THE NEXT STEVE JOBS?
 Rebecca Fannin, author of Silicon Dragon: How China is Winning the Tech Race, says, “Don’t be surprised if the next Steve Jobs comes from China. Already, I can see the beginnings of this trend in the likes of entrepreneurs Jack Ma of e-commerce startup Alibaba, Robin Li of search engine Baidu, Gary Wang of video sharing service Tudou.com and Joe Chen of web 2.0 powerhouse Oak Pacific Interactive.” If these names aren’t familiar to you, you might want to hear Rebecca speak on August 6.
Rebecca gives you the inside track on some of China’s top hi-tech entrepreneurs. All of her subjects were born during or just before the Cultural Revolution, often in poor families or with parents who were sent to the countryside. Not only did they develop products at the same time or ahead of their U.S. counterparts, but they are beating big American brand names Google, Yahoo, MySpace and eBay in China. This luncheon will give you the scoop on China’s technological innovators who The Guardian newspaper says “U.S. venture capitalists are lining up to back.” We should be too.
Do you have a client or business associate in high-tech who would enjoy this event? If so, is this not a perfect way to reconnect?
A recent Catalyst report shows that over 40 per cent of FP500 companies in Canada have no women directors on their boards – a huge missed opportunity because, on average, companies with more women board members financially outperform those with the fewest number.
Deborah Gillis, Catalyst’s vice president North America, who will be presenting at a WLC event in September, says: “The tendency for boards to recruit from the same narrow pool of candidates acts as a barrier to women seeking board seats.” In other words, while there are talented potential women directors out there, companies seeking new directors, typically return to the same group of “usual suspects.” Catalyst’s research also found that companies with a history of women board members typically saw more women advancing into senior leadership positions. Perhaps that’s because these women directors serve as role models to women coming up the ranks. Or maybe these companies are just more inclusive or have programs that support women’s advancement. To learn more, go to www.catalyst.org
BUY THOSE MANOLOS FOR SOMEONE ELSE
 Really? Yes, it will make you happy, says a recent research study titled Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness. According to Elizabeth W. Dunn, Lara B. Aknin of UBC and Michael I. Norton of Harvard Business School, “how people spend their money may be at least as important as how much money they earn. Specifically, we hypothesized that spending money on other people may have a more positive impact on happiness than spending money on oneself.” Read this interesting paper (pdf).
For a less expensive way to find happiness, come to the August 14 Bootcamp on Success and Happiness – In pursuit of having it all! The inspirational Peter Legge will speak on The Vancouver Board of Trade’s …connecting for good® ethos and his personal experiences. And, back by popular demand is Dr. Ken Nedd, who “wowed” people at a Board of Trade event in January.
MORE OUTDOOR NETWORKING
Last month we suggested you take your summer networking outdoors. Here are two more great ideas to add to your calendar. The Board’s annual evening Boat Cruise is very popular; it usually sells out. It’s for members only and that includes the Women’s Leadership Circle. If you’d rather enjoy the view from Grouse Mountain (without the Grind!), mark down August 21. Hosted by Grouse Mountain, this evening event includes a free skyride and reception. Once again, members only, but why not go through the business cards of people you’ve met and arrange to get together at this event. Registration is required.
LET THEM SEE YOU SWEAT!
 If you prefer to get to the top the hard way, join other like-minded hikers at Grouse Grind® weekly Social Nights in Altitudes Bistro featuring a live DJ, great giveaways, and food & beverage specials to keep the conversation flowing. Grouse Grind® Social Nights take place every Wednesday throughout the summer and kick off at 6 p.m. Come out to meet other hikers, visitors or lounge lovers.
WHAT WOMEN REALLY WANT
 Women want events that are geared just to connecting so on September 12, join the WLC for our inaugural “ALL ACCESS” NETWORKING LUNCHEON EVENT. This is your all-access pass to meet the other members of the WLC, WLC Advisory Board members and chair Sue Paish at this interactive networking event. Networking experts Gayle Hallgren-Rezac and Judy Thomson will facilitate; they’ll have everyone connecting in a relaxed and friendly environment. This is the ultimate ‘permission to network’ event. Plus there will be some really great prizes – who can resist that!
YOUR FEEDBACK
We would love to hear from you. Send your comments, ideas for this newsletter, for speakers, for content to: info@wlcircle.com
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Aug 6, 2008
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