too far into the future, I want to focus on tonight and s=
hare
more details with you on our vision and activity.
- Da=
imlerChrysler
wants to be a role-model for businesses and organizations around the w=
orld
when it comes to diversity and the inclusion of women in the
workforce.
- We
believe it’s our responsibility to build a workforce that clearly
reflects our society and the customers who buy our products and
services.
- We
know we aren’t there yet.
That’s why, with the strong support of CEO Dieter Zetsche and the management team, a Global=
Diversity
Office was established in Germany in 2005.
- Ut=
ilizing
the U.S.
based Chrysler Group as its benchmark; the Global Diversity Office hel=
ps
promote women in management roles at DaimlerChrysler worldwide.
- In=
Germany, a
Mentoring Program for Women in Executive Positions is in place.
- To
help female executives with the demands of work and family life, new
day-care centers will provide 350 nursery places at plant locations
throughout Germ=
any
for children under 3 years of age.
- La=
st
October in Frankfurt, Germany, DaimlerChrysler=
was
given the Total E-Quality award by the Federal Ministry for Family Aff=
airs,
Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.&nbs=
p;
- Th=
is
award recognizes companies that actively support and implement equal
opportunities in their personnel policy.
- In=
the
states, our commitment to diversity spans many decades.
- Our
Chrysler Group is respected as a leader in diversity and inclusion, and
experienced a strong increase in the number of female executives, movi=
ng
from 10% in 2000 to more than 18% today.
- Wo=
men
and ethnic minorities comprise nearly 30% of our executive leadership,=
and
the Chrysler Group was recently named “One of the 50 Best Compan=
ies
for Diversity” by DiversityInc and o=
ne of
the “top 10” companies for supplier diversity. =
- So=
you
can see, we’re making progress in the=
quest
to be the world’s best when it comes to diversity.
- But
reaching the goal of equality for women is going to take everyone̵=
7;s
help.
- We each need to ask “what
steps can I take to help where I work, in my world?̶=
1;
- One
way we can each make a difference is through mentoring. Women have been discounted in=
the
work place for far too long.
- No=
w,
with a greater focus on inclusion of women in the work world, we final=
ly
find ourselves in a more powerful, favored status.
- Do=
n’t
feel guilty about it. Use
this power to help each other.
- Th=
ere
are women of all ages at this summit.=
The benefits of mentoring extend to young and old alike. <=
/o:p>
- I
hesitate to use the word “old” because age is a state of m=
ind,
not a number. When I was=
in my
twenties, 45 seemed old. Now,
60 seems on the young side!
- Re=
gardless
of the age or the stage of her career, every woman should be involved =
in
mentoring even if her business or organization doesn’t have a fo=
rmal
program.
- If
you’re young and just starting out, look around. Find a woman you
admire, someone you think is successful. Ask her to share her experien=
ce and
advice with you.
- If
you’ve been around a while, like me, you have an obligation to g=
ive
back. Offer to have lunc=
h or
dinner with a young woman you work with. Talk about career strategies.=
- Le=
t’s
use our influence and harness the power we have to help each other, one
woman at a time. =
- We
must do what we can to prepare young girls to become tomorrow’s
leaders.
- We
know that leadership skills don’t come in shades of
pink or blue.
- They
need to get that message too.
We can be their role model.&nb=
sp;
- We=
can
make sure their choices aren’t restricted. In sports, in areas of study,=
in
school and career choices, at a very young age they must feel empowere=
d to
choose what they want, not what society says they want.
- Wo=
men
have considerable influence and power in another area -- the consumer
marketplace. =
- In=
the
United States,
women are involved in the decision-making process for almost 85 percen=
t of
all new vehicle purchases.
- In=
Europe it’s even higher – 87
percent. Those numbers w=
ill
continue to climb! =
- We
must be discriminating consumers. We owe it to ourselves and to future
generations to support businesses and organizations that support our
cause.
- As=
I said
earlier, the journey is long and the work is not done.
- At
DaimlerChrysler, we won’t stop until we reach our goal of being =
the
world’s beacon and role-model for diversity and inclusion. Our policies and actions refl=
ect
the importance of women and the advancement of all
under-represented groups in our enterprise.
- Di=
versity,
inclusion and equality are woven into our corporate vision.
- Th=
ey’re
guiding principles.
- Th=
ey’re
simply the way we do business. &=
nbsp;
- The
next two days will give you an amazing opportunity to network with wom=
en
from around the world. W=
omen
who share your vision and dreams.&nbs=
p;
- Let
the knowledge you gain and those you meet motivate, renew and inspire
you.
- I =
want
to leave you with words from a legendary symbol of the fight for human
rights and equality --- Nelson Mandela.
- &#=
8220;I
have walked that long road to freedom…I have discovered the secr=
et
that after climbing a great hill, one only finds there are many more h=
ills
to climb….I can rest only for a moment….for my long walk is
not yet ended.”
- Although we come from many different places and =
life
situations, tonight everyone in this room is focused on =
the
journey towards equality for women.&n=
bsp;
- Pr=
ogress
is being made, but there are more hills to climb.
- To=
gether,
we can and will make a difference.
------=_NextPart_01C822D2.BDE18850
Content-Location: file:///C:/510255D3/Unger_Susan_Opening_remarks_files/header.htm
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"