Ann Fudge Scholars visit South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa -- July 22, 2009 -- General Electric's (GE) Women's Network has co-hosted a once-in-a-lifetime global business leadership experience in South Africa in association with members of The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) for five female college scholars from the United States. The five were recipients of the 2008-2009 Ann Fudge Scholarships, named after the first woman chairperson of the Council and former CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands.
The Women's Network was created to accelerate the advancement of women working at GE. All Women's Network events share the goal of professional growth: workshops, speaker engagements, mentoring and networking activities, and partnering with local communities.
Globally GE has worked with the ELC for over 15 years, and has sponsored key ELC initiatives, notably the annual CEO Summit in October and the annual Black Women's Leadership Summit, held in June.
Swaady Martin, regional business leader of GE Transportation and also of the Women's Network in South Africa said: "We are one hundred percent committed to furthering women's professional growth. This kind of global exchange grows leaders --and international exchanges shape careers."
This visit not only benefitted the Ann Fudge Scholars, but also exposed African women at GE to Global Women Leaders like Westina Matthews Shatteen, Managing Director, Community Business Development at Merrill Lynch. Shatteen is also one of the top 100 influential black women in the United States. The women from the GE Women's Network had the opportunity to meet with a number of Fortune 500 leaders: the ELC consisting of a group of Fortune 500. It enabled GE Women's Network to expand beyond South Africa, and also set the stage to sell Africa to future women leaders. Seeing the possibilities of Africa early in their careers will definitely shape their journey as business or social leaders.
The eight-day visit to South Africa in conjunction with LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) featured stops in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and tours of the Apartheid Museum and Robben Island.
The scholars were chaperoned by ELC members including Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President -- Global Inclusion Strategy & Executive Vice President - Public Affairs & Chief of Staff, MTV Networks; Dr. Jane E. Smith, Executive Director of the Spelman College Centre for Leadership and Civic Engagement and Joy Booker, President of NextGen Network, the pipeline organization of The Executive Leadership Council.
"I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of these young women. Their experiences in South Africa will enable them to truly be citizens of the world capable, of understanding different cultures and working in our global business environment," said Ann Fudge, first woman chairperson of the Council and former CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands.
During their trip the students visited senior executives from GE, Johnson & Johnson, and other global companies in the region to gain first-hand insight into global business and professional and personal leadership development.
"This global excursion has exceeded all my expectations," said Ann Fudge scholarship recipient Michelle Maltbia, who is studying at Spelman College. "With each new experience I found an opportunity for my own personal growth..
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About GE:
GE is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. GE is Imagination at Work. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com.
About The Executive Leadership Council
The Executive Leadership Council is an independent, non-profit corporation, founded in 1986, which provides African-American executives of major U.S. companies with a professional network and forum to offer perspective and direction on national and international business and public policy issues. It is the preeminent organization that recognizes the strengths, success, contributions, and impact of African-American corporate business leaders. Council members -- more than 460 executives, one-third of them women -- represent more than 280 Fortune 500 corporations. For more information about The Executive Leadership Council, please visit www.elcinfo.com.
Justus Waimiri
Kendal Hunt