2008 by Dot Bekker

The Network Newsletter January 2008 International Business & Professional Network asbl (Established 1991)

The Network asbl 45, rue des Templiers L-7343 STEINSEL e-mail: getintouch@the-network.lu website: http://www.the-network.lu

President's Letter Author: Lisa McLean Dear networkers, Of course, Happy New Year to you and yours. I hope you are all back into the swing of things and feeling energised for new activities and ideas. Come along to our meeting on Wednesday the 16th and feel even better and more ready for a great start into 2008. At this time of year two things preoccupy any committee of The Network. Firstly, membership dues. Please pay your membership this month, this gives you access to the newsletter and other updates of what is going on, plus of course events. The details of the bank account are listed below. Secondly, the AGM and new committee members. The AGM is in March and we try to make it as short and painless as any AGM can be. We need new committee members as some of the present committee have to stand down because their tenure is over, or because of other business commitments. So, if you think you would be interested in joining the committee please email me lisa.mclean@pt.lu .We are an easy to work with bunch of women, who would like to make The Network work for you. So please get intouch with ideas and suggestions of anyone you know who would be willing to get involved. Thanks and hopefully see you on Wednesday. Lisa Fees for 2008 are 35 Euros Please send a bank transfer, clearly indicating your name, to the bank account below: - Bank: Banque de Luxembourg - Swift/BIC Code: BLUXLULL - IBAN: LU58 0080 5333 3500 1003 - Beneficiary: The Network New members can join online here.

Editor's Notes

Dear All, Taking this opportunity I would like to wish you all the best for the year 2008, may it be happier and better than what you imagine. I hope you had good rest during the Christmas holidays and you are full of energy to start new networking season. Please remember that membership runs from January to January therefore the payment deadline for season 2008 is approaching. Below you will find more details regarding the payment. Enjoy the lecture and I hope to see you all during our upcoming meetings. Gosia

Upcoming Network Events Wednesday 16th of January " Make an Energetic Start into 2008"    

Have you always wanted to know how to do something good both for yourself and for others? Have you always wanted to optimise the time you have for yourself? Do you wonder how to lead a more peaceful and joyful life? Have you ever heard of energetic therapies?

If you can answer YES to one or more of above mentioned questions, then you might be interested in our next conference subject on the 16th of January: "Energy treatment, a natural form of reducing stress and enhancing physical, emotional and mental wellbeing" Laying hands on and directing the natural flow of universal energy harmonizes the energy flow in your body, dissolves blocks and assists you in bringing your energy level back up to its natural flow, thereby enhancing your own natural healing powers. It may be used for all kinds of affliction. It is high frequency, light and universal energy. It is a support for the healing capacity of your body, your soul and your spirit. Speakers: Petra Steinmetz is a spiritual healer working with high frequency energies. She is trained in eastern and western healing techniques and meditation. Anne de Borchgrave is a lecturer, teacher and practitioner in Bio-Energy, Reiki, Geobiology, EFT and other healing and meditation techniques. She is also trained in kinesiology, tachyon healing and feng shui. She has accompanied people in their health and growth process since 15 years.

Dates and events for year 2008 20 Feb A round-table discussion "Improve your Career in Luxembourg" 19 Mar AGM; plus Speed-networking and Introduce your Business session 16 April Creating a Low-energy House 21 May Investment Topic "Making it Work for You"

Business in Norway - Girl power Norwegian companies' boards are now stacked with women HENRIK IBSEN, author of the play “A Doll's House”, in which a pretty, frustrated housewife abandons her husband and children to seek a more serious life, would surely have approved. From January 1st all public companies in Norway are obliged to ensure that at least 40% of their board directors are women. Most firms have obeyed the law, which was passed in 2003. But about 75 out of the 480 or so companies it affects are still too male for the government's liking. They will shortly receive a letter informing them that they have until the end of February to act, or face the legal consequences—which could include being dissolved. Before the law was proposed, about 7% of board members in Norway were female, according to the Centre for Corporate Diversity. The number has since jumped to 36%. That is far higher than the average of 9% for big companies across Europe—11% for Britain's FTSE 100—or America's 15% for the Fortune 500. Norway's stock exchange and its main business lobby oppose the law, as do many businessmen. “I am against quotas for women or men as a matter of principle,” says Sverre Munck, head of international operations at Schibsted, a media firm. “Board members of public companies should be chosen solely on the basis of merit and experience,” he says. Several firms have even given up their public status in order to escape the new law. Companies have had to recruit about 1,000 women in four years. Many complain that it has been difficult to find experienced candidates. Because of this, some of the best women have collected as many as 25-35 directorships each, and are known in Norwegian business circles as the “golden skirts”. One reason for the scarcity is that there are fairly few women in management in Norwegian companies—they occupy around 15% of senior positions. It has been particularly hard for firms in the oil, technology and financial industries to find women with enough experience. DNO, for instance, an oil and gas firm that operates in Yemen, Iraq and elsewhere, found women it was happy with last November, but their expertise is in finance and human resources, not oil, says Helge Eide, DNO's president. “However, we retain sufficient oil and gas experience in the men on our board,” he adds. Some people worry that their relative lack of experience may keep women quiet on boards, and that in turn could mean that boards might become less able to hold managers to account. Recent history in Norway, however, suggests that the right women can make strong directors. When a whistleblower at Statoil, the country's biggest firm, alerted managers in 2003 to possible illegal payments to a consultant to secure contracts in Iran, it was Grace Reksten Skaugen and two other women directors who called an extraordinary board meeting that resulted in the resignations of the chairman and chief executive. “Women feel more compelled than men to do their homework,” says Ms Reksten Skaugen, who was voted

Norway's chairman of the year for 2007, “and we can afford to ask the hard questions, because women are not always expected to know the answers.” Source: The Economist print edition, Jan 3rd 2008

Negative calories food?! Author: Gosia G. Have you ever heard about “negative calories” food or you just wonder what crazy idea is this. Would you like to loose calories just by eating? Sounds like a dream, does it? You should not starve anymore for reducing weight. I came across this article few days ago and I thought it is interesting theory. Of course searching the web you can find different opinions but I thought it is interesting to mention and I leave the judgement to you. The “negative calorie” food is a food that requires our body to use more calories to digest it that the food itself actually contains. For example, if you eat 100 calories of a food that requires 150 calories to digest, then you have burnt an additional 50 calories simply by eating that food. It happens because calories from certain foods are much harder to break down and process, which makes our organism work harder in order to extract calories from these foods. Typically, a 25 calorie piece of broccoli (100 gram) requires 80 calories to digest, resulting in a net loss of 55 calories from the body fat!! Thus, the more you eat, the more you lose weight!!! You can eat a lot of negative calorie foods to lose that extra fat and to become slim naturally. Some of these natural foods are: asparagus, beet, broccoli, green cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chilli, cucumber, garlic, lettuce, onion, spinach, turnip, zucchini, papaya, chicory, endive, apple, grapefruit, lemon, mango, orange, pineapple, berries, tangerines. For complete list of negative calories food please look on the web.

Look forward to lots of great new events and networking in 2008 Don't miss out! Please be advised that Membership runs from January to January. The fees for 2008 are 35 Euros and 15 Euros if joining after June 30th 2008. Please send a bank transfer, clearly indicating your name, to the bank account below: - Bank: Banque de Luxembourg - Swift/BIC Code: BLUXLULL - IBAN: LU58 0080 5333 3500 1003 - Beneficiary: The Network New members can join online here.

International Mentoring Conference in Luxembourg International Mentoring Conference and Experiences and results of the Cross-Mentoring Program for Women in Leading Positions 2007 Program organised by Rita Knott, Coaching Mentoring Consulting and supported in the the framework of the program for positives actions of the Ministry of Equal opportunities Monday 21st January 2008 at the Abbaye de Neumunster, Luxembourg-Grund 28, rue Munster (site map on: www.ccrn.lu) The workshops will be held in English. French/English translations of the speeches will be at your disposal. Program 13.45 – 13.55 Welcome speech by Rita Knott, Coaching Mentoring Consulting, about the results of the Cross-Mentoring Program 2007 13.55 – 14.10 Speech by Mrs Marie-Josée Jacobs Minister for Equal opportunities, Luxembourg about the role of the Ministry and the positive actions 14.10 - 14.20 Speech by Mrs. Hannah Pri-zan, member of the Board of Management of Bank Hapoalim B.M. Tel Aviv about her experience as a woman in a top position 14.20 – 14.30 Speech by Mrs. Sezer Aksoy, member of the Entrepreneur Development Committee of KAGIDER, the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey in Istanbul about the lessons learned in the Women Entrepreneur Mentoring Program (www.we-mentor.eu) in cooperation with the Framework Research Program of the European Commission 14.30 – 14.50 Coffee Break 14.50 – 15.50 Various workshops on the results of the Cross-Mentoring Project for Women in Leading Positions in Luxembourg by the mentees and mentors of the project with exchanges of international experiences with the invited specialists 15.50 – 16.30 Closing Cocktail 16.30 End of the conference Participating Organisations in the Cross-Mentoring Program 2007: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Alter Domus Arcelor Mittal Bank Hapoalim Crédit Agricole DuPont

6. European Investment Bank 7. Fortis Insurance 8. GoodYear 9. IEE 10. PricewaterhouseCoopers 11. Villeroy&Boch International Experts and Leadership Professionals invited for the Conference • Mrs. Hannah Pri-zan, member of the Board of Management of Bank Hapoalim B.M., Tel Aviv, Israel • Mrs. Sezer Aksoy, member of the Entrepreneur Development Committee of KAGIDER, the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey, Istanbul • Mrs. Eliabeth Auzan, Executive Coach, Focus on Solutions, Lausanne, Switzerland, • Mrs. Rina Bar Tal, President of the Israeli Women Nework , Ramat Gan, Israel • Mrs. Ricarda Harris, CEO of Swiss Business Women, Schoeftland, Switzerland • Mrs. Dalia Kaizerman, Isracard, Tel Aviv, Israel Manager of Bank Hapoalim Luxembourg from 1997 to 2001 • Mrs. Lena Mangell, Executive Coach, Life & Career, Stockholm, Sweden • Mrs. Ana Oliveira Pinto, Independent Consultant, Lisabon, Portugal • Mrs. Kirsten M. Poulsen, Founder of KMP & Partners, Copenhagen, Denmark • Mrs. Assel Serikova, HR Manager, Deloitte Caspian, Almaty, Kazakhstan • Mrs. Christine Wolff, Development Specialist, HR Solutions, Deutsche Bank AG Frankfurt, Germany for registration: Please contact: Mrs. Joëlle Kiesch preferably by e-mail to: info@mentoring.lu or by fax: +352/33 85 54 or by mail to: Mrs. Joëlle Kiesch 30, cité Aline Mayrisch L-7268 Bereldange

Events 6 Jan - 17 Feb - Cirque du Soleil; Verkai; Royal Albert Hall in London; http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueduSoleil/en/showstickets/varekai/tickets/london.htm 20 Jan - Apéro's Jazz : PRBH Quartet; Abbaye de Neumünster, Brasserie at 11.30 am; Free entrance 22, 23 & 25 Jan - l'Etoile - Opera; Grand Theatre, Limpertsberg; http://www.theatres.lu 24 - 28 Jan - WINE SHOW FOR BORDEAUX AND AQUITAINE @ LuxExpo; organised by Fédération des Vignerons Indépendants d'Aquitaine; http://www.luxexpo.lu; 27 Jan - Apéro's Jazz : Boris Dinev Trio; Abbaye de Neumünster, Brasserie at 11.30 am; Free entrance

31 Jan - Chris Rea @ Rockhal; Rockhal, Esch-Belval; http://www.Rockhal.lu 22 Jan - 10 Feb - La Femme sans ombre; Opera National de Paris; http://www.operadeparis.fr/ 4 - 19 Feb - OrphĂŠe et Eurydice; Opera National de Paris; http://www.operadeparis.fr/

General Information Deadline for the February 2008 Newsletter Submissions for the February 2008 newsletter should reach the Editor on or by 3 february 2008. Our contact details are listed here.

Contact Details To advertise on the Network website, or in the newsletter, please check the details on the website. If you would like to recommend the Network to a colleague or friend, details are published here. For contact details of the current Network Team, click here.

Disclaimer: The comments and opinions of authors expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Network.

The Network Newsletter February 2008 International Business & Professional Network asbl (Established 1991)

The Network asbl 1, rue des Lilas L-8084 Bertrange e-mail: getintouch@the-network.lu website: http://www.the-network.lu

President's Letter Dear networkers, Our February meeting is one that has been organised by popular demand by some of our members, " Improve Your Career in Luxembourg" we hope you benefit from this. You may know that our Annual General Meeting is coming up shortly, on Wednesday 19th March. This has a number of implications. It means that some committee members are due to step down and therefore need to be replaced. We are all currently working hard to ensure that a solid team will be in place for your approval at the AGM, but anyone who would like to become a member of the team can still contact me in the next week or so until we finalise the "slate", that presents the candidates for the new committee. You will also receive from us by e-mail in the next 2 weeks your AGM pack. This will include a number of documents which you should read and give some thought to. Please remember that to attend the AGM (and the speed-networking afterwards), you must be a fully paid up member for 2008. Details of how to make the payment are given later in this newsletter. If you cannot attend the AGM, you may make your vote by proxy, either by printing, filling out and sending us your proxy vote or by filling in the on-line form, details of which will be included in the AGM pack. For those of you who have not attended a previous AGM, I shall outline quickly how the voting works. When an agenda item has to be voted on, it is done by a system of proposer and seconder from the audience rather than by ballot or a show of hands. Anyone in the audience can propose or second an agenda item. By working in this way, we run the AGM smoothly, and above all, quickly! We try to keep the AGM to one hour, afterwards of course you have the opportunity to speednetwork and introduce your business to other members regards, Lisa

Editor's Notes

Dear Networkers, Don't miss out! Make sure you have renewed your membership. Otherwise, you will cease to get this newsletter and reminders of the upcoming events. So hurry... Please be advised that Membership runs from January to January. The fees for 2008 are 35 Euros and 15 Euros if joining after June 30th 2008. Please send a bank transfer, clearly indicating your name, to the bank account below: - Bank: Banque de Luxembourg - Swift/BIC Code: BLUXLULL - IBAN: LU58 0080 5333 3500 1003 - Beneficiary: The Network regards, Gosia

Upcoming Network Events "Improve Your Career in Luxembourg"-start on the 20th of February! With all the talk of opportunity and a healthy employment market in Luxembourg, have you ever wondered what it takes to improve your career? At the 20th of February meeting a group of experts from Luxembourg’s recruitment industry will offer advice on questions such as improving interview skills, new training opportunities in Luxembourg, career planning and new recruitment methods. Guest Speakers Rachel Treece of Fast Academy, Sinéad O’Donnell of DlO Recruitment Advisors, Tanja Landrin of Rowlands International and Cornelia den Hartog of Gax will discuss new developments and opportunities in the recruitment industry and how they can benefit those looking to rethink, restart or improve their careers in Luxembourg. The one hour discussion will take place at the Sofitel, speakers will be available afterwards for questions and to arrange individual appointments. The evening will conclude with networking in the Sofitel bar. Doors open 7.30pm for 8.00pm start. Members and non-members are welcome.

AGM Documents

All AGm Documents are to be found on the wesite calendar

http://www.the-network.lu/Calendar.php?mode=event&id=122

Improving your Career – Getting the Coaching Perspective

Feel, Think, Do! Viviane Bumb, Vice-President of The Network, speaks about career with Monica Jonsson, founder of CoachDynamix. A Coach works alongside people to help them to gain clarity and define what is important for them. Together a coach and client define a personalised strategy that enables the client to succeed. VB: How would you define the term “career”? MJ: The first thing that usually comes to people’s mind when they think about the word career is that it’s synonymous with “climbing the ladder”. This is not necessarily the case. In my view, having a career is about being fulfilled in a business-related activity and having the feeling to be contributing something meaningful. VB: What if somebody does not have a ”career” but wants to begin? Where to start? When is it too late? MJ: The best way to approach this, is to take some reflective time. Identifying your strengths and listing what drives you. We all have accomplishments – what were things that you really enjoyed? Where do you want to be? What does that feel like? There can be some limiting beliefs that crop up when you do this type of thinking and it’s important to not give in to those beliefs! They can be around topics like “being too late”, age, education, etc. Bottomline is that it’s never too late, it’s about listening to your intuition, doing your “homework”, exploring your options and keeping an open mind. "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether this happens at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps on learning not only remains young, but becomes constantly more valuable regardless of physical capacity" Harvey Ullman VB: Many women with children have extended their maternity leave for a few years with a decreased self-confidence as a result. How can they get their self-esteem back?

MJ: We need to be aware to not enter into a “victim” position. Ask yourself: What do I want now? What really suits me at this point? It might not be the same as before the maternity leave. Then define a strategy and make an action plan. Seek some support from a coach or someone else to help you define your next steps. Prepare mentally and be proactive. A good tip is to keep in touch with your boss and colleagues during your maternity leave to keep informed about the status. VB: What about women who have a good position but somehow they are stuck or unsatisfied? What shall they do? MJ: Once again, this is a time to take a step back to reflect, review our options and listen to our intuition. In this process it’s useful to learn to trust ourselves and perhaps not listen too much to what friends and colleagues say as their “advice” often tends to be clouded by their own agendas. Feel, think, do! When you are clear: Seek out role models for what you want. Invite them for lunch, interview them! Get inspiration by reading biographies of successful people. VB: Change includes also fear about the unknown, the uncertain. How can one beat this fear? MJ: Face your fears and really investigate them. Instead of pushing them away, get curious about them. Write them down. When doing this type of exercise we usually realise that there isn’t much to be afraid of in the end. Surround yourself with supportive people as much as you can. With every step you take the fear tends to decrease. And remember, there are no failures only experiences. We have so much untapped potential within us. We need to dare and take calculated risks if we want to live a juicy life. The way to have that is to be conscious to Improve Your Life!

Business etiquette Planning to go to Moscow ? Here are some useful tips to get you started! Source: The Economistm, http://www.economist.com Executive Travel, http://www.executivetravel.com Meeting and greeting 

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Pay attention to your clothing. Russians dress as well as they can afford to, and rarely do “slacker” style. Turning up looking too casual or scruffy could cause offence. Western “smart casual” is a safe bet. In winter, women are advised to take a pair of smart shoes to change into. Turning up to a meeting at the Kremlin wearing a polo-neck sweater instead of a shirt and tie is rumoured to have been one of the reasons why Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Yukos, his oil company, were destroyed by the government. Whether you are mingling with expats or Russians, get to know them before broaching subjects such as corruption, contract killings or other corporate crimes. Russians are often sensitive to outside criticism of their country or comparisons with

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others, even if they make them themselves. Keep small talk focused on what a booming city Moscow is or where they spend their holidays. Sport is a safe subject. Russians devote much energy to their relationships and friendships, and the concept of a professional relationship without personal contact is alien. Keeping up contact afterwards, especially if you plan to leave for a while but return, is very important. Be suspect of business deals that develop faster than personal trust. Anything that seems too good to be true really is.

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Drinking habits among businessmen are a little more western these days (ie, more reserved). Still, boozing is a big part of social life and if you're not inclined to get drunk, it's best to say that you are on antibiotics. This will save you from wellmeaning hosts prodding you to drink. Alternatively, down the first shot of vodka in one, when everyone is watching you, but only sip from the glass during subsequent toasts. No Russian drinks vodka without eating zakuski (snacks) after each shot or at least sniffing some black bread (surprisingly effective) to help soak up the alcohol. Zakuski usually consists of pickled vegetables with black bread. Set your glass down on the table to be refilled; do not raise it to meet the bottle. On business trips in the provinces, a valedictory feast punctuated by frequent toasts may be unavoidable. If you know you are in for a marathon, try lining your stomach with fat first by eating a large chunk of butter, perhaps spread thickly on some bread. You will stay sober longer, and in extremis can go and make yourself throw up the booze before it penetrates your system. Toasts are a big deal in Moscow. It is well worth preparing a few well-chosen phrases (English is fine) if there is any chance that you will be socialising with Russians. Drink to international friendship, the success of their enterprise, or any other heartwarming goal. The second toast of the evening is usually Za zhenzhin (“to the women”). Russians will be delighted by your efforts. Many Russians think it rude to accept something the first time it is offered. If you are entertaining, always offer several times to top up glasses, refill plates, and so forth. Russians like to provide food in large quantities. Always pace yourself. If you see a large cold buffet, go slow: it is probably just the starter, and there will be hot food to come. Always hand in your coat at the cloakroom when visiting a restaurant or theatre— draping it over the back of your chair is frowned upon. This Russian custom has its roots in the weather: in winter, the snow dripping off coats would quickly turn a restaurant into a river. If your coat lacks a collar hook, the attendant may try to charge you for the use of a hanger. “Face control” is Russian for “The management reserves the right to refuse admission”. At elite bars and clubs, this means that anybody who is not a six-foot-tall model, or at least accompanied by one, will stand outside at the guards' pleasure. But even at restaurants, what would be acceptably relaxed dress in the West may not be in Russia. The Economist's correspondent has on occasion been told that perfectly ordinary places are “members only” because he arrived looking too scruffy. Objections sometimes fade away if you are meeting someone who is already there.

Off-duty

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In quotidian dealings Russians can be uncommonly rude, with each other as much as with foreigners. The initial contact between two people is often a subconscious test of who has more power. Shop assistants or petty officials may treat you less like a customer or citizen than an irritating distraction. Be polite but firm. They may turn compliant surprisingly quickly. There are several widely held superstitions. Don't shake hands through a doorway, light a cigarette from a candle, give someone an even number of flowers, or whistle indoors. If you get to know your host's children, don't kiss them goodbye on the forehead: that's for corpses. Going back for something you've forgotten is inauspicious too. If Russian friends invite you over, take flowers (odd numbers) or a large box of chocolates. Even numbers of flowers are traditionally reserved for the dead. Because of the slushy mess outside, Russians always take off their “outdoor” shoes in the entrance hall of a private home. Visitors are offered tapochki or slippers by their hosts. You will certainly win points if you bring your own indoor shoes. It is quite common for Russians to cadge cigarettes off complete strangers on the street or in bars or restaurants. It is highly unusual, and would be considered particularly mean given the price of cigarettes, for anyone to refuse. Note that smoking in Red Square is prohibited and can incur a large, on-the-spot fine.

Travelling and getting around 

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Moscow's metro is the quickest and cheapest way to get around the city. Metro maps with Roman transliterations are available at hotels and in tourist publications. Many of Moscow’s metro stations are marble-faced, mosaic-tiled, stained-glass works of art. Beware of gypsy cab-drivers; you will be better off calling taxi company. Even “proper” taxis do not use meters, so make sure you agree on destination and price before you enter a car. Leave your GPS devices at home. They are not allowed in Russia except with written permission. Watch out for confidence tricksters. One favourite scam starts with a wallet of money on the ground, which a passing Russian “finds” and offers to split with you. Then the “real owner” turns up and you are in trouble. Con-artists often hang around foreign exchanges. Their usual trick is to offer to change your dollars. Once you've handed your money over, an accomplice then shouts that the police are coming. In the confusion, your larger note is replaced with a dollar bill and handed back to you. Another scam involves a desperate, seemingly dumb man whose sign language involves patting your coat (and relieving you of your wallet). Just smile and walk away from any strange encounter. Russia is as macho as any Latin American or Middle Eastern country, and single women should be prepared to put up with anything from light chauvinism to fairly heavy come-ons. Rejecting what a Russian man considers normal gentlemanly behaviour (paying for meals, buying flowers, remarking loudly to his colleagues about how you're both intelligent and attractive) could cause offence, but you'll have to set boundaries clearly if such approaches shade into unwelcome advances. A polite but steely smile early on should send the right message. Being married, or appearing to be, certainly helps. American-style tipping would be too generous. Foreigners are advised to tip about 10 percent to waiters and drivers and about 30 rubles to coat checkers (who are often

poor pensioners or students), consider a little more for porters in the smarter hotels. Registration 

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One of the most oppressive leftovers of the Soviet system is the requirement to register in every city you visit within three days of arriving. If you stay at a hotel, this will be done automatically, usually at check-in. If the hotel insists on keeping your passport for a day, take a copy with you when you go out, plus some kind of certificate (spravka) from the hotel attesting to this. If you're not staying at a hotel, the organisation that issued your visa invitation ought theoretically to be able to register you (and not the consulate that gave you the visa; they will know nothing). But a new law that came into force in January 2007, and was supposed to simplify the process, has in fact thrown the whole registration system for those not staying in hotels into utter confusion. Only worry about it if you are staying longer than three working days, and if so, seek advice as soon as you arrive. Once registered, carry your passport, visa and immigration form everywhere you go. In theory the police have no right to check your documents without grounds for suspicion. In practice it is their favourite way of extracting bribes. Should you be caught without your papers, speak loudly in a foreign language, make a fuss, demand to see their IDs, insist on being allowed to call your embassy or any influential Russian contact you might have (keep their numbers and a mobile phone handy). If there is no other option, 100-200 roubles should suffice as a bribe, though the police will try for more.

Future Meetings - Dates for your Diaries

Events Party..Party...Party... The American Women's Club are organising a Masquerade Ball Fancy an opportunity to come in disguise ? Then dress up in your ball gowns and /or mardi gras carnivale costumes. Be sure to wear a mask ! « The Little Bluesband » will be entertaining us with all sorts of wonderful music of Glam, Rock & Pop. So, get out those dancing shoes and join the Masquerade Party « Bourbon Street Ball » on SATURDAY, 23 February 2008, from 19.30 to open end at Restaurant Reimerwee (Foires Internationales, Kirchberg)

Serving: Cocktail Comprises of a mixed assortment of Canapés Bruschetta Mini Petite pain Dessert ... and a lot more to surprise your palate!

dînatoire froids brochette brioché

Early-Bird special for early bookings Couples = 60,00 € (instead of 75,00 €) Singles = 30,00 € (instead of 37,50 €) Kindly book your attendance directly at the AWCL Club House by calling 44 87 77 for email to awcluxembourg@vol.lu. Please pay attention to our no show policy. Should you have booked and do not show, you will be required to pay.

General Information Office to Rent Office 22m2 to rent in rue de Hollerich, Luxembourg. Rent : 380€/month Charges : 100€ / month TVA : 15% TTC : 552€ Parking available at an extra cost, 10min walk to train station. Contact Dee +352 27 27 31 50 or email: deedelux@yahoo.com

Job Vacancy Sales Executive to work on Station.lu Profile: a dynamic and outgoing individual to identify and approach advertising agencies as well as potential advertisers (according to an agreed schedule) directly; initial contact by telephone to arrange meetings; then presenting Station.lu as the central online information service in English for Luxembourg, its online community, and its array of marketing opportunities; securing advertising sales contracts. The position is not office-based as the goals are achieved when meeting people. Having a car would be an advantage. Languages: English (fluent) and at least one of Luxembourgish, French, German Availability: Immediate Remuneration: Commission-based on sales results

Deadline for the March 2008 Newsletter Submissions for the March 2008 newsletter should reach the Editor on or by 7 March 2008. Our contact details are listed here.

here. For contact details of the current Network Team, click here.

The Network Newsletter March 2008 International Business & Professional Network asbl (Established 1991)

The Network asbl 1, rue des Lilas L-8084 Bertrange e-mail: getintouch@the-network.lu website: http://www.the-network.lu

President's Letter

Dear members, Come on, Speed-network yourself into another successful year with The Network! The 19th March is the AGM, please remember we need a quorum, so your support is appreciated. If you can't make it please send your proxy vote. But here is the bonus, we are so efficient our AGM is really down to business items only and afterwards we have plenty of time to enjoy a sparkly toast to another year and then Network. Just as a reminder, the slate is attached to the 19th of March on the website calender. We have two new commitee members Anemone Thomas as Membership Secretary and Fiona Hampton as Newsletter Editor. This event is for paid-up members only. So once again bank details for 2008 membership: Please send a bank transfer, clearly indicating your name, to the bank account below: - Bank: Banque de Luxembourg - Swift/BIC Code: BLUXLULL - IBAN: LU58 0080 5333 3500 1003 - Beneficiary: The Network Oh, and by the way, I have had an interesting month representing our organisation at a "Women in Leadership" debate. My message was "get involved". So on that same note, make sure you are involved and come along to the short AGM and Speed-Networking and I'll tell you all about it... Thanks as always for your support,

Lisa

Editor's Notes

Dear Networkers, Annual General Meeting will take place on 19th March. Moreover this meeting is also a great possibility to meet other members and maybe develop new contacts since as usual AGM meeting will be followed by Speed-Networking session. so, please remember to bring your business cards, leaflets, and broshures to present yourself and/or your business to other members. The AGM starts at 7:30pm at the Sofitel. This meeting is open to fully paid members only.

Doing Business in Singapore Author: the economist online Did you know...Singapore is incredibly hot and humid all year long, with a temperature range of 75F to 88F [24C to 31 C], and humidity above 90%. Because of this business dress in Singapore is often casual. Yet, business in Singapore is more formal than in many western countries. 

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There are strict rules of protocol that must be observed.  The group (company or department) is viewed as more important than the individual.  People observe a strict chain of command, which comes with expectations on both sides. In order to keep others from losing face, much communication will be non-verbal and you must closely watch the facial expressions and body language of people you work with.

Standard office wear for men consist of dark trousers, light-colored long-sleeved shirts and ties. Jackets are not required. When it is very hot and humid, a light-colored long-sleeved shirt (without a tie) and trousers are usually preferred. But not every organisation will accept short-sleeved shirts Blouse with pants or skirt makes women standard office outfit. Only some companies allow women to wear sleeveless blouses. If you want to wear a sleeveless blouse, please make sure you shave your armpits because Singaporeans deem unshaved armpits (for women) to be lacking in etiquette. Though Singapore is a liberal country, people might form a negative

impression of women who wear clothes which are too revealing. Accessories, such as a scarf, necklace, brooch, watch and ring should not be too 'excessive.' As a foreigner, you should dress 'up' until you are certain of the degree of formality required. The safest option is to wear a suit and remove the jacket when it is appropriate. For some companies which operate during the weekends, jeans, polo tees and track shoes/moccasins are acceptable, but shorts/Bermudas, round-neck tees and slippers are a nono. If you do not know the other party well or if this is the first meeting, follow the conversational leads that have already been established. Pay compliments based on the other party's accomplishments and appearance. Singaporeans love food and this will be a topic that will be responded to in a relaxed and casual way. Other welcomed topics for casual business conversation include travel, plans for the future, arts, economic advancements in Singapore. Though Singapore is a harmonious, multi-racial, society, it is still recommended that you avoid racial and religious topics. It is 'dangerous' to discuss the strained part of the relationship between Malaysia and Singapore (e.g. the water issue) because the person you are talking to might probably be a Malaysian who is now a Singaporean PR. Gossiping about another individual's personal life should be avoided. Even if the other party initiates the topic, try to side-track from it skillfully.   

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Tipping is seldom necessary, but spare a few dollars for efficient service. Offer and receive business cards with both hands, with the name clearly visible to the other person. Western-style assertiveness is often seen as rude. Singaporeans prize the appearance of modesty and seriousness, and they typically play down achievements and successes. If you are having trouble flagging a taxi down, call and book one (6552-1111; 65522222; 6555-8888). The S$3.20 surcharge is worth it. Greetings will follow a strict protocol often based on both the ethnic origin and age of the person. Younger people or those who work in multi-national companies may have adopted the western concept of shaking hands with everyone, but this is not the case with older or more reserved Singaporeans. Ethnic Chinese shake hands. Their grasp is rather light although the handshake itself can be rather prolonged. Men and women may shake hands, although the woman must extend her hand first. Introductions are always done in order of age or status. Between men, ethnic Malays shake hands. Men and women do not traditionally shake hands, since Muslim men do not touch women in public. Younger Malays may shake hands with foreign women, but it is more appropriate to use the 'salaam' (bowing the head) greeting. This is also the greeting to be used when two women meet. Ethnic Indians shake hands with members of the same sex. When being introduced to someone of the opposite sex, nodding the head and smiling is usually sufficient. As with the other groups, the elderly or the person with the most status is introduced

first. Source: The Economist online edition

New Members - Welcome to the Network Name: Karen Frederiks Age: 36 Nationality: dutch Countries you have lived in: the Netherlands and Luxembourg Languages you speak: English, Dutch and German and curently learning also French Profession, Career path or Work experience: medical, sales, coach, teaching, nail stylist Family: living with partner Children: no children Hobbies: reading, films, golf, people How were you introduced to the Network? Friends What inspired you to join our group? To meet new people, I like the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;goals â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; of the network What do you hope to gain from being a member? Meet new people and develop network of friends

Women's Rugby Club is looking for sponsors Women's rugby in Luxembourg is progressing in leaps and bounds. There are now around 30 registered players in Luxembourg of which many are working, others are students and some are still in school. Until now they have all played out of Cessange with Rugby Club Luxembourg (RCL) whose men's sides play in the French league, while Walferdange Rugby Club's men's sides play in the Belgian league. As the women players and the Luxembourg Rugby Federation feel it would be more appropriate at this stage to join the Belgian rather than the French league, plans are afoot to register the Walferdange Rugby Club to participate in the Belgian women's rugby league from September 2008. The team is therefore looking for a sponsor for team's next season in the Belgian league to cover costs like kit, some equipment, some travel costs associated with away league games

and some hospitality for visiting teams. There are plenty of opportunities for exposure for the sponsor, on top of having their name/logo on the players' jerseys. The team recently beat a team from Nancy (away); last weekend saw Walferdange beat RCL 20-10 to win the Luxembourg Cup; 18 members are participating in a snow rugby tournament in Finland next weekend; a number of members are participating in the ENTC (Emerging Nations Training Camp) in Austria at Easter; the team will play against Liege in the Stade Josy Barthel on the Route d'Arlon on Saturday 19 April when international caps will be awarded for previous games; and they will also be playing in a 7-a-side European tournament in Belgium at the end of May. Anyone interested in sponsorship please contact Geoff THOMPSON, at +352-621-146169

FORUM SUR LE « MBA » INVITATION - FORUM SUR LE « MBA » Jeudi, le 20 mars 2008 de 19.00 à 20.30 heures. Centre de Conférences de la Chambre de Commerce Envie d’accélérer votre carrière ? Envie d’horizons nouveaux ? Envie d’étendre votre réseau de relations ? Envie d’une occasion pour réorienter vos choix ? Envie de développer vos compétences managériales ? Envie d’une expérience internationale ? Vous avez répondu à une majorité de oui ? Alors, le MBA peut vous intéresser ! Si l’expérience vous tente, n’attendez plus… la rentrée 2009/2010 se prépare dès aujourd’hui. L'association MBA2U (www.mba2u.org), sous le patronage de la Chambre de Commerce et en étroite collaboration avec l’Institut de Formation de la Chambre de Commerce a le plaisir de vous inviter à une soirée sur le thème du MBA, le jeudi 20 mars 2008 à partir de 19.00 heures au Centre de Conférences de la Chambre de Commerce, 7 rue Alcide de Gasperi, Luxembourg-Kirchberg (parking souterrain à votre disposition). Dans le cadre des conférences « IFCC-Actuel », ce forum réunira un panel de top-managers, d’entrepreneurs et de consultants de haut niveau tous détenteurs d’un MBA parmi les meilleures « Business Schools » au monde. Par le biais d’une brève présentation et de discussions interactives avec les différents orateurs, nous répondrons aux questions suivantes :     

Pourquoi faire un MBA? En quoi est-ce un accélérateur de carrière? Où mène le MBA? Quelles sont les entreprises qui recrutent ce profil? Combien dois-je investir? Où puis-je trouver du financement? Quels sont les critères pour être accepté(e) dans l'un des meilleurs programmes? Comment se préparer au mieux?

Le forum « MBA » sera suivi d’un drink qui vous permettra d’échanger avec les intervenants

et les autres dirigeants luxembourgeois de manière constructive et informelle. Intéressé(e)? Alors, inscrivez-vous gratuitement avant le samedi 16 mars 2008 en renvoyant le formulaire ci-joint à Madame Christel Habils soit par e-mail (christel_habils@mckinsey.com) soit par fax au numéro (+32 2 645 22 62). Dans l’espoir de vous rencontrer nombreux lors de cette manifestation, Marc Niederkorn Paul Emering Partner, McKinsey Luxembourg Chargé de direction de l’IFCC Merci de renvoyer ce bulletin de réponse à l’intention de Christel Habils par fax (+32 2 645 22 62) ou par e-mail (christel_habils@mckinsey.com), avant le 16 mars prochain.

Upcoming Network Events    

19th MARCH:- AGM, SPEEDNETWORKING and INTRODUCE YOUR BUSINESS NIGHT 16th APRIL How Green Are You? "Energy Consultant", Christiane Conrady from Oekozenter Letzebuerg 21st MAY Elite Finance speaker Miriam Macherine JUNE end the season social event

English speaking nanny required Dear Network members, We are a Belgian family living in Arlon area (in Hachy is a small village 10 minutes drive from the nearest shopping centres and train connection in Arlon) and seek an English speaking part-time responsible lady (3 to 4 hours/day – 12 to 16 hours/week ) starting June 2008 to help care for 2 children (who will be 4 months and 3 years old in June 2008). We would like someone who is reliable, friendly, open minded, and of course enjoys working and playing with children. This person will be working during afternoon hours only. However, working time hours can be adapted depending upon this person’s availability. All mornings, Fridays and weekends are free and no baby-sitting is required. Duties during the afternoon will be picking the children up from school and kindergarten and care for them, bathing them, as well as preparing their dinner. Although the house is big enough to welcome someone caring for our two children (a separate big bed room and private bathroom with all commodities), it is possible to be independent. A driver would be useful and there is use of a car. References are required. We also understand that more information about our family from different sources may be required and we will provide any additional information possible. If you know of anyone who would be interested, please contact us via email (jeanpierremernier@ehp.lu or mernier.migeot@gmail.com) or telephone (Tel: +352 621 15 78 46).

General Information Deadline for April 2008 Newsletter Submissions for April 2008 newsletter should reach the Editor on or by 10th April 2008. Our contact details are listed here.

Disclaimer: The comments and opinions of authors expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Network.

The Network Newsletter April 2008 International Business & Professional Network asbl (Established 1991)

The Network asbl 1, rue des Lilas L-8084 Bertrange e-mail: getintouch@the-network.lu website: http://www.the-network.lu

President's Letter

Dear networkers, Thank you to all who managed to attend the AGM and speed-networking. I look forward to my final year on the committee and hope to bring interesting speakers to our group. The new committee is in place and Fiona Hampton is the editor of our monthly newsletter, Anemone Thomas is our member secretary and Gosia will take care of the treasury. At our first committee meeting we tried to take care of a few dates that were still open on our calander. We decided that our June event will be a social evening; we will take a guided tour through Luxembourg City that highlights women of significance in Luxembourg's history. Afterwards we will have dinner at one of the city's restaurants. More details will follow in next month's newsletter. I look forward to seeing everyone at Wednesday's meeting when energy expert Christiane Conrady will give us insights into renovating property and the Luxembourg government's new energy passport. After the lecture of course we will....network in the bar. See you there. Lisa

Editor's Notes

Dear Networkers, Firstly, I would like to introduce myself as the new Newsletter Editor and as a new member of the Committee. For those of you who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know me I have been living in Luxembourg for the last year and a half and have been a

member of the Network club for nearly as long. I am currently in the process of setting up a Garden Design business. You may have seen my picture and garden articles in the 352 Magazine. The AGM was a time to reflect on the year past and to consider what is in store for the future. Looking back over the year by far the most memorable meeting for me was the talk by Simone Kayser the marathon runner about running in the desert. As someone who is not very sporty I reluctantly dragged myself away from the TV to go to this meeting. What an inspiration, Simoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enthusiasm was contagious, she even had me thinking of take up running! As the Newsletter Editor I hope to be able to feature many more articles about inspirational women over the coming months. So, if you know anyone who fits this category, or you yourself would like to be featured let me know!

New Members - Welcome to the Network Name: Beverley Atkinson Age: 51 Nationality: British Countries you have lived in: Mexico, Germany, UK, Luxembourg Languages you speak: English, German, Luxembourgish, French, Spanish Profession, Career path or work experience:Translator/Import-export/Training Family situation: Married Children: 2 Hobbies: Theatre, Singing, Scouting How were you introduced to the Network: Word of mouth What inspired you to join the group: Curiosity What do you hope to gain from being a member: Ideas

Name: Anna Dannfelt Nationality: Swedish Countries you have lived in: Sweden, Japan

Languages you speak: Swedish, English, French, German Profession, Career path or work experience: Stressmanager Aromatherapist, Coach, Corporate health Children: 4 Hobbies: Music, Horses, Travelling, Meeting new people How were you introduced to the Network: By a friend What inspired you to join the group: To meet people What do you hope to gain from being a member: Meeting people, Making connections, Exchanging ideas.

Upcoming Network Events Energy Efficiency- Could You Do More? Wednesday 16th of April; Speaker Christiane Conrady – Architect and Energy adviser When was your home built? Is it energy efficient and how could it be improved? In any European countries the energy-saving potential of existing residential property is regarded as an important component in effective climate protection policy and Luxembourg is no exception. Christiane Conrady will discuss Luxembourg’s climate protection policy and the application of energy-saving measures in practice. The Luxembourg Government’s programme for promoting energy savings in existing properties will be presented, together with the new energy passport for residential properties. Christiane Conrady studied architecture at the Rhineland-Westphalia Technical University in Aachen and worked for many years in various architects’ offices in Luxembourg. Since 1999 she has specialised in energy-efficient building; initially for the low-energy-houses. After further studies and a number of courses in Luxembourg and abroad she became a specialist energy adviser for buildings, working for seven years at the Oekozenter Lëtzebuerg and since 2008 at the “Agence de l’énergie”.

Small changes equal big energy savings The biggest long-term savings come from changing your energy habits and being more energy efficient around the home. As you start to see savings its a good idea to re-invest this money in energy saving products and appliances to reduce your energy consumption even further. The long-term savings will more than pay for the cost of purchasing and installing these measures.

Start using these no-cost energy saving ideas around your home and measure the reduction in your next few energy bills. The more you apply the more you'll save.

Heating Tips • Time your heating to go off 30 minutes before you leave the house, and come on again 30 minutes before you are due to return. • Turn the room thermostat down by 1?C. This can save around £30 a year. • Make sure curtains or furniture are not in front of a radiator. • Draw the curtains at dusk to keep heat in rooms.

Using Electrical Appliances • Switch off appliances such as microwaves, TVs, videos, stereos, and computers, as they use energy when they are left on standby. A staggering 85% of the energy used by the DVD player is consumed when it is not actually in use. • Unplug equipment e.g. mobile phones, shavers and electric toothbrushes—once they are fully charged, otherwise they will keep drawing electricity.

Refrigeration • Avoid leaving the fridge door open. Avoid putting hot or warm food straight into the fridge; allow it to cool first. • Defrost your fridge regularly to keep it running efficiently and cheaply. If it seems to frost up quickly, check the door seal. It makes sense to avoid putting your fridge next to an oven or boiler. If possible, keep the freezer in a cool room or garage.

Washing machine and dishwashers • Only wash full loads or use a half-load or economy programme. Always use a low temperature programme as modern washing powders will be just as effective. • Modern dishwashers use less energy and water than washing up by hand. Cooking • Match the size of the ring to the size of the saucepan or you will be paying to heat the air. Gas flames should only heat the bottom of the pan (not the sides) • Use a lid on saucepans, so the contents heat more quickly and you use less energy. • Pressure cookers, steamers and microwaves save energy.

Tumble dryers • In summer dry your clothes outside when possible. • If you are drying your clothes indoors, don’t put them over a radiator. This stops the heat from reaching the rest of the room. Try putting up a clothes rail in an unheated room, opening the window slightly to allow damp escape and shutting the door to stop heat being drawn into that room.

Hot water • Only boil as much water in the kettle as you need. • In hard water areas, you need to deal with limescale to keep your kettle working efficiently

for longer. At least twice a year, soak the element overnight in vinegar. • When washing up or running a bath turn the thermostat on your hot water tank down to 60c. This is a comfortable temperature for most people. • An ordinary shower uses just two fifths of the water for a bath. In contrast, power showers use as much water as a bath and sometimes more.

Energy Saving Tip: You can save yourself £45 a year by replacing a 10 year-old fridgefreezer with a modern, energy efficient A-rated appliance. Source http://www.energysavingadvice.co.uk Other helpful web links;

http://money.uk.msn.com/guides/ethical-money/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4779937 http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/article3368883.ece http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/house-and-home/property/20-ways-to-go-green-athome-463438.html http://case.glam.ac.uk/sewsn/documents/Science%20Shops%20Leaflets/Energy%20at%20ho me%20series/Green%20ways%20to%20heat%20your%20home4.pdf http://www.centralheatingguide.co.uk/the-top-5-alternative-ways-to-heat-your-home.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2008/03/26/pfifty126.xml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house

Places to visit Author: Fiona Hampton Being environmentally friendly and saving energy at home is one thing, but how many of us, me included, are tempted by cheap flights to places elsewhere contributing to global warming? Before you book that next flight why not consider exploring somewhere more local? So where can you go that isn’t more than about 2 and half hours journey from Luxembourg by car (or even better by train?) Please send me you suggestions for publication. My suggestion is to visit some gardens. Last year I discovered a network of gardens within a short distance from Luxembourg called “Jardins sans limits” which have been designed by landscape architects and are well worth visiting. They vary in size and style, some taking minutes to visit and others large enough for the visitor to want to linger for several hours or more.

My favourite was the Garden of the Senses at Merzig, Germany, which I visited twice last year, once in the summer and again in early autumn. This garden appeals to visitors of all ages. Children love the metal sculptures and the water rill that runs through the centre of the garden. There is also a play area that has been created especially for them. All the plants are labelled making it an ideal place for ideas for planting schemes in your own garden. There is also a charming pavilion and sitting area outside where you can relax and have a drink and a cake. Another interesting garden is at the Roman villa of Borg. The Roman villa has been reconstructed along with the garden and plants that the Romans would have grown. There is also a restaurant where it is possible to order food made from typical Roman recipes using the plants from the garden. I was very impressed with the food and will be returning again when friends come to visit me. For more information the excellent website is: http://www.gaerten-ohne-grenzen.de/

Future Meetings - Dates for your Diaries ď&#x201A;ˇ ď&#x201A;ˇ

21st May 19.30 Sofitel -Elite Advisers Speaker Miriam Macherine 18th June 17.45 Luxembourg City Tourist Office -Guided Walk and Meal

General Information Deadline for the May 2008 Newsletter Submissions for the May 2008 newsletter should reach the Editor on or by 10th May 2008. Our contact details are listed here.

Disclaimer: The comments and opinions of authors expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Network.

The Network Newsletter May 2008 International Business & Professional Network asbl (Established 1991)

The Network asbl 1, rue des Lilas L-8084 Bertrange e-mail: getintouch@the-network.lu website: http://www.the-network.lu

President's Letter

Dear networkers, It has been an interesting month for The Network. For the past year or two we have been discussing the fact that we need better coverage, not only in the English press, but also in the German and French press here in Luxembourg. So rather than discuss we decided to do; we had the bright idea to host a press breakfast to introduce the group to national press. We didn’t expect too much and I promised committee members that I would at least buy their breakfast if no journalists turned up. Well, low and behold, eight papers were represented at our breakfast. All were journalists on the business section of their respective papers who were genuinely interested in our objectives. We explained that we were doing only what men in business have been doing for years in the rotary club, the lions club, the freemasons, we are building a network of business contacts. Equally, for many of us the group is a support group of like minded women who work in a country that does not particularly support mothers working. But for many, it is a place to do business, where you meet your future tax consultant, recruitment advisor or marketing consultant. For all of us it is an evening out once a month to listen to a good speaker and meet interesting people. Importantly we pointed out that our group is open to anyone and one does not have to have a sponsor to join. In the past week the newspapers reviewed us well and hopefully we can follow this on a monthly basis by getting our events publicised or reviewed. So the moral of this story is….it never hurts to try, so on stick your neck out…the worst is that things may not turn out as you planned, or you get a whopping big picture in the newspaper. I hope to seeing you all at the meeting next week when Miriam Mascherin will discuss her career path, her new business and Wine Funds! Miriam is Irish, lives in France and has worked in Luxembourg for many years. June 18th is our last meeting before summer, so we plan something different. We will host a guided tour of the "Life and Legends of Women of Luxembourg" and then of course discuss it all at dinner. See below for details..

Lisa

Editor's Notes

Dear Networkers I was sorry to have missed the last meeting, about energy efficiency, as I am a keen promoter of environmental issues. However, I have to admit that after advocating visiting places locally to reduce your carbon foot prints in the last Newsletter, that soon after I flew off to Sicily! I will have to start making use of the Veloh! bikes to appease my conscience. I can thoroughly recommend going to Sicily in May; the wild flowers were amazing as were the insects and butterflies attracted by them. But this was not the only aspect of Sicily that made it an enjoyable holiday. The Sicilians are charming helpful and the food delicious and there is lots to see and do. What’s more Ryanair has started flying direct to Sicily from Hann Airport. Oh and the Sicilian wine was rather good, which brings me to the subject of our next meeting- Investing in wine see below.

Events Speaker Miriam Mascherin-Partner in Elite Advisers 21st May Venue Sofitel Do you fancy investing in something that interests you, but at the same time want an attractive return on your investment? Miriam Mascherin, partner in Elite Advisers, offers insights into a very innovative product that is guaranteed to spark the imagination and bring back passion to investing. The exclusive product that Elite Advisers has brought to Luxembourg is a Wine Fund; aptly named “Nobles Crus”. The idea of investing in wine is not new, as such, and is a form of investment that is practiced in a number of countries. However, this the first time that it has been introduced in Luxembourg. The fund invests in two categories of wine; “Primeurs” which are wines bought young with a very positive investment growth potential and also older “millesimes” which are sought after by informed investors or wine amateurs or professionals. A typical portfolio includes wine from not only Bordeaux and Bourgogne, but also exquisite wines from Champagne, Piemont and Tuscany. The increase in value in wine can be incredible; the auction house Sotheby’s reported an increase in investment of 850% on 1990 Châteaux Margeaux auctioned between 1991 and 2005.

Investing in wine: Wine matures as an asset class Author: Peter Lunzer for Money Week 28.4.2006 There is a romantic notion about wine investment, which is that you can buy two cases of young wine so that, after a period of maturation, you can drink one and sell the other to finance the purchase of another two cases. This self-perpetuating policy may allow some wine enthusiasts to drink ‘for free’. The fallback position of those who hold this view is that if values don’t rise as expected, they can always drink the whole stock. Sadly, though, it’s not much of an investment policy. Recently, interest in fine wine has been growing in the traditional markets of Europe and North America (which underpin the market for fine wines) and the emerging markets of Russia, India and China. The price of ‘blue-chip’ wines will increase with demand, yet volume remains finite: from their harvest date, the quantity of these wines can only decrease – sometimes at remarkable rates – especially when a wine is ready to drink. While owning the physical stock of such blue-chip wines can give great returns, for investment purposes that’s not enough in itself. The key questions remain ‘what to buy?’, ‘where to store the wine?’ and, most importantly, ‘how much to pay?’. It seems that most wine investors to date have settled for so-called ‘investment advice’ from wine merchants who offer to put investors’ money into wines that the merchant already owns. This means that the investor pays the merchant’s margin in the price. Such advice may be given honestly, but it doesn’t ensure the best price is achieved – which is the key to investing in wine. Price determines the time it takes to make a decent return. A lot of great wines sit on lengthy price plateaux during periods of maturation. Often, this has to do with whether or not the wines are being written about. For example, the now all-bottled 2003 Bordeaux is currently being shipped to clients and reassessed by the critics. The effect is to increase sales of the 2003 vintage and up the price of those wines that critics feel are of greater quality than they considered them to be during their en-primeur (ie, pre-bottling) stage. From an investment point of view, why tie up your capital during a price plateau? Competing in the press for column inches will soon be the opening offers of wines from the newly hyped 2005 vintage. The quality is very high and rumours so far are that the demand will be exceptional, which will persuade many chateaux owners to cash in on the demand by raising their prices – possibly by as much as 30% above the 2004 prices. But what if you manage to acquire these wines at such a high price and the next (2006) harvest produces an equal, or better, quality vintage? I believe securing a stock of great wines early will ultimately produce terrific returns. It is purely that the time scale is debatable. Investors have rarely been offered wine portfolios managed by truly independent fund managers and there have been very few pure wine investment funds, but some are now opening. And as wine becomes a viable asset class, more funds are likely to become available with variable risk levels. On 20 March, Liv-ex (the international wine exchange) announced that its index of 100 investment grade wines had been included on Bloomberg Indices (which quotes indices of

the world’s main investment markets). This is a clear sign that whatever our individual feelings about wine, for the first time ever the financial markets are being provided with performance data that will bring fine wine into the public domain as a viable and sustainable vehicle for capital growth.

Upcoming Network Events June Event-Life and Legends of Women in Luxembourg Following on from our December event when we visited the Museum and learned about the history of the city we live and work in , we plan to find out more about the women in Luxembourg’s past. On the 18th of June we will take to the streets of Luxembourg City. With the Luxembourg City Tourist Office we have organised a guided tour of “Life and Legends of Women of Luxembourg”. This is a new tour introduced by the tourist office at the end of last year and by all accounts well worth it. The walk starts at 17.45 and afterwards we will enjoy a lovely meal together at the Café du Musée. You must register for this event, if you are interested please send an email to viviane.bumb@gmx.net.

Meeting in Review Author: Thelma Naegele Christiana Conrady-Architect- works for the 'Agence de l'Energie' and she gave us a very interesting and inlighting talk about what can be done to save household energy. Since the Kyoto agreement, Luxembourg has made big efforts to reduce the level of CO2. There are 3 main sectors of energy consumption: 1. Industry: since 1990 all has been done to greatly diminish the level of CO2 in this sector 2. Houselhold: this sector has progressively increased its consumption, and therefore this is is the sector on which new efforts for energy saving can be done. 3. Traffic consumption: as Luxembourg does not produce energy, computation is done on the sales of petrol. There is also a phenomenon of petrol purchase by neighbors. Christiana illustrated the fact that over a period of 25 years, an investment in construction of energy saving houses can greatly decrease the costs of energy. Energy balance within a construction is calculated by the difference between the loss of energy (open windows, badly insulated walls, windows) and the energy comsumption needed to produce heat. A Thermograph indicates clearly weather a house is properly insulated. A photograph example showed a properly insulated house next to a badly insulated one: the roof of the insulated house was covered with snow in winter, and the badly insulated house had no snow because of the heat escaping through the roof and melting the snow. There are many methods to increase the insulation of a house: -add a 20cm insulation to the last ceiling: 20% savings. -insulate pitched roof to obtain a better quality house:20% savings and better quality house. -insulate external walls: 80% savings.

-insulate internal walls: this is possible but difficult. -have one or more heating pumps: this is effective for low energy houses with floor heating. -construct a house with a proper ventilation system as in 'passive' houses. Financial arguments Although one needs to invest at the beginning, it has been calculated that the heating costs for better insulated houses over 25 years is decreased by: -72% for Passive houses: constructed with full insulation and good ventilation. -49% for Low energy houses. Grants and Energy Certificates The EC Directive 2002/91 has been enacted within Luxembourg Law. As a result, new constructions need to have an Energy Certificate. This is required also for substansive renovation, and when there is a change of owner (as from September 2008). The energy passport is valid for 10 years. Grants can be obtained and are attributed according efficiency classification of the certificate. Depending on the type of insulation, grants can range from €8 to €15 per square meters. Usefull information can be obtained on internet - www.eco.public.lu/energyefficient - or by phoning 8002-190 to obtain the brochure with all explanation needed.

Jobs for the girls

Spain's government wants firms to appoint more female directors

THE sight of Spain's heavily pregnant defence minister inspecting the troops in early April seemed to herald a new era of opportunity for Spanish women. Spain is the first European country ever to produce a government with more female than male ministers. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the prime minister, has appointed nine women and eight men to his new cabinet, including Carme Chacon, Spain's first female defence minister. Despite their sudden ascendancy in politics, however, women are still practically absent from the upper ranks of business. Spanish women make up just 4.1% of corporate boards, according to a study by the European Professional Women's Network, an lobby group, and Egon Zehnder, a recruiting agency, against an 11% average in Europe (see chart). One reason is that fewer women make it into the workforce than in other European countries, with the exception of Italy. The gap between male and female employment rates in Spain is over 20% points, according to a study by Kevin Daly at Goldman Sachs, an investment bank. Reconciling family life with work, a struggle anywhere, seems to be harder in Spain than in other countries. Spanish women spend far more time on domestic chores, including childcare, than men. The length of the working day, which is extended into the evening thanks to long

lunch breaks, does not help. It is practically impossible to juggle family and work if you get home at 9pm or 10pm, says Ruth Mateos de Cabo, one of the authors of an academic paper entitled “Discrimination on Spanish Boards of Directors”. Ms Mateos and her co-authors analysed the boards of Spain's top 1,000 companies in a bid to understand why women are so scarce. They found that Spanish boardrooms are clubby, and that diversity is seen as a hindrance, not a strength. The government has passed a law that aims to change things by requiring firms to raise the share of women on boards to 40% by 2015. Norway already has such a quota, but the results have been mixed: because of a shortage of eligible women, some of the most qualified have collected as many as 35 directorships. In Spain the target is mainly symbolic, since companies will not face financial penalties if they do not meet it, unlike their Norwegian counterparts, although the government may take their performance into account when awarding public contracts. It may be better to help women gain enough experience to be good candidates for directorships to begin with. Encouraging more reasonable hours would be a start. Spanish boards may also consider headhunting in fields where women are better represented, such as academia. There are reasons for optimism. A bigger share of women in their 20s are joining the workforce in Spain than in America. Eva Castillo, a banker and board-member of Telefónica, a telecoms firm, believes it is only a matter of time before women's lot at Spanish firms improves: “It's changing naturally, it's a generational thing.”

Source The Economist May '08

Why German companies should not appoint bankers to the board

BANKERS who sit on the supervisory boards of non-financial firms in Germany benefit their bank but not necessarily the company—or so concludes a recent study* for the European Corporate Governance Institute, a think-tank. The three authors examined the record of 137 German companies and 11 banks between 1994 and 2005, and found that the mere presence of bankers in the boardroom appears to increase a company's debt and diminish its overall performance. But the board-member's bank tends to win merger-and-acquisition business from the firm. It also tends to increase its loans to the firm's competitors—perhaps thanks to the expertise in the industry the banker gained while serving on the board. That last finding is perhaps the most surprising. German banks must report all loans over €1.5m ($2.3m) to the Bundesbank, Germany's central bank. When the researchers examined this data, which is normally secret, they discovered that a bank represented on a board in one year tended to lend more to other companies in the same industry the next. German companies, especially big ones, tend to have at least one banker on their supervisory board. Of the non-financial companies in the DAX 30 stock index only four do not. Of the

companies examined in the study, 46% had a banker on the board, compared with 32% for equivalent firms in America. Why is this practice so widespread? To some extent it is a hangover from the days when banks owned stakes in many German firms. As recently as 1994 they owned an average of 4% of all non-financial firms. But after 2002, when the government exempted the sale of these stakes from capital-gains tax, the banks sold out. By 2005 they held a mere 0.4%. That may have skewed the interests of bankers on boards away from improving the firm's profits and towards peddling their services—to rivals if need be.

Source The Economist May '08

Places to visit Author: Fiona Hampton A weekend in Nancy Last Easter we decided to take a break a short distance from Luxembourg and consulted our France Rough Guide for suitable places to visit. Nancy, a two half hour drive from Luxembourg seemed to be worth a visit. So we consulted the internet and booked a very reasonably priced hotel, The Hotel de Guise. This was an excellent choice as it was in a quiet side street in the old quarter which was full of character. There were quaint shops and restaurants and it wasn’t far from the Place Stanislas which is on the UNESCO World heritage list. Place Stanislas was spectacular, and it would be worth going to Nancy for this alone. However, there is plenty more to see and if you like Art Nouveau, Nancy is a real treat. Since we do, we set out on foot to explore what Nancy had to offer, beautiful shop fronts, houses and hotels and the museum of the Ecole de Nancy (A short bus journey from the centre) . The exterior and the gardens of the Museum hint at the rich treasures to be found within. There is a whole room completely designed in the Art Nouveau style, furniture and other objects of great beauty. The glass objects made during this period are particularly fine. Back in the town centre, after all our wandering we found a wonderful chocolate shop that also served coffee to rest our weary feet and rejuvenate. For chocoholics this is worth searching out as the chocolate that came with the coffee was the best I have ever tasted. Sorry I can’t remember the name of it! After this we went for a quick tour around the shops. Nancy is a wonderful place to go shopping but with a husband in tow this had to be limited, they just don’t have the same stamina as us women! On Saturday night we went hunting for a place for an evening meal and decided upon the Excelsior an original Art Nouveau Hotel (50, rue Henri-Poincare). We were lucky to get a table as we hadn’t booked in advance. Unfortunately, we were seated in a room that had been added after the Art Nouveau period. However I was able to glimpse through the doorway into the main dining area where waiters, dressed in traditional black and white, moved in and out with trays of food held high. The glow from the coloured glass lamps in the main dining room created a pleasant ambiance, whilst the room we were seated in was rather more harshly light and reminded my husband of a station waiting room!

The food, however, compensated for what our surroundings lacked, the spring lamb was very tender and the desert delicious. On the Sunday of our short break we visited the Museum of Fine Art which is situated on the Place Stanislas. This has a wide range of paints and sculptures from a number of famous artists, including paintings by Tintoretto, Caravaggio, Rubens, Delacroix, Monet, Modigliani, Dufy and Picasso. We also visited the botanical gardens, but I found these rather disappointing, I felt the layout lacked inspiration. I have heard that late May is a good time to visit as they have a large collection of bearded Irises which flower at that time of year. There are lots more things to see and do in Nancy which make it a suitable short break anytime of year. In winter time there are the museums and a jazz festival in October. In the summer there are plenty of pavement cafes around the area of Place Stanislas and pleasant parks in the centre. Not to mention the shopping. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re planning a visit the following websites are useful: http://www.ot-nancy.fr/uk/centre_historique/index.php

General Information Deadline for the [month] 2008 Newsletter Submissions for the June 2008 newsletter should reach the Editor on or by 9th June 2008. Our contact details are listed here.

Disclaimer: The comments and opinions of authors expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Network.

The Network Newsletter June 2008 International Business & Professional Network asbl (Established 1991)

The Network asbl 1, rue des Lilas L-8084 Bertrange e-mail: getintouch@the-network.lu website: http://www.the-network.lu

President's Letter

Dear networkers, Well most of us probably know a bit about Luxembourg's HIStory, but now we have an opportunity to find out HERstory too. We have a good number registered for the guided tour next Wednesday that will introduce us to the Lives of Legendary Women in Luxembourg's past. We hope to have a lovely meal on the terrace of the Café de Musée, if MOTHER nature smiles on us that is. So I am looking forward to a relaxing and inetresting evening before we break for summer. This walk was put together the Women's Library "cid-femmes". Their address is presently 14, rue Beck, 2. floor, L-1222 Luxembourg and they have an interesting website. www.cid-femmes.lu I hope to see many of you at the walk or at dinner, but if not, let's get together for networking an wine tasting in September. Have a lovely summer, Lisa

Editor's Notes

Dear Networkers, Miriam Mascherin’s talk to the Network last month sounded inspirational and I was sorry to have missed it. As someone in the process of setting up my own business it is always interesting to hear how other women have coped with the challenge and come out winning. I have wanted to set up my own business for a while but never felt as though I quite knew enough. However at some stage you just have to take the plunge, some things just have to be learned as you go along. After

all life is more exciting when you take a few risks! Whilst taking a few risks it is always good to have a network of support and advice and the Network is invaluable for this. The next meeting on the 18th June a guided walk around the city centre that celebrates inspirational women of Luxembourg and is followed by a meal, an excellent opportunity to Network so I hope to see you there! Fiona

New Committee New Membership Secretary

Since May Anemone Thomas has become the new Membership Secretary for the Network. She is Swiss but has lived in many different countries and for the last fourteen has lived in Luxembourg with her husband and three children. Anemone has qualifications in International relations and works in this field part time. After having been very involved in setting up the library of the European primary school she now looks forward to contributing to the success of the Network.

Meeting in Review Author: Ioanna Konstantinidi Résumé of Elite Advisers presentation in Network on 21.05.2008 From a personal point of view the presentation at the May meeting did indeed boosted my self confidence and touched my entrepreneurial side! But who is hiding behind passion investment? Miriam Mascherin and Michel Tamisier, co-founders of Elite Advisers S.A., have succeeded in marrying wine with investment practices, addressing this at an elite clientele. Miriam presented to the group and gave a 360° view of her personal career path. Miriam, having started working in sales and later moving to inventory and production management, soon realized her organizational skills and enormous experience in what are the clients’ expectations. So in 2007, she felt convinced that it was about time to start-up her own business, and she “Just did it”!!! It is really surprising to see the statistics demonstrating that women in Europe are doing well and even better in U.S. and Canada in terms of business activity and self-employment. With her amazing professionalism Ms. Mascharin managed to really convince us that as women,

we have to start taking risks and dare to follow our ideas and concepts, because it can actually work. Of course, to achieve that you also need a good team, the correct fundamentals of the market and excellent network skills! For those who are interested in investing in a wine fund and soon in diamonds, their portfolio should be at least of 125,000€. For the rest of us small investors let us just inform you how it’s being done. Elite Advisers are making sure that their selection of wine is the very best and will evolve as far as taste is concerned and consequently will increase in value. They are choosing among the most expensive wines and champagnes in France, Italy, Australia and even Hungary. Then, these precious wines are stored in a bank’s vault, where else than in Switzerland. The investing interest is very high, mainly from Asian and Russian markets. The figure of ROI (return on investment) just until April 2008 has reached 10% of performance, where real estate and stock markets have not been doing so well lately. So we are coming to the conclusion that wine being a niche and luxury product, its demand is higher than the offer, and its price is formed by the consumer demand. We would like to wish good luck to Miriam with her brilliant “Passion Investment” and also to more astonishing results!

Events 18th June Event: Women - Lives and Legends The next meeting of the network is on the 18th June and the meeting place is in front of the Luxembourg city tourist office on the Place Guillaume at 17.45. Our group will take part in guided walk through Luxembourg to discover women who shaped the history and legends of the City. It encompasses women from all spheres of life, politics religion, business sports and the arts, from working women to nobility. A real celebration of women's contribution to society, their changing role and discrimination that they faced. The walk will last approximately one hour and will be followed by a Quiche and Salad Buffet served at the Cafe du Musée; hopefully on their beautiful terrace if weather permits. (deadline for registration 13th June by e mail to: viviane.bumb@gmx.net ) Not to be missed!

International Museum of Women What is the International Museaum of Women (I.M.O.W)?

I.M.O.W. is a groundbreaking social change museum that connects and inspires people with powerful ideas and new ways of thinking that transform women's lives and the world. With its unique focus on cultural change, I.M.O.W. advances the human right to gender equity

worldwide. We invite you to join this innovative twenty-first century museum and invest in making the world a better place for our daughters, granddaughters and nieces as well as our sons, grandsons and nephews by participating in I.M.O.W.'s new global online exhibition Women, Power and Politics. The mission of I.M.O.W. is to value the lives of women around the world. How was I.M.O.W. founded? I.M.O.W. was originally founded as the Women's Heritage Museum in 1985. For over 10 years, the Women's Heritage Museum produced several exhibitions, hosted public programs, sponsored an annual book fair, provided teacher resources for Women's History Month, honored unknown women from our local history and recreated historic events. One day a woman named Elizabeth Colton was seeking a destination to take her daughter to learn about women's lives and history. Elizabeth, without knowing her, contacted Gloria Steinem, noted feminist activist, and asked her to identify such a place. Upon learning that nothing existed, Elizabeth discovered the Women's Heritage Museum and soon become a dedicated volunteer. In 1997, Elizabeth took notice that a group of local teachers were seeking a place to take their students. After a few years of serving on the board and working with the museum, Elizabeth and a group of other board members were sitting around her kitchen table and decided to transform the existing Women's Heritage Museum into the International Museum of Women. The small group then asked 100 women and men to each donate $1,000 to create the new museum. Since it's inception in 1997, I.M.O.W. has organized seven major exhibitions, hosted public forums, developed educational curriculum for schools and created a speaker series drawing world-class artists, authors and political leaders. In 2005, I.M.O.W. embarked on a plan to build an innovative twenty-first century museum model to engage and impact women around the world through strategic partnerships, innovative global online exhibitions and local events. In 2006, I.M.O.W.'s strategy culminated with the launching of Imagining Ourselves: A Global Generation of Women, I.M.O.W.'s first interactive, multi-lingual online exhibition that connected more than a million participants around the world. Founded and directed by Paula Goldman, the wildly successful project garnered worldwide recognition and awards including the Anita Borg Social Impact Award. I.M.OW.'s imaginative, unique and cutting-edge approach continues in 2008 with the launch of the global online exhibition, Women, Power and Politics. The exhibition runs from March 8 - December 31, 2008 in four languages - Arabic, English, French and Spanish - just as the spotlight intensifies on the groundbreaking campaigns, elections and leadership of women from Argentina to the United States. Women, Power, and Politics will connect visitors to the stories of women who have harnessed politics and power to transform women's lives and society. Through online exhibitions, online community-building tools, and a live speaker series, Women, Power and Politics will spark conversations to inspire women to take action in their own communities and participate in broader political arenas as well. Source http://www.imow.org/about/ourstory/index

Summer in the City Summer 2008: hot vibes in the city! Summer is starting in Luxembourg, and the city is celebrating and vibrating. Streets and squares suddenly become open air cultural places-to-be and a marvelous excuse to leave home and stroll around town. Under the heading “Summer in the City” starting with the “Fête de la Musique”, the capital offers a multifarious sequence of original events from June 21st to September 12th that challenges both residents and visitors: open air concerts, festivals, street theatre, open air cinema, markets and feasts, exhibitions and folklore … Source http://www.summerinthecity.lu/html_en/programme.html

A Place to visit Author: Anna Moreno A day in Spa, Belgium

By the end of April, we had all had quite enough of so-so weather and central heating, so one fine Sunday my partner and I decided to head for fairer climes in the shape of lovely warm water, steam rooms and sauna in the spa at Spa in Belgium. Oh and we had a reticent 17 year old in tow who would sooner do anything other than paddle around in what he imagined would be ‘a place for oldies’! As we drove through Belgium the vistas grew greener and more fragrant-windows were thrown open in the car and moods lifted considerably as we climbed high over mossy hills, on windy roads with no one else in sight. Finally the sign led us down into rocky valleys, with water flowing through the rocks into the road through town .We were getting close! Parking alongside the giant building, we did not expect the quality of the famous spa to be quite as wonderful as it turned out to be. Spa water normally comes in bottles. Here you can swim in it, lie in it and even drink it straight from the tap (bring a bottle to refill).Our 3 hours entrance fee allowed us access to a huge indoor pool as well as a superb outside pool complete with a lazy river undertow which carries you down and across the waters if you’re feeling too lazy to move. Clods opened, the sun shone, we grew pink and cheerful. Upstairs, the panoramic sauna (amazing views of the valley and town below as you roast gently), a steam room complete with lovely mosaics at the perfect temperature, and ultraviolet relaxation room all black with a starry sky. The 17 year old was warming up to the whole idea by now and much white tooth grinning took place. A small poolside café below turned out 3 decent plates of salads and knick knacks, fortifying us for a last swim around before moving on the tour. The town of Spa was a great deal more chic than we were expecting, copper topped street lights gleaming along the main shopping drag. Lots of interesting and varied little shops were open and I was amazed to discover several shoe shops to feed my long standing shoe addiction. We stopped for a chocolate liegeois on the town square and looked up at the funicular which carries the lucky guests of the Radisson Hotel straight up to the Spa Thermal baths. We made

a mental note to return and stay overnight. As we shut the car doors for the last time, the 17 year old was heard saying â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Can we go back next weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; before snoozing the good vibes off all the way home.

Future Meetings - Dates for your Diaries

17th September Wine tasting and Speed-networking

General Information Deadline for the [October] 2008 Newsletter Submissions for the [October] 2008 newsletter should reach the Editor on or by [8th October] 2008. Our contact details are listed here.

Disclaimer: The comments and opinions of authors expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Network.

The Network Newsletter September 2008 International Business & Professional Network asbl (Established 1991)

The Network asbl 1, rue des Lilas L-8084 Bertrange e-mail: getintouch@the-network.lu website: http://www.the-network.lu

President's Letter

Dear networkers, I hope you are all relaxed and energised after the summer. It is great to be back and I look forward to seeing many of you this coming Wednseday. We are in the process of organising the November speaker and the December event so if anyone has any ideas or special interests then let us know as soon as possible. See you there, Lisa

Events Enjoy a relaxing evening in interesting company when we kick off the autumn season on Wednesday the 17th of September with a speed-networking and wine-tasting evening. After the success of last year’s event we are really looking forward to the wine-tasting and speed-networking evening, we now know it is a combination that works. Speednetworking always draws many old and new members and is especially attractive to new arrivals in Luxembourg. With the addition of wine-tasting it simply a fun evening to get to know lots of new people. The event takes place at The Network’s regular venue, the Sofitel in Kirchberg. Doors open at 7.30pm and the event starts at 8pm. Non-members are welcome to participate for a small fee of 8€.

Discover Luxembourg DISCOVER LUXEMBOURG

On Saturday 20 September 2008, from Place Guillaume @ 14:00, till around 21:00. Enter a team on a discovery voyage through Luxembourg City to sample its lush history, rich culture, delicious gastronomy, exciting technology, and much more... Registration of teams can be made online from 18 August at www.discover-luxembourg.lu (50 Euros for a team of 4 people). About 50 teams are expected – to include clubs & associations, companies/offices, tourists, and families/friends. In fact, anyone can enter. For safety concerns, all teams must have at least one adult. Each team will collect a map with a series of clues to lure them across the city (on foot). Teams will explore a number of Event Stations to face an entertaining challenge. These challenges consist of tasty gastronomic samplings, intriguing cultural and historical puzzles, and active sporting elements - along with some stimulating brain-teasers. All will be fun with something for everyone! This event concludes with a prize-awarding ceremony. Food & drinks will be available for purchase during the accompanying live musical entertainment. In-depth knowledge of Luxembourg City will not be of any advantage! All information on the day will be in French, German & English.

Editor's Notes

Dear Networkers I hope you all had an enjoyable summer and are ready to start networking! By popular demand the first evening of the new programme is wine tasting and networking. Wines have been made in Luxembourg from grapes grown in the vineyards along the Moselle for centuries, but how do they compare with wines from else where? Did you know some of the varieties grown in Luxembourg are the same as those from Alsace? , If you want to know more it is worth looking at the following website: www.wine-pages.com/guests/tom/luxemb If you acquire a taste for the subject why not attend one of the evening courses run by The Second Degree or the Accueil? See below for more information. If you don’t have the time to attend a course you may be interested in visiting the Wine making museum in Ehnen which is the feature of our ’ Places to visit this month.’ Whatever you decide don’t miss the Wine and Networking!

See you there. Fiona Hampton

New Members - Welcome to the Network Christine Galello I am a French 35 year old young woman who lives in France but also spent one year in Italy, Urbino . My life is very much influenced by both Italian as well as English culture as I speak fluently those two languages. As far as my hobbies are concerned, I like developing my communication skills, (practise of speeches), running and swimming. I am keen on interior decorating and when I have time, visiting historical places or going to exhibitions. I usually always find a few minutes to read each day (can't live without books) and cooking is to me a simple way to relax and please others. To be said about my family situation is that I leave with a partner but do not have children. So far I worked in different banks in Luxembourg as a transfer agent and mainly as an assistant. I also taught Italian language in France (adults evening courses)) and I am currently working as a multilingual assistant in Eurostat, European Commission as external resource . A former colleague of mine who is also a friend informed me about the Network and suggested it could be an interesting opportunity for me. She was herself part of the Network a few years ago. After having looked at the internet link, I thought it could be what was missing to me to fulfil my career: advice, mentoring and support. As being a personal assistant or administrative assistant was not a choice, I would now like to find a job which could allow me to communicate more (or differently like having more responsibilities) and where I could demonstrate my level of reflection not only in the area of organising trips and so on. Another reason to join the Network is that I like meeting new people and I enjoy practising English language. It is also interesting to see how other women see their professional life and how they make the balance with their private life as well. To conclude, here is more or less what can be said about a Christine Galello.

Business Women of the Network Author: Fiona Hampton HĂŠlĂ¨ne Delamare moved to Luxembourg in December last year. Prior to this she lived in Paris working for Publicis Healthcare.When she moved to Luxembourg she became a partner of the communications agency Comquest. I talked to her about setting up in business in Luxembourg. What services do you provide?

Comquest Luxembourg, the agency I represent, specialises in creating promotional and communication material for a wide range of different companies. It is a branch of Comquest Paris, a company that has expanded over the past ten years thanks to the recommendation of existing customers and the hard work of staff in finding new business. The area of business we cover includes various economic sectors, such as tourism, sports, video games, finance. We have graphic designers working for us who have a wide range of skills. The employees of Comquest are involved in the creation of all sorts of internal/external communication tools such as: - Catalogues - Newsletters - Websites - Press advertising... We also advise clients on other aspects of communication. When and how did you set up your business? Comquest Luxembourg was set up almost two years ago. I took over the Luxembourg branch and the responsibility for developing the business.When I first joined Comquest, I spent some time getting to know how the agency worked and who their customers were. This enabled me to decide how best to promote and develop the agency. This was a very challenging but stimulating experience (that involved long hours and hard work). At the same time I was also discovering and settling into a new country and getting to know people. Luxembourg is an interesting place and the diversity of its population makes it a melting pot for different ideas. I now feel that I am a true European. What difficulties did you face? How did you resolve them? Luxembourg is a very competitive market and because Comquest is relatively new to this country most of my work involves creating an awareness of what services we can provide. I do this by advertising, visiting potential clients, presentations and networking.

Wine Courses If you are inspired by the speed-networking and wine-tasting and want to find out more about wine here is whereto go. The Second degree is offering two different wine courses WINE CONNAISANCE Wednesdays, 6:30-9 PM, Grevenmacher. Nowadays the choices of wines can be overwhelming, even for a wine expert! Cultivate your plate, expand your wine vocabulary, and learn how to identify different wines and labels. Abi Duhr will acquaint you with wines from Europe and other countries, and review their grape varieties and taste characteristics. With, of course, lots of tasting to moisten the theory! (15 hours) 180euro.

NEW WORLD WINES Mondays, 7- 9 PM, Weimerskirch, first class, Monday 6th October In eight sessions, take a "tasting tour" through a systematic approach of the New World, from California to New Zealand and back again and find out what makes new world wines so special and why they have found commercial and connoisseur’s success. (16 hours) 192 euro Instructor: Bronwyn Salvat For further information about these and other courses and to enroll contact vanessa@theseconddegree.com www.theseconddegree.com The Luxembourg Accueil The Luxembourg Accueil is offering Wine tasting at the Cercle Munster on Thursday afternoons. Further information can be obtained from their office at 10, Bisserwee, Luxembourg-Grund (open Monday to Friday 9am to 12 noon.)

Places to visit Why not visit the Wine Museum in Ehnen? The Wine Museum is located in a former vintner's house in the picturesque village of Ehnen on the banks of the river Moselle. The museum was opened in 1978 and belongs to the Luxembourg state. The wine making year is shown with pictures and tools, from the winter rest of the vines, through the fight against disease and the harvest, to the final preparation and bottling of the wine. There is also a bottle collection and a look back at the home of the grower, with antiques. In a neighbouring building is a huge press from 1848, together with a forge (from neighbouring Machtum), the former Ehnen "Weights and Measures" office, and a cooperage. To the rear of the museum is a well ordered vineyard planted with all the different varieties of wine that grow in Luxembourg. Visits include a taste of the local wine (or grape juice) Opening Hours From 1 April to 31 October every day, except Monday, from 9.30 to 11.30 a.m, and from 2 to 5 p.m. Other periods on request: Tel: (+352) 76 00 26 / Fax (+352) 76 84 51 Entrance charges: Adults: 3.00 € Adults in Groups: 2.50 € Children: 1.50 € Information source http:/ww.luxembourg.co.uk/ehnen.html

Upcoming Network Events

Wednesday the 17th Septemebr "Wine tasting and speed-Networking" doors open 19.30 for 20.00hrs at Sofitel Wednesday the 22nd October 2008 "Better Communiaction" doors open at 19.30 for 20.00hrs at Sofitel

General Information Deadline for the October 2008 Newsletter Submissions for the October 2008 newsletter should reach the Editor on or by 28th September 2008. Our contact details are listed here.

Disclaimer: The comments and opinions of authors expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Network.

The Network Newsletter October 2008 International Business & Professional Network asbl (Established 1991)

The Network asbl 1, rue des Lilas L-8084 Bertrange e-mail: getintouch@the-network.lu website: http://www.the-network.lu

President's Letter

Dear networkers, Did you know that "May you live in interesting times" is a Chinese curse? So who opened the wrong fortune cookie I wonder? Does anyone know yet, is our "interesting time" a credit crunch or a world recession? The stuff that history and economic books are made of, that's where we are right now for sure. Well I hope those of you directly employed by a financial institution are surviving the daily pressures, the rest of us are waiting and watching along with you. Ironically, there have been a number of interesting talks hosted in Luxembourg recently. Amcham had a speaker from Reuters talking about The Future of News, he touched on the constant search for news in new media and how this has an immediate response in markets. The British Chamber of Commerce have one this Friday about Global Market Turbulence: its effect on Luxembourg and the World. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say I envy that speaker, there is probably no point in him starting his preparation too early. Meanwhile, we should take the opportunity at our event on Wednesday to improving communication with Elisabeth Wille, this is a skill we can always improve on. In November we have Pol Wirtz of New Media Group speaking to us. Currently we are working to organize a social event for December, this is likely to take the form of a tour and a meal at one of Luxembourgâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restaurants. I look forward to seeing everyone over the next few months, especially those new members who came to our September event. Lisa

Editor's Notes

Dear Networkers Wine and Networking certainly proved to be a popular event! Over sixty participants crowded the room at the Sofitel to enjoy the fun. I wonder how many new friendships were started, new jobs found and contacts were made? Please write to me with your experiences of this meeting and I can share it with others via the newsletter. I would also like to hear from anyone who wants to share their experience of setting up their own business in Luxembourg and wants to feature in an article. This month I talked to Michele Jamrozick a Photographer, about her experience.Please see Business Women of the network below. Hope to see you all at the next meeting on Wednesday the 22nd October. Fiona Hampton

Events Improving Communication in the Work Environment In today’s business environment the speed with which things change within and in a company’s environ mean that good communication and team work are key factors in any company’s success. The Professional and Business Women’s Network has invited Elisabeth Wille to discuss various means of improving communication within an organization.. The event takes place at the Sofitel, Kirchberg on the 22nd of October. Team work is a necessary part of the work flow process in large organizations, however it is not always the easiest area to improve on. Facilitation can improve this process and help improve communication. Twenty years ago, few people had heard of or even used the words, “group facilitation” or “group processes”. Then, ten years ago, a professional association of facilitators was formed The International Association of Facilitators (IAF). Today, around the world, thousands of facilitators lead groups every day. The evening event will involve group participation and use facilitation techniques during the session. This will allow a better understanding of various possibilities of improving communication and team building. The meeting takes place at the Sofitel, Kirchberg on the 22nd of October. Doors open at 7.30pm for 8pm. Photographer Michele

Jamrozik

New Members - Welcome to the Network New Member Profile

Name: Yenny Devers Age (if desired): 29 years old Nationality: Dominican Countries you have lived in: Dominican Republic, Italy, now in Luxembourg Languages you speak: Spanish, Italian, French and English and a little bit of Luxembourghish Profession, Career path or Work experience: I have a degree in IT, I’m studying accounting at the moment and I’ve worked as assistant manager (Italy), Help-desk (Italy), Assistant IT department (Dominican Republique) and administrive assistant (Dominican Republique) Family: I have been married since 2007 Children: I don’t have any yet. Hobbies: Gardening, listening to music and of course dancing it How were you introduced to the Network? At the press What inspired you to join our group? To practice my English and to get to know about different cultures What do you hope to gain from being a member? To learn interesting things and to make friends.

Business women of the Network Author: Fiona Hampton Michele Jamrozik After 10 years of commuting to Metz to teach and research at the post graduate level, Michele Jamrozik decided she needed to set up shop at little closer to home. Michele has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and her research has focused on speech and image processing. Besides the difficulty of juggling a commuting research career with two small kids, Michele realized that she really missed being around people. So, besides establishing a small engineering consulting business, Michele has also pursued another passion and is now a fully licensed professional photographer. I met Michele about two years ago and was very impressed with the quality and natural style of her work. Of all her photographs, her pictures of children are especially appealing. Her strength is in her ability to capture those special moments in the lives of those she photographs. A week ago I caught up with her to find out how her business is progressing.

What services do you provide? Photographic services of all kinds including the following: Children Portraits for private and corporate clients Events Weddings Stills for food Images for brochures. For example, in a recent assignment I was involved in producing promotional photographs for a very nice restaurant in Luxembourg city. This involved taking pictures of the staff, shots in the restaurant of diners, friends who had been invited specially for the shots, (where was I?) and photographing the dishes of food. In many cases, my work is presented as a collection with special attention paid to the

finishing and selection of storytelling quality of the photos. One of my specialities is creating books for families, businesses, or couples. These books and albums make great gifts for family and friends and are wonderful advertising tools.

When and how did you set up your business? I officially started my engineering consulting business in 2003 and got everything together to legally establish my photography business last year. From the time I was a little girl, I had always wanted to set up my own business and finally took the plunge. When I found that the call for my engineering skills wasn't as great as I'd hoped for here in Luxembourg, I realized that I needed a way to turn my skills into something more marketable in the local area. To earn the credentials necessary to set up a photographic business in Luxembourg, I became a Master Photographer. In addition, I am a licensed member of Master Photography Association and have a diploma in Photographic Practice. What difficulties did you face? How did you resolve them? The transition from turning a hobby into a business was a difficult process. At the beginning I had to constantly think is this project viable, is this really a solid business idea and to formulate a business plan. My charges had to reflect the amount of work that I spent achieving the finish product. I wanted everything to be perfect and I have had to learn to work smarter not harder to create a balance between my work and family life. You have to continually alternate from “Artist mode” to “Business mode” whilst maintaining your integrity. One also has to accept that sometimes you have to do something less inspiring in order to pay the bills! More of Michele’s work can be seen on her website. www.michelej.com

We need to improve communication around here Ask any employee what they'd like to change about their company, and you're likely to hear "We need better communication around here." Everyone around them nods in active agreement. But what are they agreeing about? What do they mean by this? It could be any number of things. Probing people's complaints about "poor communication" can lead to the core issues that need attention. • No one really understands my needs and ideas. (issues of respect and listening skills) • Some of us are left out of information loops or decision-making. (organizational structure issues) • The organization has levels and divisions that speak different languages (language barrier issues, class/education boundary issues) • People work alone or can't converse during work hours. (work organization issues) • Everything is put in writing; no one talks to me as a person (organization climate issues). • Nothing is put in writing; you have to have strong political networks to know what's happening.(organizational structure issues) • We have such different world-views that no one understands where I am coming from.

(diversity issues) • We employees don't dare tell management what's really going on. (management style issues) • We managers don't dare tell employees what's really going on. (survival issues) Next time someone says "we need better communication around here", ask them "Can you give me an example of something that's happened recently?" Source http://www.culture-at-work.com

The best way to learn a language? Author: Fiona Hampton Week by week, or an intensive course? Which method works best? Do you need to learn the grammar parrot fashion first from teachers and books or just learn by listening and observing? Considering all these things when arriving in Luxembourg and wanting to improve my French brought to mind the tale I will relate to you below; When my husband and I visited Morocco a number of years ago, whilst I was sitting sketching outside a café, he became engaged in aiding one of the friendly locals who had asked him to help him improve his English. I suggested to the man that he taught us a few words so that we could communicate with our bus driver. What we wanted to learn to say was “Please could you drive a little more slowly!” However they say things in a slightly different way in Morocco and add “god be willing” after more or less every sentence. So the phrase we ended up with translated roughly to English was“You are a very nice man, please could you drive carefully, and may God go with you.” He wrote the phrase down and I practiced infinitum back at the hotel ready to greet our coach driver in the morning. Well, the next morning I tried it out on the coach driver who just couldn’t stop laughing. To this day I don’t know if it was my accent or the content or just the sheer surprise of a tourist speaking his own language. What, may you ask has this to do with learning French? Well, this bit of fun brought home to me the link between language and culture and how effective it is to learn a language from a native speaker. It is far easier to learn a language when you are surrounded by native speakers and see adverts and road signs that can reinforce your learning. So after a couple of terms with Prolingua I wanted to make some French friends and to surround myself with people speaking their mother tongue. As chance would have it, a friend and English teacher, put me in touch with one of her French pupils Adele. I suggested to Adele that we could meet up and help each other learn. Adele thought this was a good idea and we met regularly for coffee at each others’ houses. Sadly for me, Adele has left Luxembourg to work and tour Australia. Fortunately, I have now got to know Hélène and Aurélie through the Network Club and we have a similar arrangement to practice each others’ language. So if you need help to learn a language, why not introduce youself to a native speaker at the network Club!

Future Meetings - Dates for your Diaries 22nd October-Improving Communication in the Work Environment Speaker Elizbeth Wille Venue: The Sofitel hotel Kirchberg at 19.30 pm 19th November-Understanding the Luxembourg media Landscape Speaker Pol Wirtz. Venue: The Sofitel hotel, Kirchberg at 19.30pm

General Information Deadline for the [month] 2008 Newsletter Submissions for the November 2008 newsletter should reach the Editor on or by 12th November 2008. Our contact details are listed here.

Disclaimer: The comments and opinions of authors expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Network.

The Network Newsletter November 2008 International Business & Professional Network asbl (Established 1991)

The Network asbl 1, rue des Lilas L-8084 Bertrange e-mail: getintouch@the-network.lu website: http://www.the-network.lu

President's Letter

Dear networkers, Fiona interviewed me this month and I think it is a case of "enough already", so I'll type fast! Thanks to everyone who participated so willingly in our last event. I hope to see you all again this week, when Pol Wirtz of New Media Group discusses Luxembourg's media. In December we will host a social event, as has been the case for the past few years it will be a cultural tour and then dinner. Viviane Bumb has once again come up with a great combination, we will tour the new City Library on the Place d'armes and then enjoy tapas together and for those with an abundance of energy we may even dance! Like last year we will host a Silent Auction to raise money for charity. We of course need items to auction, if you or your company have something that could be auctioned, please let me know; lisa.mclean@pt.lu it is greatly appreciated. You will receive an e-invitation soon that you can respond to if you wish to join the December event. One last thing... after the New Year we have to look for new committee members, please think about getting involved. It really isn't much work and as I am sure you would agree the group is well worth that little bit extra effort. See you Wednesday, Lisa

Editor's Notes

Dear Networkers, ‘We live in interesting times’. Now where have I heard that phrase? Everyday I check my e mails with the anticipation of living in interesting times. My definition of interesting times? Thought provoking articles written by you the reader for your Newsletter. Well unless you want to read my endless ramblings on this and that… surely someone must have something interesting to say? Where are all the budding writers out there? Doesn’t anyone harbour closeted dreams of becoming a world famous author or having a career as a journalist? It starts with a small step, writing an article for the Network Newsletter could be the beginning of that journey…. At the very least you would bring a smile to me the editor and perhaps even save me the mad panic of the deadline which comes around all to quickly. No matter how many times I promise myself I will be more organised next time! Now I know why newspapers journalists write controversial comments; it provokes a response; a page of readers’ letters is less work for them to do! So I am appealing to the team spirit in all of you, I know it’s there, we have the wonderful paper torn animals as proof! By now you are either smiling or you haven’t a clue what I am going on about. If you’re the latter you obviously missed the excellent last meeting with Elizabeth Willie (reviewed below). So if like me you’re curious about the Luxembourg media and want to learn more make sure you don’t miss the next one! Fiona

Business Women of the Network Author: Fiona Hampton Lisa Mc Lean As our speaker this month is talking about the Media Landscape in Luxembourg I thought it would be topical to interview our president Lisa who is the sales and marketing director of Ara City Radio. She also runs her own marketing and public relations company LJM Communications. Lisa initially studied Marketing and Communications. Her first job was with an advertising agency in Glasgow. She moved to Stuttgart with her husband in 1986 where she gained employment at Delta Airlines in marketing and supervising ground staff at Stuttgart Airport. Lisa’s life altered again when she moved to America and then, after a couple of years, to Germany and then to Luxembourg. During this time she took a break from her career to have children and studied politics and economics with the Open University. Lisa then worked for Technicolor, in the customer services department until she set up her own business.

Lisa’s initial contact with Ara City Radio was to promote her clients, as relationships developed Lisa became more involved and took on the role of sales and marketing director. What services do you provide? At LJM I work with small to medium size companies providing services of marketing and planning, copy writing, press releases, translation work and organising events At Ara City Radio I deal with the daily running of the station, take care of client relationships, organise in-house production of adverts. I am also involved in Programming decisions. When and how did you set up your business? I came to Luxembourg in 1996 and I started my business in 1999. I started my company because I needed flexibility to look after my children who were in local school and had school hours not conducive to full time employment in a large company. My main client was the International School of Luxembourg, where I coordinated a marketing and public relations campaign to introduce a name change and the move to a new campus. I increased my client base through networking, for example, through The Network, as well as, at events run by the British Chamber of Commerce and American Chamber of Commerce. Through my work for PR clients I also got to know people working in the Media and particularly those at Ara City Radio. I the Ara City team to increase sales and to re-establish client relationships. I think language skills have been invaluable in this position, I speak English, German, French and now Luxembourgish. What difficulties did you face? and how did you resolve them? Luxembourg's media is fairly fragmented, in part because of the many different languages. So, initially it was a great challenge for me to get to know the different media and the audiences. It actually means businesses have to really think hard about who the target group is; especially companies working with a tight marketing budget. It was also difficult at first being a ‘one man show’. For each company I am their main marketing person and yet I am juggling five or six clients. At times I am very busy, it tends to be either feast or famine. I have resolved some of these difficulties by working with other free lance workers and being conscious of the amount and type of work I agree to undertake. The other difficulty is the same as anyone working who has children. Many networking events take place in the evening and this is the time when the children need me to be at home. In addition, my husband also runs his own business and this also has demands on his time in the evenings. We simply coordinate our agendas carefully. Ara City Radio 103.3 and 105.2 Ara City Radio is the commercial arm of Radio Ara. It is funded by a combination of sponsorship and income from advertisement. It does not receive any aid from the government unlike some other forms of media. We broadcasts in English and our target audience is Luxembourg’s international community. We are on air Monday to Friday from 6am-2pm. We play an eclectic mix of music, combined with local and business news and cultural

information. There are also interviews with charity and local organisations and corporate and public figures. Ara City Radio rents air time from Radio Ara, a socio-cultural network that promotes minority languages in Luxembourg. Ara City Radio's biggest challenge is not having our own frequency and working on a small budget means we have to keep a careful eye on cash flow.

Meeting in Review

All Ears for Communication Expert By Melanie Salava www.station.lu When Elisabeth Wille speaks – people listen. More importantly: when people talk, Elisabeth Wille actively listens. You see, Wille, a veteran facilitator of more than 15 years, delights in teaching groups how to communicate better. On October 22nd at the Sofitel of Kirchberg she trained for about an hour the over 40 enthusiastic participants of the Professional and Business Women’s Network. Although it takes work to communicate effectively, she pointed out the word facilitator derives from the French word “facile” - which means easy. A good facilitator will reveal simple tools to make communication easier for groups. This smiling Danish professional cleverly utilized multiple learning styles to engage her listeners in their pursuit of communication truths. She first posed her task agenda: 1. What is good communication? 2. What can we do about it? 3. What is the definition of facilitation? 4. Who can do it? 5. How do we experience communication? Not to give away her information too easily, she challenged people to write their answers to question #1 on flip chart papers taped on walls throughout the meeting room. Answers included: Do active listening. Have clear goals. Create participation. Have good questions. Anticipate what will happen. Prepare. Look at body language. Wille verbally “applauded” the group’s answers. Those present agreed that while they know the pat answers, miscommunication often still occurs. That’s why professional facilitators – like Wille, who has worked with the Institute of Cultural Affairs and with IBT Consulting – are often hired by companies to solve problems. They will teach the communication process, guide the information flow, and reveal communication tools. So many elements are involved in communication that people do not always consider, according to Wille. People must think about the group makeup – such as the age, gender, nationalities, and experience. Or reflect about the place, location, venue, country and culture. The history of the group is vital, too, amongst the individuals and group. Each element can distort, complicate or change communication. The key is to consider these

elements and try to arrange the means to smooth the communication. Finally, Wille handed out paper to 4 various groups and told them to cut an animal figure. The first time the groups could not speak. The second time, the group could talk. After this experiential exercise, the participants laughingly admitted that although they thought the second time would be easier – for many, during the first round they paid closer attention to each other because they had to and chose to. Active listening often disappeared during the second round! It appears we all may need to model Elisabeth Wille’s example a bit more… Elisabeth Wille has worked with the Institute of Cultural Affairs and IBT Consulting. She holds a Danish Chemical Engineering degree and a Master in Human Ecology from the VUB University in Brussels. Her website is: www.WilleTraining.eu Telephone: 352 621 26 Email: elisabeth.wille@willetraining.eu

Upcoming Network Events Understanding the Luxembourg Media Landscape Speaker: Pol Wirtz Understanding the diversity of Luxembourg’s media is key to successfully disseminating information to the press, whether that is for a business and charity or simply a sports club. To shed insight into how the media landscape developed in Luxembourg and where it may be heading The International and Business and Professional Women’s Network have invited Pol Wirtz of New Media Group to turn the spotlight on Luxembourg’s media. The event takes place at the Sofitel, Kirchberg on the 19th of November at 7.30pm. For those involved in the communication departments of Luxembourg’s corporations understanding how the media works is paramount to a company’s success. For anyone starting a new business, with the responsibility for a small marketing budget, the task can be almost overwhelming. For such a small country Luxembourg has a plethora of communication possibilities, this event will help create an understanding of the media and how it operates.

New Members - Welcome to the Network

Name: Lynne Thill-Pressman Nationality: USA

Countries you have lived in: USA, Togo, South Africa, Thailand (part-time) Luxembourg Languages you speak: English, French Profession, Career path or Work experience: I was head of secondary English at the former American International School here in Luxembourg for many years. I now do hypnotherapy and other healing work. Hobbies: walking in the forest, reading, yoga How were you introduced to the Network? I’ve known about it for years and have attended several meeting. What inspired you to join our group? I live part-time in Thailand. So when I am in Luxembourg, it is good to meet new people and have new experiences. What do you hope to gain from being a member? New people, new information, new activities

Name: Amrita Singh Nationality: Indian Countries you have lived in: India, Algeria, Luxembourg Languages you speak: English, Hindi, French (beginner) Profession, Career path or Work experience: With a Masters in Communications and a Bachelors in Computer Applications, I have two years of work experience in an IT focused Public Relations agency in India assisting global IT corporations (Intel, Symantec, iSOFT, APC) strategize and action their India marketing and media campaigns. I have recently moved to Luxembourg with my husband and am looking at resuming my career in Luxembourg. Hobbies: Very passionate about cooking (Amateur Expert in “Mughlai” Kebabs and Curries) How were you introduced to the Network? While researching Luxembourg before moving to the country, I found “The Network” on the internet. What inspired you to join our group? To network with people from different cultures and professions with the desire to be assimilated into the Luxembourg working women stream. What do you hope to gain from being a member? Hope to meet and learn from the experiences from current member and network with them to revive my career in Luxembourg.

Future Meetings - Dates for your Diaries 19 Nov Speaker: Pol Wirtz of New Media Group. "Understanding the Luxembourg Media Landscape" Venue; Sofitel Kirchberg 19.30pm

17 Dec 18:00 Guided tour through the new City Library 19:15 Tapas at the Restaurant â&#x20AC;&#x153;El Companeroâ&#x20AC;?

General Information Deadline for the [December] 2008 Newsletter Submissions for the [December 2008 newsletter should reach the Editor on or by [28th November 2008. Our contact details are listed here.

Disclaimer: The comments and opinions of authors expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Network.

The Network Newsletter December 2008 International Business & Professional Network asbl (Established 1991)

The Network asbl 1, rue des Lilas L-8084 Bertrange e-mail: getintouch@the-network.lu website: http://www.the-network.lu

President's Letter

Dear networkers, I would like to thank everyone who donated items to our December Silent Auction. In the same instance I would like to thank those who attended the dinner and took part in the auction. The proceeds of the auction will be donated in January. We raised 1,500€ and The Network will double that amount. This year's donation goes to Arche de Noé Orphanage in Burundi. Suavis Vanderveed is in Burundi at the moment and will hopefully be able to join us in January to receive our donation. I wish everyone happy holidays and look forward to spending time together in 2009. In January Geraldine Knudson from the Ville de Luxembourg will discuss "A vision for Luxembourg". Hope to see you there. Lisa

Editor's Notes

Dear Networkers, There is something very congenial about coming together in an informal setting to share a meal and conversation with others, so I really enjoyed our Christmas meal at El Companero. In the modern world where everything happens at speed, it is pleasant to have the luxury of having time to sit and talk with other members. I read in an English newspaper that in these economically uncertain times, the sale of ready meals is declining and the purchase of frozen food is on the increase. Next we will be reading that families are sitting down and eating meals together as they don’t have any money to go out. They may even have to start talking to each other, shock!, horror!, but will all this be such a bad thing? So whilst the gloom and doom news of the economic crisis unfolds and increasingly starts to effect Luxembourg, as it will, don’t forget the changes it will bring may not necessarily all be negative. I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year. Fiona

Women of the Business Network Author: Fiona Hampton

Marleen Lacroix An exhibition of mosaics by an English mosaic artist at Bourglinster Castle inspired Marleen to leave her job in a bank and rediscover her creative side. Marleen told me that before she came to Luxembourg she had trained and worked in graphic design and after working at a bank for several years she had wanted to do something more creative but wasn’t sure what. As soon as she saw the exhibition she knew that this was the direction she wanted to take. Marleen now creates and sells her own pieces, holds her own exhibitions and inspires others through courses that she runs at her spacious atelier The word Mosaic for many conjures up the work of craftsmen of the Roman Empire. Marleen’s artistic background and natural flair has transformed what is a traditional craft to a new artistic level. Many of her pieces are abstract contemporary works that would and do enhance many modern homes. Marleen, who comes from the Flemish speaking part of Belgium, has lived in Luxembourg for eighteen years. On coming to Luxembourg with her husband she wanted to retain her independence and found a job in the Dutch bank who appreciated her ability to speak several different languages. Marleen had trained at a time when computers were not used for design and to return to graphic design would have meant further training to be able to work using a computer which was not an option that appealed to her. What services do you provide? In addition to making her own mosaic art work, Marleen also runs workshops and courses for both adults and children. She has worked on mosaic projects in schools both creating her own work and assisting school children to make their own mosaics from their own designs. She also hopes to work in the future with tile companies in Luxembourg. She also hosts mosaic parties for children which are always very popular. Marleen finds that children are instinctively drawn to the bright colours of the glass tesserae and are less inhibited than adults. Marleen has also worked on interior projects incorporating her designs into showers, tables and mirrors . She enjoys working with clients assisting them to choose colours and designs that will enhance their decorating schemes. Marleen also works on exterior projects that enhances out door spaces. When and how did you set up in Business? Marleen officially set up her business in 2005. In order to register her business she had to present her work to a committee at the ‘Chambre de Metiers’ for approval. At the time she was the first person to obtain the title “Mosaiste” , a title which previously did not exist in Luxembourg. What difficulties did you face and how did you overcome them? She found the most difficult aspect of setting up her own business was the marketing and sales side as she is an artist not a sales person. She has found that people generally do not appreciate how much time goes into producing a piece. Only those who have actually made a mosaic can appreciate how time consuming it is. Marleen would prefer to spend her time on creative aspects of her work and looks forward to

a time when she will be able to employ someone on a part time basis to do the marketing and sales for her. Marleen likes to work with coloured glass (tiffany glass and vitreous glass) and glass backed with silver and gold leaf which are expensive. She holds three or four exhibitions a year which helps to promote her work. She recently (December 6th – December 13th) had an exhibition in the well know galery “Konsthaus Beim Engel” in the old part of Luxembourg. If you would like to see Marleen’s work you can take a look at her website or visit her atelier. Information about Marleen’s courses can also be found on her website. www.mosaic.lu

Meeting in Review Author: Melanie Salava, Station.lu Understanding the Luxembourg Media Landscape Pol Wirtz, Luxembourg media specialist, can inform and charm his audience. Before his informational talk with the Professional and Business Women’s Network he declared: “If I could have picked my audience in Luxembourg, I would have chosen this one. I have never just had a female audience before.” While reviewing Wirtz’s impressive resume of being a former journalist, the 1st Luxembourg Headhunter, a Public Relations and Recruitment expert, and the “Father” of the 352, Network President Lisa McLean lauded Wirtz’s ability to speak seven languages: German, English, French, Italian, Letzeburgesch, and “Eechternoacher.” She exclaimed, tongue in check, over the last dialect, “Why do I even bother…?” For a tiny country, Luxembourg has a large, rich, and intricate media landscape. Since organizations want to successfully disseminate their information the Network invited Pol Wirtz of the New Media group to help make sense of Luxembourg’s media. About 45 members attended this packed meeting at the Sofitel Kirchberg on the 19th of November. He gave a general overview of Luxembourg’s media, took a closer look at the main ones, discussed its new developments and spoke about his 352/Business Review publications. Wirtz told about the four main Daily Press Families: - The Wort: this is the largest and oldest “hard-news” Luxembourg Daily by the Saint-Paul Group. It has about an 80,000 readership and is owned by the Catholic Church. With a politically Christian Conservative focus, it is the strongest newspaper in the world with the most percentage distribution in any one country. - Tageblatt: Luxembourg’s 2nd largest circulation of the Editpress group, with a 25,000 readership and a socialist union leftist approach. - Journal: The 3rd largest readership of about 4,000, with a progressive liberal party approach. It started as a reaction to the German liberal press and was nationalistic in the beginning, but now has a more European bent. Many well–known politicians got their start here. - Zeitung: From the Communist party with a low readership. This began after World War II

to counter the Christian conservative and socialist voices they felt was not “left” enough. Luxembourg experienced a media crisis where only The Wort was thriving. The government knew having information controlled by one source was unhealthy and dangerous. They wanted a way to encourage a multiplicity of viewpoints. The Parliament passed a “Law to Support the Press” which delineated certain criteria for the government to provide the media with some financial support. A few of these standards include having only specific languages (must be German, French, and/or Luxembourgish); hiring a certain number of employed journalists; filling a specified amount of pages; publishing at daily or weekly intervals and utilizing a “general” approach, not focusing on just one specific topic. “There is a government employee whose only job is to take his ruler just to measure the news space, weigh the paper, list the millimeters of photos, just to make sure the publications are in compliance,” Wirtz said. During the mid 60s radio broke open. The requests for television stations took awhile. Wirtz explained some “pirate” stations operated before hand. “I had a friend who broadcast on a hill near Arlon. Like the press, Luxembourg’s laws only allow certain types of radio based on specific conditions. RTL is the most successful radio and television venue due to much government aid. They recycle and replicate their programs to save money. ARA, according to Wirtz, is “clearly the top for English, with its hours from 6 in the morning till 2 in the afternoon. It is an intelligent creation started for ‘minorities.’ Wirtz briefly shared about these four Monthlies: Business Review – this is connected with the 352, and caters to CEO types. It has about 5,000 circulation and prides itself on its content; Paper Jam – Has a great presentation with a table top book look. Their readership is about 20,000; Forum - Represents the progressive right side of the Catholic church and comments on all of Luxembourg life, not just religion. Each month they focus on a subject and analyze it thoroughly; and Garden and Time – the largest association readership with a club. Finally, Wirtz proudly spoke about the 352, which is one of his ‘children.’ The 352 got its origins from some business managers (mostly Americans and some British) asking Wirtz, who was then a Public Relations head, to compile a small daily informational paper about Luxembourg, since there was no English publication. It became so popular that it evolved to later become the 352 (after some name changes and moves.) Today Wirtz wants to get the Parliament to change the “Law to Support the Press” to include support for English publications. Wirtz believes there will always be room for all types of media: print, radio, internet and television – just that the emphasis on which takes prominence will change over the years. You can count on him to continue to charm and inform his audience wherever and whoever it may be.

Upcoming Network Events Next Network Meeting is the 14th January with Guest Speaker Geraldine Knudson of VDL discussing a "Vision for Luxembourg"

The festival of "Winterlights" This year Luxembourg is hosting a "Winterlights" festival from November 22 in 2008 to 4 January 2009 more information and a programme of events take a look at www.winterlights.lu

General Information Deadline for the [month] 2008 Newsletter Submissions for the [January 2009 newsletter should reach the Editor on or by [28th January 2009). Our contact details are listed here.

Disclaimer: The comments and opinions of authors expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of the Network.

The Network Newsletter December 2008 International Business & Professional Network asbl (Established 1991)

The Network asbl 1, rue des Lilas L-8084 Bertrange e-mail: getintouch@the-network.lu website: http://www.the-network.lu

President's Letter

Dear networkers, I would like to thank everyone who donated items to our December Silent Auction. In the same instance I would like to thank those who attended the dinner and took part in the auction. The proceeds of the auction will be donated in January. We raised 1,500â&#x201A;Ź and The Network will double that amount. This year's donation goes to Arche de NoĂŠ Orphanage in Burundi. Suavis Vanderveed is in Burundi at the moment and will hopefully be able to join us in January to receive our donation. I wish everyone happy holidays and look forward to spending time together in 2009. In January Geraldine Knudson from the Ville de Luxembourg will discuss "A vision for Luxembourg". Hope to see you there. Lisa

Editor's Notes

will be reading that families are sitting down and eating meals together as they don’t have any money to go out. They may even have to start talking to each other, shock!, horror!, but will all this be such a bad thing? So whilst the gloom and doom news of the economic crisis unfolds and increasingly starts to effect Luxembourg, as it will, don’t forget the changes it will bring may not necessarily all be negative. I look forward to seeing you all in the New Year. Fiona

Women of the Business Network Author: Fiona Hampton Marleen Lacroix An exhibition of mosaics by an English mosaic artist at Bourglinster Castle inspired Marleen to leave her job in a bank and rediscover her creative side. Marleen told me that before she came to Luxembourg she had trained and worked in graphic design and after working at a bank for several years she had wanted to do something more creative but wasn’t sure what. As soon as she saw the exhibition she knew that this was the direction she wanted to take. Marleen now creates and sells her own pieces, holds her own exhibitions and inspires others through courses that she runs at her spacious atelier The word Mosaic for many conjures up the work of craftsmen of the Roman Empire. Marleen’s artistic background and natural flair has transformed what is a traditional craft to a new artistic level. Many of her pieces are abstract contemporary works that would and do enhance many modern homes. Marleen, who comes from the Flemish speaking part of Belgium, has lived in Luxembourg for eighteen years. On coming to Luxembourg with her husband she wanted to retain her independence and found a job in the Dutch bank who appreciated her ability to speak several different languages. Marleen had trained at a time when computers were not used for design and to return to graphic design would have meant further training to be able to work using a computer which was not an option that appealed to her. What services do you provide? In addition to making her own mosaic art work, Marleen also runs workshops and courses for both adults and children. She has worked on mosaic projects in schools both creating her own work and assisting school children to make their own mosaics from their own designs. She also hopes to work in the future with tile companies in Luxembourg. She also hosts mosaic parties for children which are always very popular. Marleen finds that children are instinctively drawn to the bright colours of the glass tesserae and are less inhibited than adults. Marleen has also worked on interior projects incorporating her designs into showers, tables and mirrors . She enjoys working with clients assisting them to choose colours and designs

that will enhance their decorating schemes. Marleen also works on exterior projects that enhances out door spaces. When and how did you set up in Business? Marleen officially set up her business in 2005. In order to register her business she had to present her work to a committee at the ‘Chambre de Metiers’ for approval. At the time she was the first person to obtain the title “Mosaiste” , a title which previously did not exist in Luxembourg. What difficulties did you face and how did you overcome them? She found the most difficult aspect of setting up her own business was the marketing and sales side as she is an artist not a sales person. She has found that people generally do not appreciate how much time goes into producing a piece. Only those who have actually made a mosaic can appreciate how time consuming it is. Marleen would prefer to spend her time on creative aspects of her work and looks forward to a time when she will be able to employ someone on a part time basis to do the marketing and sales for her. Marleen likes to work with coloured glass (tiffany glass and vitreous glass) and glass backed with silver and gold leaf which are expensive. She holds three or four exhibitions a year which helps to promote her work. She recently (December 6th – December 13th) had an exhibition in the well know galery “Konsthaus Beim Engel” in the old part of Luxembourg. If you would like to see Marleen’s work you can take a look at her website or visit her atelier. Information about Marleen’s courses can also be found on her website. www.mosaic.lu

discussed its new developments and spoke about his 352/Business Review publications. Wirtz told about the four main Daily Press Families: - The Wort: this is the largest and oldest “hard-news” Luxembourg Daily by the Saint-Paul Group. It has about an 80,000 readership and is owned by the Catholic Church. With a politically Christian Conservative focus, it is the strongest newspaper in the world with the most percentage distribution in any one country. - Tageblatt: Luxembourg’s 2nd largest circulation of the Editpress group, with a 25,000 readership and a socialist union leftist approach. - Journal: The 3rd largest readership of about 4,000, with a progressive liberal party approach. It started as a reaction to the German liberal press and was nationalistic in the beginning, but now has a more European bent. Many well–known politicians got their start here. - Zeitung: From the Communist party with a low readership. This began after World War II to counter the Christian conservative and socialist voices they felt was not “left” enough. Luxembourg experienced a media crisis where only The Wort was thriving. The government knew having information controlled by one source was unhealthy and dangerous. They wanted a way to encourage a multiplicity of viewpoints. The Parliament passed a “Law to Support the Press” which delineated certain criteria for the government to provide the media with some financial support. A few of these standards include having only specific languages (must be German, French, and/or Luxembourgish); hiring a certain number of employed journalists; filling a specified amount of pages; publishing at daily or weekly intervals and utilizing a “general” approach, not focusing on just one specific topic. “There is a government employee whose only job is to take his ruler just to measure the news space, weigh the paper, list the millimeters of photos, just to make sure the publications are in compliance,” Wirtz said. During the mid 60s radio broke open. The requests for television stations took awhile. Wirtz explained some “pirate” stations operated before hand. “I had a friend who broadcast on a hill near Arlon. Like the press, Luxembourg’s laws only allow certain types of radio based on specific conditions. RTL is the most successful radio and television venue due to much government aid. They recycle and replicate their programs to save money. ARA, according to Wirtz, is “clearly the top for English, with its hours from 6 in the morning till 2 in the afternoon. It is an intelligent creation started for ‘minorities.’ Wirtz briefly shared about these four Monthlies: Business Review – this is connected with the 352, and caters to CEO types. It has about 5,000 circulation and prides itself on its content; Paper Jam – Has a great presentation with a table top book look. Their readership is about 20,000; Forum - Represents the progressive right side of the Catholic church and comments on all of Luxembourg life, not just religion. Each month they focus on a subject and analyze it thoroughly; and Garden and Time – the largest association readership with a club.

Finally, Wirtz proudly spoke about the 352, which is one of his ‘children.’ The 352 got its origins from some business managers (mostly Americans and some British) asking Wirtz, who was then a Public Relations head, to compile a small daily informational paper about Luxembourg, since there was no English publication. It became so popular that it evolved to later become the 352 (after some name changes and moves.) Today Wirtz wants to get the Parliament to change the “Law to Support the Press” to include support for English publications. Wirtz believes there will always be room for all types of media: print, radio, internet and television – just that the emphasis on which takes prominence will change over the years. You can count on him to continue to charm and inform his audience wherever and whoever it may be.

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