Empowering Women Entrepreneurs INTRODUCTION The following case study highlights the results of the Trestle Group Foundation s Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Partnership Program between IBM and VARCC Communications, Jordan. INSIDE The Partnership Program 2 Partnership Program Participants 3 Key Business Challenges Addressed 3 Additional Accomplishments 5 Lessons Learned: Executive Perspective 5 Building Awareness 6 Executive Support 7 The Trestle Group Foundation is an innovative, non-profit organization dedicated to creating and expanding economic opportunities by supporting high-potential womenled businesses. Guided by the belief that entrepreneurship fuels the engine that drives economic opportunity, growth and social progress, the Foundation works to empower women entrepreneurs in emerging economies. With 95.8 billion in 2009 revenues, and 399,409 employees worldwide, IBM's character has been formed over nearly 100 years of doing business in the field of information-handling. IBM has been a leader in corporate social responsibility for nearly 100 years, contributing technology, talent and cash to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions around the world. IBM s activities are designed to help people to become smarter, and to develop future leaders capable of improving the quality of life for themselves and their communities making for a smarter planet.
Quote Our ongoing partnership with the Trestle Group Foundation to empower women entrepreneurs in emerging economies provides IBM with the opportunity to promote diversity in business, attract and retain the best talent, and gain insight in to the challenges faced by women-led businesses in the SMB emerging markets. Participating in the programme gives IBM women executives the opportunity to collaborate, give back, share their experience and directly support women in emerging economies. In addition, the programme provides challenging opportunities for our women professionals to support their own skills development. It is truly a win-win initiative. Wendy Papworth, Head of Workforce Diversity, Europe, Japan and Canada, IBM Partnership Program Highlights IBM's contributions target critical societal issues and leverage their employee talent and expertise, as well as technologies. This practice of long-term, strategic investment has assisted communities throughout the world to address their concerns, and has engaged employees more fully and effectively in the important mission of corporate citizenship. The Importance of Women s Entrepreneurship Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are key drivers of both economic opportunity and development. SMEs: Encourage private ownership Spur innovation Create employment Generate commercial activity Deliver economic benefits Women s entrepreneurship with its unlimited potential is a vital contributor to economic expansion within this important sector. Successful women-led SMEs provide more than just a financial stimulus within these growing markets they promote social progress and change. THE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM Realizing the importance of supporting women in leadership positions, both in-house and in emerging markets as well, IBM has been a continued supporter and sponsor of the Trestle Group Foundation s Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Partnership Program since 2007. Sponsored as an IBM Diversity & Inclusion initiative, IBM female executives have coached women entrepreneurs through the Foundation s EWEPP in the following countries: Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, Jordan, Poland, Russia, Slovakia and South Africa. The Partnership Program identifies qualified women entrepreneurs in an emerging economies and partners them with specially selected female IBM executives who help build the skills, strategies, practices and networks needed to overcome barriers to growth, and further develop the entrepreneur s business. This customized, relationship-based program model provides a unique blend of executive coaching, collaborative team support, skill building and networking actively engaging networks and resources 2
to open doors to new business opportunities. Combining these methods delivers extraordinary results, accelerating professional and personal growth beyond levels achieved through conventional mentoring programs. By extension, the partnership aims to support economic opportunities within the entrepreneur s wider community by allowing her to fulfill her potential and secure long-term business success. An added benefit for the sponsor is that working closely with these women-led businesses provides valuable insights into the challenges faced by SMEs in emerging markets, while also giving back to that community by helping to create additional economic opportunities. At the same time, by allowing executives to share their experience, their unique human capital, it provides an opportunity to attract and promote talent within IBM a true win-win model. Tala Abu Taha (at right) JORDAN PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS Dima Kandalaft is an Associate Partner and Public Sector Lead, Middle East & North Africa, IBM Global Business Service. She is responsible for managing and developing the Public Sector for MENA. She is a management consultant with 11 years of regional and international experience in varying roles in the government, transportation, and financial services industries. Tala Abu Taha is regarded as one of Jordan s leading public relations practitioners, having served as the Public Relations Manager at MobileCom, and Founder and Deputy managing Director of TRACCS Levant, prior to founding VARCC Arabian Communications as a major shareholder. VARCC s vision is to become the first Jordanian regional PR firm headquartered in Amman by setting new standards and redefining public relations through advanced and global innovative services. Both women have demonstrated their entrepreneurial skills, but through her participation in the Partnership Program, Dima was able to coach, encourage, share 11 years of experience, and collaborate with Tala, who is still in the early stages of her business in a society where women have historically struggled to succeed. 3
KEY BUSINESS CHALLENGES ADDRESSED Guided by executive coach Dima Kandalaft, the program addressed four key subjects for Tala Abu Taha and VARCC Arabian Communications: New Client Acquisition, Business Value Proposition, Pricing Strategy and Empowering Business Partners. I. New Client Acquisition Tala Abu Taha and VARCC benefited from a strategic analysis and plan to acquire new clients and grow existing accounts. Developed a strategy to acquire new clients and grow existing accounts Built a target client list Established a filtering mechanism to focus on clients with value New focus on value proposition rather than price Captured market intelligence Incorporated an understanding of current market demands and aligned with VARCC vision and value proposition Ongoing focus on, and update of, client base II. Business Value Proposition Working with the support of IBMS s Dima Kandalaft, Tala Abu Taha revised and realigned VARCC s value proposition. Revised and realigned value proposition statement Revised offerings and positioning based on market and customer needs and developed strategy for target accounts Develop detailed business plan for coming 3 years Perform SWOT Analysis for (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats) for VARCC III. Pricing Strategy Working with the support of IBMS s Dima Kandalaft, Tala Abu Taha developed a new pricing strategy VARCC client acquisition. Developed a pricing strategy for each customer type and customer profile Aligned prices to market Focused on new strategies to secure additional sales pipeline 4
IV. Empowering Business Partners Tala Abu Taha and VARCC benefited from executive guidance, management methods and strategies to empower business partners and delegate activities. Greater involvement of business partners in planning activities and client selection Additional resources and support for partners to grow and build additional expertise Incentivized partners lead and rewarded by results ADDITIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS Additional Executive Support With the executive guidance and support of IBM s Dima Kandalaft, Tala Abu Taha developed a new strategy to attract and hire new expertise, as well as revise existing organizational roles and skill sets. They also investigated investment opportunities and alternatives to raise additional capital for VARCC. Giving Back Tala Abu Taha is working with Trestle Group Foundation to identify opportunities to increase awareness about the importance of women entrepreneurs in emerging economies including a potential women entrepreneur forum in Amman, Jordan 2011. LESSONS LEARNED: EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE Dima Kandalaft, Associate Partner and Public Sector Lead, Middle East & North Africa, IBM Global Business Service I believe I was able to support and guide Tala by enabling her to put more structure into her work and to help her focus on key aspects of her business especially in the area of planning and leadership. Quote Dima Kandalaft, IBM "It has been a great experience to be part of the Trestle Group Foundation coaching program and to able to support Tala in her success story as a strong and vibrant woman entrepreneur. On the personal level, it was fulfilling to extend my expertise to my home country, Jordan. I'm thankful for this program and to IBM for giving me this opportunity." Dima Kandalaft, Associate Partner and Public Sector Lead, Middle East & North Africa IBM Global Business Service I believe that coaching is possible regardless of the business background and context. If you follow a plan and are able to connect with the coachee, you will have a successful engagement. I also believe there should mutual respect on both sides to enable the program to be successful. It was definitely a learning experience for me and re-enforced some of my leadership skills. 5
Quote Tala Abu Taha, VARCC I am grateful for the opportunity and the executive support. It was great to go through one of the most efficient programs that really added a lot of value for my business. The link between my experience as an entrepreneur and the value of the executive coaching can be captured in this sentence: the more I learn, the more I give away experience. The more I give away experience, the more that giving will come back, and that is the way good business energy works. Tala Abu Taha, General Manager VARCC - Arabian Communications BUILDING AWARENESS Launched on International Women s Day in 2007, The IBM and Trestle Group Foundation partnership has been featured at key global events and forums including: The United Nations (USA), World Entrepreneurship Summit (UK), Global Summit of Women (Viet Nam), Global Advancement of Women Conference and International Association of Female Executive (I-NAFE) Launch (South Africa), Women s International Networking (WIN) Conference (Spain and Czech Republic). IBM s partnership with Trestle Group Foundation was featured as a Top 50 CSR Solution at the 2007 CSR Europe Marketplace in Brussels, Belgium. Trestle Group Foundation Director Dana Smith was featured in 2007-2008 IBM Corporate Responsibility Report. The IBM and Trestle Group Foundation supported entrepreneur Maja Darowska (Warsaw, Poland) received the 2009 National Association of Female Executives (NAFE International) Women of Excellence Rising Star Award. The award was presented during a ceremony hosted by the New York Times Company, New York, NY, USA. To read more please visit: (http:// www.nafe.com/web?service=direct/1/ ViewAdvancedPortalPage/PortalBlocks/ dlinkarticle&sp=s2735&sp=3995) The IBM and Trestle Group Foundation Russia and Poland Partnership Programs are featured in the short-film Doing Well by Doing Good and can be viewed at: (http:// www.trestlegroup.com/foundation/videos.php) 6
EXECUTIVE SUPPORT Executive support facilitated through the Trestle Group Foundation and IBM Partnership Program included: Trestle Group s award-winning corporate social responsibility commitment. Program Sponsorship and Support Wendy Papworth, Diversity Manager Major Markets/ HR Integrated Service Team (IST), IBM Edith Jonkers, Workforce Diversity NE/SW Europe, Pan IOY Gender Program Manager/ HR Integrated Service Team (IST), IBM Oana Petrescu, Global Work/Life Manager, IBM IBM Executive Support Dima Kandalaft, Associate Partner and Public Sector Lead, Middle East & North Africa, IBM Global Business Service Trestle Group Foundation Nerys Wadham, Style Dynamics GmbH, Trestle Group Foundation (Executive Coaching) Dana Brice Smith, Director, Trestle Group Foundation, Switzerland (Program Management) SCOPE - High-potential women-led Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies. COUNTRIES - The Trestle Group Foundation has supported women-led companies across industries/business sectors in Bangladesh, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Jordan, Kenya, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa and Uganda. SUPPORTERS - The Trestle Group Foundation has been fortunate to earn the support of leading organizations including: PepsiCo Europe, IBM, Microsoft, UBS, Delta Economics, Hexaware Technologies, Advocates for International Development (A4ID), Voices for Innovation, World Conservation Union (IUCN), amongst others. INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE Through integrated marketing communication programs (positioning and participation at key global events, high-impact short films and media outreach), Trestle Group Foundation raises significant awareness about the important role women entrepreneurs, and successful women-led SMEs, play in emerging economies. Foundation Headquarters Grossholzstrasse 22 8253 Diessenhofen Switzerland Trestle Group Foundation is a registered taxexempt (No. CH-440.018.28-4), non-profit, private Swiss foundation without any political or religious affiliations. 7