PWI Brussels Annual Report 2020 by editnito

PWI BRUSSELS ANNUAL REPORT 2020

May 2021

Table of Contents Letter from the President ........................................................................................................3 Welcome to Professional Women International Brussels………………………………………………………..............4 Vision and mission .................................................................................................................5 Organisational structure .........................................................................................................5 Membership………………………………………………………………………………………… .7 Partnerships……………………………………………………………………………………………8 Marketing and Communication activities………………………………………………………….10 Our Programmes ..................................................................................................................12 Mentoring Programme ................................................................................................................ 13 STEAM Programme ................................................................................................................... 16 Entrepreneurship Programme ................................................................................................... 18 YourPath Programme ................................................................................................................ 20 Women and Money Programme ............................................................................................... 23 Inner Circle (Virtual) Happy Hour Monthly Networking ........................................................... 25 Events ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….27 Financial Summary...............................................................................................................29 Legal and compliance……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………29 Contact .................................................................................................................................30

Letter from the President PWI Brussels was created in 1991, with the mission of providing a forum for women to establish professional contacts, exchange experiences in an English speaking, multi-cultural environment. Since its creation in 1991, PWI has aimed to support women of various nationalities, various cultures with our enriching programs and social networking activities. During our journey in PWI we were fortunate to have some amazing women who guided our association with their leadership. Back to the last two years of this Board, 2019 started as a very promising year with some ambitious initiatives in the horizon. The team worked hard, and we were proud of our achievements while preparing for the New Year. 2020 started well, but quickly turned to be a year unlike any other, confronting, confusing and marked by significant challenges. When the pandemic first hit, last spring, we had to change our ways to stay connected, migrating our programs to virtual events and sessions. We knew that a key value of PWI Brussels is the safe space we provide for meaningful and supportive relationships. With the restrictions affecting our ability to meet “The Inner Circle Virtual Happy Hour” was launched in April 2020 and emerged as an opportunity for our members and friends to connect and expand our learning through interacting with inspiring speakers. All our five programs, Mentoring, Steam, Entrepreneurship, Your Path and Women & Money, shifted very quickly to online. 2021 is an anniversary season celebrating PWI Brussels role as the preeminent go-to community where our members can be inspired to reach their full potential and collectively accelerate the move to a more gender balance leadership in business and society. This anniversary season sets us on a course of action and the activation of our entire mission. We recognize that the PWI Brussels network is one of our greatest assets, and it includes a wealth of organizations, institutions, individual creatives and thinkers. PWI Brussels promotes connections, development of diverse perspectives, sharing of ideas where our members can grow within a safe and trusted community. We will celebrate the rich history and contributions from this organization by bringing you the volunteer voices that contributed to this association in the last 30 years. We will be chronicling the story of how PWI Brussels came to be, illustrating the progress we have made towards achieving our mission, and recognizing our members and many partners who have been with us on this journey. Most importantly, we want to shine a spotlight on the impact of PWI Brussels. There's no doubt that we will continue to inspire and celebrate with each other in 2021. Warm regards, Anaida Dibra President PWI Brussels

Welcome to Professional Women International Brussels! We are a truly multi-national network of professional women who help each other grow and succeed and we aim to accelerate the gender balanced leadership in business and society. We are a non-profit and all of our activities and programmes are designed to provide you with the tools and attitudes to be leaders, offer you a safe space to learn as well as perform, provide you with opportunities to contribute and create, and support female empowerment in general. The values that guide as are those of respect, courage, collaboration, excellence, and inclusiveness. To achieve these goals, we organise events such as social networking drinks or educational seminars and workshops and run dedicated programmes that allow you to make new contacts, meet inspiring women and learn from one another! Our following programmes are dedicated spaces to meet like-minded women, discuss, and learn: • • • • •

Mentoring Programme STEAM Women Programme (Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics) Women Entrepreneurs Programme Your Path Programme Women and Money

Being a globally connected association, we are the Belgian chapter of the global Professional Women's Network (3,500 members) and also affiliated with The International Alliance of Women (35,000 members worldwide). In this Annual Report, let us summarize for you our work over the course of 2020. We are proud of the changes we introduced to continuously evolve and inspire professional women to succeed.

Vision and mission We want to be the premier English-speaking network of professional women in Belgium and focus all we do on helping professional women to grow and succeed! Through our corporate membership activities, we also work towards advancing gender balanced leadership. The creation of our workshops “Engaging men as Allies” are an example of our efforts to contribute to a better gender balance world.

Organisational structure PWI Brussels is a Belgian non-profit membership association (association sans but lucratif). The association contains 2 categories of membership: “membres effectifs” (ordinary members) and membres adherents (associate members). Members gather once a year at the Annual General Meeting to • Nominate and dismiss Board members • Approve the budget and the accounts • Discharge members of the Board • Deliberate any other points of the association on the agenda. BOARD OF DIRECTORS The association is governed by its Board of Directors. Board members are appointed every two years. In 2019, members elected a new Board into office. The Board of Directors sets the association strategy, maintains annual accounts and the budget, develops the membership strategy, maintains the relationship with partner networks such as the global Professional Women’s Network and drives the association strategy such as establishing new programmes that foster the overall association vision and mission. The Board of Directors meets monthly. For 2020 a warm thank you goes to board member: Grace, Michelle, Claire, Mihaela, Virginie, Anna, Amanda, Patricia and also Ana, Christine, Jessica and Marion.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The Executive Committee is made up of all PWI Brussels volunteers. It brings together the association’s programme directors, events and communications teams and more.

ADVISORY BOARD The Advisory Board support the Board of Directors in their work through their experience, contacts and provide the institutional memory of the association. The members of the Advisory Board also form the Nomination Committee to screen potential candidates for the Board of Directors.

PWI Brussels advisory board members have committed their time and talent and we are thankful for their contributions: Beverly, Cristina Rhonda, Susannah, Geert, Alessandra.

Membership PWI Brussels aims to be our member’s partner for growth. We take pride in our work to be the English-speaking women association serving our members while living our values in all what we do. PWI Brussels aligned the activities, such as networking, programs and events to what members’ value and need to succeed. When we make decision as volunteers on what program, events, or networking themes to offer we listen to our members and engage our activities to create distinctive value for them.

MEMBERSHIP DATA & ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2020

*72 renewals by individual members

*68 new individual members *70 renewals by individual members

*19 individuals from corporate members in total

*21 individuals from corporate members in total

*4 individuals from PWN Global corporate members in total

*22 lapsed members.

*17 lapsed members.

* 14 lapsed members.

2020

*39 renewals by individual members

*56 new individual members

2019

*61 new individual members

2018

2017

Here under an evolution of the membership data from 2017 to 2020. Our focus has been in retaining our current members while welcoming new members into the organization.

*35 new members *65 renewals by individual members

* 16 Individuals from Corporate members in total * 4 individuals from PWN Gloval corpoate members in total .

The PWI Brussels membership is driven by relations. BNY Mellon and Mastercard were our Corporate members in 2020. We look at the feedback we receive through the different channels, like Menti -meter, surveys or personal feedback. In May 2020 we launched a Membership survey to gain more feedback and insights about the value we were delivering, and our members & friends input on opportunities to consider. Here are some of the data we received and a one-page summary: • • • • • • •

+80% interested in networking followed by entrepreneurship and mentoring. +60% have never used any of our offers due mainly to lack of interest or time. Most interesting offers (Le Chatelain and Association World). Offers that we could think of adding: yoga, entertainment and co-working spaces. 60% are planning to renew their membership and 36% might consider it if we mainly varied our offer. 50% are a volunteer or would like to become one. 73% think we provide a good or very good value.

MEMBERSHIP GOALS FOR 2021 For 2021, we will continue to listen to what the members want in these changing environments. High – level focus will be: 1. On-boarding new members. Work with Marketing and Corporate Membership. 2. On-boarding new volunteers. Work with the Board Members and Program Directors. 3. Engage and re-engage members. Update the membership e-mails. Work with Marketing and Corporate Membership.

Partnerships PWI Brussels aims at amplifying its impact and value both to individual members, as well as to a broader audience by prominent, meaningful partnerships with a variety of stakeholders from across a wide range of industries and sectors. The aim of PWI Brussels’ partnerships is to elevate our mission and share the work done by PWI Brussels with broader audiences, bring additional added value to our Members, as well as to bring on board new organisations willing to step up their efforts, with support and/or collaboration with PWI Brussels, in striving for a more gender-balanced world.

PWI BRUSSELS PARTNERS’ DATA In 2020 we were all challenged by the unprecedented developments related to the global Covid-19 pandemic. This has greatly impacted the functioning of PWI Brussels, including its

activities planned in collaboration with our partners, as well as developing further partnerships with new organizations. Despite these challenging times, in 2020 PWI Brussels is proud to have maintained its partner relationships, and developed new partnerships with the following organizations (some are long-term partners providing on-going benefits to our members, with some we partner around specific initiatives): 1. Education / career and professional development / access to content partners: The Economist, Association World, Oxygen4Leadership Summit, INSEAD (via PWN Global), Access MBA, Harvard Business Review 2. Individual PWI program supporting partners: The Fry Group Belgium; 3. Health and wellbeing partners: Clarins, Stay Young Clinic, Aspria Arts-Loi, Desiree’s Hairdressing Project, Forever Living – The Aloe Vera Company, 4. Other: Le Chatelain Hotel, Mattel, Maasmechelen Village, HQ – The Association Magazine, RosaPiu, Arcadia Translations, Dorure, Porsche Centre Brussels,

PARTNERSHIPS’ OBJECTIVES Following the review of the PWI members’ survey, carried out in early 2020, it has become clear that while members appreciate PWI partnership opportunities that provide free/facilitated access to events or allow for discounts and access to services and/or products, these types of partnerships are not the key element that attracts our members to join and are not perceived as our organization’s key value. These results prompted a strategic review of the PWI Partnerships, which was carried out over the summer in 2020, and led to a proposed new structure of PWI Partnerships with 4 key pillars: •

Marketing / Visibility Partners – focused on a specific event (ours or our partner’s) or an agreed media engagement.

•

Knowledge Exchange Partners – focused on a joint event with a partner sharing PWI values and interested in developing a deeper relationship.

•

Events Partners – focused on PWI owned event supported by a partner on a one-off or repeated basis.

•

Signature Events Partners – centered on PWI signature events (IWD Gala or full-day events) have custom partnership packages.

PARTNERSHIPS ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2020 Most of our ongoing partnerships have been retained throughout 2020, although as of midMarch 2020 the activities planned with our partners were put on hold or cancelled due to the general restrictions related to Covid-19.

As such, we are very pleased that in 2020 we have continued valuable collaborations with a number of our long-standing partners, such as i.a. the Le Chatelain Hotel. We are particularly proud to have been able to organize the 4th edition of our International Women’s Day Gala, which was held in early March 2020. The event was a success in itself, seeing how year-byyear there a growing number of participants is, as well as partners.

PARTNERSHIP GOALS FOR 2021 PWI Brussels’ goals for 2021 within the partnership department are focused on the following: •

Ensuring we keep providing our Members with new valuable partnerships, based on feedback regarding current partners’ offers, as well as new desired partnerships.

•

where possible, converting one-time partners into long-term relationships (which has been successfully done with Arcadia Translations becoming our Corporate Member after a positive experience partnering with us for the 2020 IWD Gala).

•

Building up new partnerships aimed at raising the profile of PWI Brussels in Belgium and further promoting its activities.

•

Developing partnerships that would allow PWI Brussels community of volunteers and members to acquire additional platforms to build up their own professional profiles and showcase their expertise.

Marketing and communications activities The Marketing and Communications strategy aims to support PWI Brussels vision and mission. Working interdependently with the other areas within the association, Marketing and Communications activities are executed to ensure that we promote and strengthen the PWI Brussels brand in advancing a gender balanced leadership. PWI Brussels media comprises: a website, a monthly newsletter and social media channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter as well as a blog. As of March 2021, PWI Brussels has launched a Podcast called Ignite.

KEY MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION DATA • • • • • • •

Website: https://www.pwi.be. Newsletter: Sent monthly to 1,103 people, opened by 380 people (average). Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/PWIBrussels - 1,813 followers. LinkedIn (page): https://www.linkedin.com/company/5048423/ - 2,185 followers. LinkedIn (Group): https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2434042/ - 964 followers. Twitter: https://twitter.com/PWIBrussels - 808 followers. Medium (Blog): https://medium.com/@pwibrussels - 80 views & 40 reads per month (average).

•

Ignite (Podcast): https://anchor.fm/pwi2 - 2 episodes per month & 60 plays per month (average).

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION ACHIEVEMENTS IN 20209 1. Strategic use of existing communications channels and clear definition of purpose of channels. Goal

Content

Post Frequency

Facebook Go to social media channel for members and non-members sharing insightful information to help professional women grow and succeed.

Curated content and own 3-4 weekly posts content including all events & announcements.

LinkedIn Page

Connect with PWI Brussels staff.

Own content including event announcements and internal announcements where applicable.

3 weekly posts

LinkedIn Group

Discussion space among members and non-members.

Curated content for discussion.

Twice weekly

Twitter

Information channel about our work.

All content - curated and own.

1-2 daily posts

Blog

Online magazine.

Own content in a visually appealing format .

1 monthly post (internal, external interviewees)

Podcast

New way to connect with our audience.

Conversations/Interviews Twice monthly with members and nonmembers.

2. Understanding of existing and target audiences to serve members and potential members’ best that resulted in an increased number of followers or subscribers across all of social media channels. 3. Newsletter format continued to increase the engagement of readers highlighting events and programmes and driving traffic to website. 4. Constant use of an editorial calendar that governs external communication including events emailing and social media communications to ensure that we reach out to subscribers in a balanced way. 5. Use of Mentimeter a tool used to obtain live feedback form attendees to events. 6. Launched a Podcast called Ignite in March 2021, the objective is to use this platform to feature conversations with PWI Brussels members and non-members to cover a range of topics of general interest.

IMPACT Social media plays a crucial role to reach out to members and prospective members online; the reach has increased as follows by channel: • • • •

Facebook (page): + 12.3%, from 1,615 followers (2020) to 1,813 followers (2021). LinkedIn (page): +44.1%, from 1,520 followers (2020) to 2,191 followers (2021). LinkedIn (Group): +8.4%, from 889 followers (2020) to 964 followers (2021). Twitter +3.7%, from 779 followers (2020) to 808 followers (2021).

The editorial calendar and guidelines ensure that of our communications showcases PWI Brussels messages and work, with our membership and community.

Our Programmes Our programmes continue to be our way to reach and equip our members with insight, skills and the connections needed to grow our personal leadership and impact. In 2020, given the covid 19 crisis, we continued with our planned programs while changing to an online delivery model. We also expanded our partnerships to Corporate Men Allies with the intention to increase our contribution to a more gender balance world. We continue to use the post-event survey process to listen and gain feedback from our members & programme participants so we can continuously improve the value we deliver. Feedback received continues to reinforce that many of our guest speakers were inspiring, well-prepared, spoke to “ve relevant topics, and the importance of connections in a shared safe space.

Mentoring Programme The mentoring programmes in PWI and other PWN chapters are cited in surveys as one of the top elements of satisfaction for members of the network. We organise one of the longest-running mentoring programmes in Brussels, having launched our program way back in 2011. Mentoring provides a huge benefit to mentees. Our community is an experienced and readybuilt support network that helps professional women achieve their professional aspirations, but also to adapt to a new cultural environment, through a wealth of practical advice. Our ability to call upon a wide range of mentors across borders and industries, combined with an established and effective mentoring structure ensures that mentees get a top experience. Mentoring also provides a significant benefit to mentors! Our mentors are inspired by the rewarding experience to invest in the growth and development of a mentee. Many mentors have commented that their contribution and engagement in our programme also provides them the opportunity to take a fresh look at their own career path. It is an incentive to reflect on their own aspirations and goals. Mentoring truly is a win-win exchange for mentee and mentor. Companies can also benefit from the mentorship programme, giving them a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Mentorship under the roof of PWI, a safe and objective environment for professional development, nurtures their top talent and develops future leaders, who go on to create a culture of diversity and inclusion. MENTORING DATA In the 2019-2020 Mentoring Wave which we launched in Oct 2019 we had 23 mentees and 20 mentors. For the first time, two of our corporate mentees are men. In the 2020-2021 Mentoring Wave we have increased the number of participants to 26 mentees and 22 mentors. MENTORING OBJECTIVES The objectives of the mentoring programme is to support our mentees to grow and develop by learning from the experience of mentors with diverse professional backgrounds. The PWI Mentoring Programme provides a great opportunity for our talented mentees to develop their skills, refine their career strategy and gain confidence and exposure. More concretely, the PWI Mentoring programme helps mentees to: broaden their perspective outside of their organization and expand their professional network, gain confidence by working with an external mentor in a safe environment, receive support and guidance on developing professional & personal skills and knowledge, increase their cultural awareness in both a corporate and inter-personal context.

Mentees tell us that the biggest added value is the fact that this program is independent from their workplace. As a result, they feel at ease to discuss challenges and difficulties and the perspective of an outsider is often refreshing. Mentors tell us how rewarding it feels to be helping another woman advance her career. They also feel they grow themselves as leaders. MENTORING ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2020 The Covid-19 crisis started just before the end of the Mentoring wave 2019-2020 wave and we had to adjust to the online environment. Since then, all our events have been taking place online, despite this, we were able to keep the same level of networking and community as before. Following the very successful launch in 2019 of ‘speed-dating’ as the method to match our mentors and mentees, in the wave of 2020-2021 we continued with this best practice, this time in an online environment. Based on the mentees’ choice after the Speed Dating event, we were able to match most of our mentees with their first-choice mentor and the majority of all others to their second-choice mentor. Almost all our mentees and mentors mentioned that the opportunity to meet and choose their partners was crucial for the quality and success of the programme. Based on the very positive feedback in the previous wave, in 2020 we continued our collaboration with Bank of New York Mellon by having again 5 corporate mentees. During this last wave we introduced a new type of activity with the objective of fostering the mentors and mentees community: e-coffees. While in the last waves we mainly focused on the forming of a mentees’ community, in the last waves we introduced e-coffees for the Mentors as well, where they can introduce and facilitate themselves the topics they like. This networking and open sharing event creates a good community feeling that contributes to an increased engagement of our mentors towards the PWI organisation. OUR IMPACT We see so many women with great potential who hesitate, despite the fact that they have all the knowledge and skills they need. That’s where mentoring is crucial. Through our Mentoring programme we are supporting women who are at a crossroad in their professional life. Through the mentorship relationship a sense of peer partnership is created where the mentee gets access to a wealth of knowledge, experience and advice from the mentor.

MENTORING GOALS FOR 2021 Finalise successfully this mentoring wave under the challenges provided by the Corona crisis. Prepare for launching the new wave for 2021-2022 taking into consideration the lessons of this year: • • •

Continue to adapt our programme to the online environment. Keep our mentors’ community engaged so they continue to be interested in contributing in the years to come. Continue partnering with corporate members following the successful collaborations in the last years.

MENTEES TESTIMONIALS “It is a well organised and useful program. It gets people connected and provides an opportunity to find a new way of improving my personal path and career. PWI has been proactive and efficient.” “I think the whole concept is a fabulous one. Having a pool of mentor/role models prepared to donate their time and energy to help/support the receptive mentees is a real win/win situation especially as most of us are expats and experiencing particular issues for which solutions are not evident.” “The free choice of a Mentor/Mentee from all the applicants to the program makes this a real personal journey. The Speed Dating process was exciting and informative at the same time.” “It is a great way to speak with senior people outside my classical bubble, to think completely out of the box and take steps away from my day to day.”

STEAM Programme With this program we raise awareness to the challenge’s female STEAM professionals face while still inspiring ideas to make progress. Many of our members and friends have been educated and developed a professional career in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts (including Design), or Mathematics.

STEAM OBJECTIVES Our STEAM programme supports the career progression in these sectors with the following mission: • •

•

We assist STEAM women in their career choices (incl. managerial versus technical track) to strengthen soft and hard skills as enablers of their professional advancement. We boost STEAM women's creativity and circle of influence beyond their own functional area, enabling them to raise their visibility and value perception in our society. We raise awareness of STEAM related local events such as symposiums, STEAM related trainings and activities at EU policy level as well as connecting STEAM groups and platforms. Come and boost your career through a mix of workshops, networking and interaction with other PWI Brussels members to reach your full potential!

STEAM ACHIEVEMENTS AND IMPACT IN 2020 The STEAM programme entered 2020 with aspirations to grow our impact and reach by expanding our partnerships, expanding our development focus on future generations of STEAM leaders. Year 2019 was finalized by initiating our partnership with the BEPS International School in Ixelles, to engage the next generation leaders to stay curious and interested in STEAM studies and careers. With PWI Brussels Advisory Board & Board members, Cristina Vicini, Geert Maesmans and Michelle Vilar, an interactive exchange and learning experience engaged the middle school students on how STEAM competencies can be applied to practically learn and solve problems, and to also discover what can be possible through the application of sustainable solutions like alternative protein in food. We are proud that BEPS International School earned their distinction as an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB-MYP) and as an IB World School. Our joint achievements were featured in a feature by The Bulletin. Then, February 2020, we expanded our impact to engage and develop next generation leaders through a leadership development workshop, led by STEAM Program Co-Directors Claire Mattelet & Michelle Vilar, and Anaida Dibra, President, representing PWI’s perspective and

expertise through a panel discussion with the University of Ghent, as part of their celebration to celebrate Women & Girls in Science. Despite the disappointment of having to delay relevant skill-building programs, like Kat Matina’s workshop: Communicating at Work as an Expert and gaining authority, due to the restrictions caused by the pandemic, PWI continued to deliver relevant hard skills development by partnering with Mastercard, PWI Corporate partner represented by Advisory Board member Rhonda Ocha, to raise awareness and educate our members and friends about both the risks and opportunities related to Cybersecurity. We were fortunate to learn from leading European expert and committed Male Ally, Rigo Van den Broeck in the October 2020 workshop of Cybersecurity in the Payments Ecosystem. To learn more about how Mastercard is leading and building critical competencies Visit the Mastercard Content Exchange Center: Protecting what connects us in a time of crisis. We are also proud and fortunate to have had PWI STEAM leaders share their expertise and insights throughout PWI Brussels events throughout the year: •

Amina Alaoui featured at the February 2020 networking event, leading reflections on the advancing digitalisation of the world and the impact it has on our lives.

•

Dr. Audrey-Flore Ngomsik featured at the September 2020 Inner Circle Virtual Happy Hour, sharing insights and passion for sustainable development as part of her journey of building her company.

STEAM GOAL FOR 2021 We are hopeful and have learned from the challenge of 2020, and we plan to continue to blend different mediums to engage, connect and develop STEAM women. We will continue to develop our learning agenda as well as expand how we engage through storytelling. We want to continue to develop and expand our partnerships to help us to deliver learning and insights to engage and develop STEAM women along the critical stages of career: •

Continued development of professional women and leaders along STEAM career paths.

•

Attracting mid-career transitions and providing opportunities to non-STEAM women.

•

Engaging next generation STEAM leaders, early in their studies and at the start of the professional journey.

We look to both external partnerships as well as across and in collaboration with other PWI programs.

Entrepreneurship Programme In 2020, the team continued to develop and implement the 2019 strategy with the objective to empower entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs as well as to support and inspire starters by developing and nurturing a platform for exchange of experiences and offering new insights. The programme takes the “PAX approach”: •

Presence: the internal dynamic of being entrepreneurial addresses the questions of what it takes to be an entrepreneur and what kind of entrepreneur participants to the programme are.

•

Access is about acquiring new skills, insights, tools, connections, and building channels; in short, anything that drives participants’ businesses forward in a practical manner.

•

Exchange: the programme connects like-minded individuals and creates rapport thus enabling the co-creation of business and leveraging opportunities.

The PWI Brussels Entrepreneurship Programme specifically : • • •

Connects international entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs leveraging the presence of countless international institutions in Brussels; Focusses on growth, and, Focusses on diversity.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMME DATA In 2020, lunches were conducted featuring the presentation of a keynote speaker on one of the hot topics in Entrepreneurship. Lunches were organized in person until March and then conducted virtually due to the Covid-19 situations and restrictions: •

•

28 February 2020 conducted by Yasmin Vantuykom. Yasmin has an extended career in communication and marketing. She launched Efluenz, an influencer marketing agency and shared with the participants’ key insights on positioning businesses in the market, branding and impact on social media. 26 June 2020 virtual session with Amélie Alleman, Founder and CEO at Betuned. Amélie shared with us important elements on how to run a startup on a daily basis, on how to raise funds, set objectives and financial goals, and on how to adapt to global crisis like the current pandemic. 25 September 2020 virtual session with Isabeau Paape, Founder of the Brussels shop “Aimer-vous les uns les autres” explained to us how to go from an online business to having an actual physical shop. She also shared her experience in exporting her products to France and what were the financial impact of it.

•

27 November 2020 virtual session with Emna Everard, co-founder of Kazidomi, elected Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019. She shared with us the successful story of Kazidomi, from the difficult beginnings to the rapid growth and international expansion.

Those lunches have gathered between 8 and 20 participants each time and were followed by online exchanges on the key takeaways shared by the speaker.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES The Entrepreneurship program focuses on the essence of entrepreneurship: generating serendipity. Successful entrepreneurs intuitively understand that increasing the potential for unplanned fortunate coincidences is what sparks above average growth. Those happy coincidences are not found behind a computer screen or locked up in an office staring at a white wall. They are encountered by actively engaging with others, by being curious about what is being said and done, by exchanging ideas and thoughts. And this is exactly what this initiative is offering: a place of connection, inspiration and dialogue. Specifically, The Entrepreneurship programs aims at: • • •

Positively impact the Belgian entrepreneurial ecosystem through knowledge, awareness and inspiration. Have notable and measurable success in adding to the skills and knowledge of Belgian female entrepreneurs. Enable access to funding possibilities, associations, and collaborations by attracting different profiles of female entrepreneurs and investors.

OUR IMPACT We experienced in 2020 a significant positive impact on PWI Members and a steady increase in numbers of participants and new members. We received positive feedbacks, and furthermore PWI Members expressed their eagerness on having follow-up sessions after the Growth Club Lunches to share progress, doubts or simply keep up with the positive and dynamic vibes that the lunches have instilled in them. With the global pandemic, we had to adjust and offer online sessions for the Growth Club. This new format allowed to gather more participants at each session from different backgrounds and cities in Belgium.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMME GOAL FOR 2021 2019 marked the beginning of new initiatives for the Entrepreneurship Programme which

continued to be developed in 2020 in order to have a significant positive effect on the Belgian entrepreneurial ecosystem through training, learning and networking events for Entrepreneurs. Early 2020, PWI Brussels launched a new event type; the fail-up night, which is an afterwork networking event where female entrepreneurs are able to share their failures, challenges and mistakes in all transparency with other fellow entrepreneurs. The aim with this event is to learn from each other mistakes in order to build a thriving and successful business. Once the restrictions due to the global pandemic will be lifted, we also have the objective to develop an Entrepreneurial Bootcamp: during one full morning, female entrepreneurs will be able to attend workshops which are specifically design to help them launch their business. Each workshop will be dealing with one important entrepreneurial pillar: clarify the business idea – product positioning – business model – marketing and communication strategy.

Your Path Programme The PWI Brussels Your Path Programme helps professional women grow by supporting them in their career transition, helping them find inspiration for their next career move and providing a safe environment where experiences can be shared. The key achievement this year has been the ability to immediately adapt to the new circumstances created by the pandemic and run virtually all planned events from April onwards with fully satisfactory results in terms of number of participants and interaction. The Your Path Programme is made up of three work streams: YOUR PATH SHARING BUBBLE Sharing Bubbles are monthly, open discussion groups where participants help each other affect pro-active change in their careers. A short exercise gets participants to think and discuss their next steps in a safe environment. YOUR PATH SHARING CIRCLES Sharing Circles are monthly, closed group sessions that focus on peer-to-peer coaching and the co-development approach. At each session, a personal case from one of the participants is discussed and participants help address it through open questions and by bringing different perspectives on how to interpret it and approach it. The Circle is a safe environment where participation is equal and all attendees benefit from mutual support through the authentic nature of the Circle itself. YOUR DYNAMICS IN SPIRAL Your Dynamics in Spiral started in 2019. It is a process consisting of 8 sessions during which the participating women go, session after session, through the 8 stages of personal

development individually. Collectively they will advance in a respectful, benevolent and supportive atmosphere. Each monthly session is facilitated using collective intelligence participatory generative interactive tools and activities. The space is held by a professional coach.

YOUR PATH DATA Sharing Bubble • In 2020 we held eleven SB meetings on the first Tuesday of every month. As of April 2020 the meetings were held online. Average attendance was about 6/7 participants. Sharing Circle • In 2020, ten (2 hours) Sharing Circle sessions were organized, typically on the last Tuesday/of each month. A total of 18 women participated in these. Your Dynamics in Spiral • 2019 was a success. The program is in the second year and is running with 9 participants. The nine participants will finish before the summer holidays with a life journal in their hands full of personal discoveries and learnings. • This initiative concerns a psychological theory on adult maturity and existential evolution. In 2020 we introduced the holistic personality test from Value Match. It has nourished participants to dive more into personal and group values.

YOUR PATH OBJECTIVES Sharing Bubble The key objective of the SB is twofold: 1) to provide a safe environment in which participants can freely share experiences and issues, learn from each other and get advice and inspiration. 2) Being a monthly event, the SB also provides each time a regular opportunity to introduce PWI and its various programmes to participants that are not familiar with it. By giving a taste of what PWI can offer, the SB is a useful tool to encourage people to become members. Sharing Circle The main objective is to create co-developed career choices among participants. Sharing Circles help PWI Brussels’ members to accelerate their professional growth by using a peerto-peer co-development approach. This initiative was organised for women looking for a safe place to share their experiences, issues and professional challenges and overcome their obstacles through the direct, open and benevolent support of their peers. Monthly regular meetings strengthened the safe environment and inspired participants to provide insightful advice.

Your Dynamics in Spiral Some participants of previous Sharing Circles had mentioned they would like to be able to move along their personal evolution all together. This idea inspired the launching of Your

Dynamics in Spiral. It allows to share the insights and shadows of life per stages, to focus on key events, and to share the conscious awareness of their meaning. We are successfully running the second year of Your Dynamics in Spiral. YOUR PATH ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2020 Sharing Bubble Each SB is facilitated by a professional coach. The SB has therefore set the bar very high in terms of the service that it offers to participants. Furthermore, the SB has offered a platform to pilot the concept of the Your Dynamics in Spiral, which has then become an additional and new initiative offered by the Your Path team. Sharing Circle The Sharing Circle created a strong support group of women. Participants improved their listening skills. They paid attention to presence, of their own, and of others around them. They learned to ask open clarification and deepening questions. Participants provided concrete suggestions regarding professional life challenges. It also increased their involvement in PWI activities. Group members regularly communicated with each other and encouraged themselves to participate in other events not only organised by PWI but also other associations.

Your Dynamics in Spiral It was an achievement to engage new members in PWI and to help the participants to start opening up, sharing their vulnerability and welcoming comfort while earning selfunderstanding and self-esteem. Participants appreciate growing in careers and living lives with individual values and group values. Strong bonds among the participants emerged with our special connecting tool called Buddies groups.

OUR IMPACT Sharing Bubble Given the nature of the SB activities it is difficult to concretely measure their impact. However, constant feedback after each meeting is that participants feel more positive and energised and always take away interesting food for thought (e.g. what peer-to-peer coaching is; actions they can implement to promote change; skills they can develop). The SB also helps participants networking in a more intimate and friendlier environment. In addition, a key impact of the SB is indeed the fact that it provides a taster of what PWI can offer. Sharing Circle At the end of the Sharing Circle meeting in 2019, participants were asked to provide feedback for the forthcoming Sharing Circle. All participants indicated the positive impact of the Sharing Circle on their career. One of the insights, the most repeated one, was realising that “I’m not alone” regarding the challenges they face. They strongly recommended the continuation of the Sharing Circle. They also suggested having small thematic groups based on sectors such as law, communication, business management, etc.

Your Dynamics in Spiral The feedback mentions are of positive deep connexion with oneself and of better understanding of others. Participants feel authenticity, high energy, motivating atmosphere, challenging exercises and attractive content.

YOUR PATH GOAL FOR 2021 Sharing Bubble We aim to keep holding monthly SB events with the same level of professionalism in terms of the coaching activity offered at each session. We would also like to organise, ideally two events as part of the wider Your Path Programme. We will adjust our offer online/offline according to the evolution of the measures in place. Sharing Circle The aim of the Sharing Circle in 2021 is the continuation of the meetings in a similar and original way and to provide a safe environment and a special place which helps participants to cope with the challenges in their transition period. Your Dynamics in Spiral The aim of Your Dynamics in Spiral is to continue, help women discover and grow with respect to values. The following year's program is dated from September to June 2021-2022 and prefers to create face to face workshops accordingly with the new laws.

Women and Money Programme 2019 saw the launch of the ‘Women & Money’ series of events, sponsored by The Fry Group (Belgium). The sessions were led and presented by Amanda Newell, a Financial Adviser at The Fry Group and PWI member. WOMAN AND MONEY PROGRAM DATA & ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2020 There were 5 events in 2020 and this will change slightly in 2021. Due to the difficulties in 2020, this series was taken on-line were we held 5 sessions. Amanda brought in guest speakers from around the world, who connected with PWI members and non-members on topics such as investing your wealth and time to help other when you are in a financially secure place, how woman are queens of their own money and how to ensure financial independence, how to invest wisely in your wardrobe and feel good about yourself along with in-depth information on pension, wealth management, lump sum investing form a tax efficient Belgian perspective. The series was launched to help bring valuable knowledge, experience & information to women to enable them to become financially independent and for them to know what is available to them in a Belgium context. The sessions vary on attendance depending on the topics.

The events also requested the participant to say what they would like to see in the next presentation, so they are geared to what topics the audience wants to hear and all topics based around a financial theme. WOMEN AND MONEY PROGRAM OBJECTIVES Why did we start this series? We were aiming to inform and empower our members on how to plan and manage their financial future for themselves and their family. The series of events became a program by autumn 2019 and Amanda planned for both 2020 and 2021 series of events and webinars on gender pay and pension gaps, asking for a raise, evaluating investment options, etc. In 2021, there will be a Q&A session in June followed by a series of 3 events which will be a closed group discussion on planning for your retirement. There will be 3 events over a period of 6 weeks and it will be a very interactive series. OUR IMPACT We experienced in 2020 a significant positive impact on PWI Members and a steady increase in numbers of participants that were willing to learn more on how to become financially savvy. We received very positive feedbacks on content and guest speakers, and furthermore PWI Members expressed their eagerness on having follow-up sessions. WOMEN AND MONEY PROGRAM GOALS FOR 2021 Our goal with these series of events in 2021, is to grow them and be able to provide all members with the information they need on financial topics. Amanda has worked closely with ensuring the guest speakers are relevant with their topics and what the members would like to learn and listen to. To also grow as a program where we can do separate seminars and workshops depending on the level of knowledge & experience or the wealth of a member and to tailor accordingly. We are also looking to expand the Women & Money series into our corporate members and possibly run sessions with them.

Networking: Inner Circle Virtual Happy Hour (new in 2020) INNER CIRCLE VIRTUAL HAPPY HOUR (ICVH) OBJECTIVES We know that a key value of PWI Brussels is the safe space we provide for learning and development of meaningful and supportive relationships. With the restrictions affecting our ability to meet, PWI Brussels had to adapt and re-define the safe & shared space we could continue to connect in. The Inner Circle Virtual Happy Hour was then launched and emerged as a keyway for our members and friends to connect and expand our learning through interacting with insightful speakers, reflecting on relevant topics, and a focus on virtual engagement and connections: • • • • •

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Redefining Hope with Bleri Lleshi, philosopher and lecturer at UCLL "Resetting the default" and how gender equality can lead us to a better world, with Ilse Kenis, Executive Committee of Sibelco SCR leading the business segment group Glass and Performance Materials. Becoming Friends WITH Fear with Kyla Mitsunaga, Certified Global Happiness Coach/Women’s Empowerment Coach and PWI Mentor. Why it is the right time to launch your business despite the Covid 19 crisis, with Christine Masure, CEO and Co-founder of Bluematching and Program Director for Entrepreneurship. Communication during our challenging times with Marie Terese Letorney, Founder of Ask your Voice™ and President of Professional Women’s International - Brussels association from 2015-2017 and she served on the PWI Advisory Board from 20172018. Storytelling – Transformation from a personal story into mobilizing a movement, with Heidi Vansevenant, Founder/ President and Managing Director of Think Pink, and Sabine Henning, Life & Astro Coach / Plant Health Consultant and Social Media Volunteer for PWI Brussels. Turn your passion into a company with Dr. Audrey-Flore Ngomsik, CEO and Cofounder of Trianon Scientific Communication Website and PWI Entrepreneurship Volunteer Wholeness & Mindfulness with Ashrefunisa Shaik, and Happiness Facilitator and Coach PWI Your Path Volunteer Spotlight on Our Growth Enablers with Jessica Lutz, Growth Enabler and PWI Mentoring Programme Co-Director, & Ana Escarpenter, Growth Enabler and PWI Your Path Program Director

ICVH ACHIEVEMENTS & IMPACT IN 2020 ICVH enabled PWI members and friends a virtual space to connect and learn, in a deep and meaningful way. Each session provided learnings and insights from experts, but most importantly generated dialogue and exchange.

ICVH GOAL FOR 2021 PWI plans to continue to blend different mediums to engage and connect, in which ICVH provides a virtual venue for meaningful exchanges that we plan will continue. ICVH provides a space for our members and friends to bring forward new ideas and share their expertise. ICVH provides an alternative to connect, to complement in-person events and programs.

Events and other activities From mid-March 2020, our activities and the organization of our events were hampered by the sanitary situation. We had to adapt, rethink our events and continue to meet our members through virtual events. It was important for us to be present for our members, all the more in these difficult and questioning moments, by offering them different types of events in order to develop new skills, networking opportunities and help them to achieve and maintain a healthy balance between their professional and personal life.

EVENTS DATA During the year 2020, we organized nearly 60 events, of which a third were non-program events: mainly our monthly “Inner Circle Virtual Happy Hour”, few theme events, the PWN Global webinars as well as our famous International Women's Day Gala.

EVENTS ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2020

International Women's Day Gala Dinner On March 7, 2020, we had the chance to organize our gala dinner to celebrate International Women's Day where we welcomed more than 100 guests. We were proud to welcome four guests of honor: Clare Hutchinson, Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security at NATO, Wim Mijs, Chief Executive Officer at the EUROPEAN BANKING FEDERATION, Birgit van Hout, Regional Representative for Europe at UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and Ilse Kenis, EVP Glass and Performance Materials at SIBELCO. Our guests, members and non-members, women and men, enjoyed, in addition to the inspiring speeches of our guests of honor, a networking cocktail, a wonderful dinner, a raffle kindly sponsored by our partners and finally a dance party hosted by our amazing DJ Bruselo . PWI - International Women's Day Gala 2020

Finally, on September 25 and 26, 2020, PWI Brussels registered for the third consecutive year and gathered a team of 30 members for the Think Pink Race for Cure, the largest education and fundraising event in the world for breast cancer. This edition was special given the Covid19 situation - we invited our teammates to run / walk in their favorite place simultaneously and share their pictures with us.

Inner Circle Virtual Happy Hour – Monthly as of April 2020 During these uncertain times, we wished to stay connected to our community and build a close inner circle of women to provides critical information on how to approach opportunities and

challenges. As we all physically distance ourselves and move our work, learning and socialization online, we wanted to make sure the key ingredient of connection continues. We invited our members and friends to join us for a series of The Inner Circle Virtual Happy Hour, monthly virtual sessions among peers to help each other survive and grow during those critical times, with a different theme and speaker for each session, in a convivial atmosphere.

Engaging Men as Allies workshop – September 24, 2020 PWI Brussels mission is to help its members to grow and succeed, and to accelerate the move to a gender balanced leadership. To achieve our mission, we need to enlist leadership, bridging across genders, sectors and markets. We accelerate change and grow our impact as we unite all of us who value and are committed to bringing the broad range of masculine and feminine leadership traits in our academics, policies, workplaces, and the world. We recognized male leaders who support the advancement of females in all aspects of their life as a father, husband, brother, son, work colleague or all-round leading - who puts gender balanced leadership at the heart of all his actions. As the challenge is great, we want male leaders to engage with us and equip themselves with insight and tools to collaboratively accelerate the development of gender parity and gender balanced leadership. In 2021 we will continue with the series of workshops with the intention to accelerate the activism from our Men allies.

Ingredients of Inclusive Leadership – November 19, 2020 PWI Brussels is dedicated to advancing discussions around how we can jointly advance greater gender balanced and inclusive leadership! We were delighted to welcome two exceptional speakers for a session on the Ingredients of Inclusive Leadership, Sonia Tatar, Executive Director, INSEAD Corporate Governance Centre, INSEAD Wendel International Centre for Family Enterprise and Kay Formanek, Founder and CEO at KAY Diversity & Performance B.V. Link:

PWI - PWI Brussels VIRTUAL Event: Ingredients of Inclusive Leadership Fact: November 19 is the International Men’s Day and this session had an wonderful inclusive message for all genders.

PWN Global Events As part of PWN Global community, our members have the opportunity to join the monthly (knowledge) webinars organised globally by PWN which will remain available on our platform.

EVENTS GOAL FOR 2021 The year 2020 has been a real challenge in terms of the organization of our events, which we have been able to meet successfully. Through regular monthly events, we have stayed connected to our growing community. For 2021, we are continuing this same momentum and hope to be able to reorganize face-to-face events again very soon, whether these are the events of our various programs, our networking, workshops, and other exclusive events with our partners, in compliance with sanitary measures in place.

Check our calendar for more: PWI - Events

Financial Summary STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION The accounts of PWI Brussels have been reviewed by accounting firm Abatis for 2020.

KBC Main  Bank Account Paypal

Total (EUR)

1 January 2020

31 December 2020

Current (29 March 2021)

7,657.05 20,021.45 $3,799.70 Total: 23,376.55

7,990.36 28,938.02 $3,799,70 Total: 31,966,20

7,759.90 30,149.92 $ 3,799.70 Total: 33,272.82

31,033.61

39,956.56

41,032.72

Legal and compliance In continuity with past presidencies, PWI Brussels has continue to structure itself to be more compliant with the law, processes, and procedures. LEGAL DATA AND ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2020

Few accomplishments from last year: • The legal documents have been officially published at the Moniteur Belge 03.20.2020. PWI is now compliant with the Belgium authorities’ requirements.

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And therefore, the current Board Members are legally recognized by the authorities in their joint liability toward the organization. Reviewing and monitoring our GDPR policy to guarantee to both our members and corporate members that the collect and storage of their personal data are safe. Providing legal insights when asked or drafting legal templates as needed. Preparing the AGM 2020 in strong liaison with the President according to the process in place, while collaborating strongly with relevant volunteers. Providing advice in building stakeholder relationship with other organization we collaborate with, like PWN Global or other. The intention is to build effective and fruitful relationships, avoid conflict of interests while representing PWI’s legal interests.

LEGAL GOALS FOR 2021

In 2021 the focus will be in finding the necessary support (e.g. subsidies) needed to review, update and draft the by-laws.

Closing We hope the report has been insightful. A special thanks to 2019-2021 Board members and program directors for governance, leadership, and dedication. To our wonderful team of dynamic volunteers. To our Advisory Board members for their guidance and support. Especially and most importantly, to all of Our Members. May you all grow and succeed in your professional and personal lives.

Contact

PWI BRUSSELS Rue Abbé Cuypers 3 1040, Bruxelles www.pwi.be

PWN GLOBAL 8, rue de la Boétie 75008 Paris https://pwnglobal.net/

Thank you!

PWI Brussels Annual Report 2020

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