First a quick step back in time…

You may recall that the WPNG co-sponsored an event in Lyon Friday March 30 entitled “Why is it hard for us to find the good? …in people, learning and life”. More than 80 people registered and attended. The topic dealt with parental frustration with children of all temperaments and the importance of listening, observing your child but most importantly shared handy hints on how to give much needed positive feedback to children. The WPNG was very proud to be involved in promoting 3 of its member’s activities; star presenters Claire Blondel and Evie Rosset and conference organiser Rajâa Johnson and would be very interested in hearing about other initiatives and members’ community involvement. For more details about the talk, please get in touch with Claire, Evie and Rajâa directly.

April meeting – Bouillet chocolate

It comes as no secret that everyone loves chocolate and according to your feedback the topic was unreservedly GOOD. We learnt that 67% of the attendees consulted the website before coming to the meeting, so some people made the comment that the presentation was in French and not in English. A quick mention of this fact on the website would have avoided your surprise and some of your comments.

Basically, we underestimated the difficulty in providing a timely translation of his presentation and this detracted a bit from the passion and the generosity of the speaker, Sebastian Bouillet. Our apologies to the speaker coupled with a most delighted thanks for all the chocolates!

This just shows how useful it is for you to fill in the feedback forms, because we are learning a lot from them.

Looking ahead again, what have we got in store for you?

Our May meeting (15 May,2012) will please all the members who missed the opportunity to hear what Sara Righenzi, WPNG member and KPMG partner, presented at the Women Business Tour last November. Sara will be joined by Rachael Hughes, CEO of Doméos.  Rachael is a dynamic business woman who has previously opened a business venture in Latin America and is now busy running the European operation of the business HomeServe from France. Karin Trivière will join us and moderate the debate and hopefully be able to share some insight into the European aspect of women in business.  Read more here

Diary item

Mark your calendars right now for the end of season June Summer Social, Tuesday 12 June – venue to be advised at our May meeting.

Let me end this letter with an invitation,

an invitation to participate in putting together next year’s program, we still need YOU to come forward, yes YOU!

Fresh ideas, fresh blood, enthusiasm and direction are what a program manager can bring to the WPNG. We know that most of you also belong to other groups and sometimes say “Hey, that was a good speaker or topic, I bet the WPNG membership would enjoy this too”. Whether you are new to the area or a long ’suffering’ member, join us and shape the future of the WPNG J

Finally, is there a professional web manager out there? We need someone like you to take charge of our website. Don’t be shy…

Remember, the WPNG needs YOU!

Kristina Ashton  – President

Enjoyed the run-up to Easter with the wine and chocolate tasting? Great!Now, let’s move up a gear.

Join us for a high level business topic, one which concerns us all!

Women in the workplace – three senior professional women will give you their vision.

The speakers:

Back in November 2011 KPMG sponsored the Women business tour at which Sara Righenzi, KPMG partner and WPNG member, presented the initiatives put in place to encourage women to progress within the firm. The message is larger than that and KPMG has a positive message to convey of what they have put in place for their workforce, men or women. Sara will share these initiatives with us and expand on what a large multinational company can put in place for their employees to encourage women to progress in the firm and how to accommodate men and women when it comes to juggling parenthood and career.

Earlier this year Rachael Hughes, CEO of Doméo France, gave a short briefing at FIBA on the creation of HomeServe (UK parent company), its expansion and the joint venture creation of Doméo with Véolia here in France. Rachael will have an interesting view on how she as a woman foreign executive manages her team here in France and her view on work relations in general. How does this compare to other countries where Rachel has set up businesses.

Karin Trivière is EPWN community manager and also increasingly involved in the International school CSI in Gerland. Karin has graciously agreed to assist us by monitoring the speakers and fielding the questions from the floor. Karin works with French female executives and performs the role of community manager for a European network of business women. She will add her perception of the cultural differences between women managers and other European trends.

Finally, please do not forget to bring a healthy or homemade snack, and/or drink, to share with other WPNG members during the first hour of the meeting leading to the main panel discussion.

Some of you were lucky to attend our Winter Social last December and on this occasion received a very special present in the form of a lipstick made out of chocolate. Sébastien invented the concept and made it!

DuringTuesdays’ exciting session, Sébastien will first share with us:

The history of his family business: how it all started with his parents in La Croix Rousse and where he is at now with the creation of many shops and his star status in Tokyo, Japan.  Sébastien will comment on the challenging role of being a businessman and a chocolate maker.

Then the  best is to come in the 2nd part with a CHOCOLATE TASTING!

Sébastien prepared for us a special tasting of 2 to 3 chocolates from different parts of the world : we will be able to compare different appearances, tastes and texture of chocolates from South American (Brazil), Asia, and Africa.

Venue as usual at KPMG,  51 rue St Cyr, 69009 LYON

Start time at 7 PM for networking session – finish time 9.30PM. Please bring some healthy home made snacks and drinks to share during the networking session.

We count on your presence to support Sébastien who took some time out of his very busy schedule to make us discover his amazing chocolates. Since Easter is only a few days away, that’s perfect timing.

We look forward to seeing you all

WPNG Steering Committee

Why is WPNG sponsoring this conference?
… Because over 50% of the speakers are WPNG members, of course!

Organiser and WPNG member Rajâa Johnson, WPNG members and conference speakers Evie Rosset and Claire Blondel will together with Morgan Radford participate in a panel discussion: three speakers with different but overlapping backgrounds will discuss and exchange on positive approaches to education, relationships, and other areas in our lives.
The conference in English is FREE and followed by drinks (payable) at the B7 bar (2 min from the conference) to continue the discussion.

WHEN: Friday 30th March 7:30pm (duration 2hrs)
WHERE: Salle Ravier, 7 rue Ravier, Lyon 7ème (see link for map)

FULL DETAILS ON Conference leaflet HERE treasure conference_march 30th

REGISTRATION ON : Doodle: Conference: Why it is hard for us to find the good?

Find out how by clicking on link: 2012.03.19 PMC call for applications

I have nothing more to add other than that the experience was instructive, enjoyable and well appreciated by all attendees. Many suggestions were made after the event including a request to taste white wines. I hope the turnout will be as good for Bouillet’s chocolates on 3^rd April.

On to more serious business, in this letter I would like to share with you the results of our first WPNG attendees feedback form (click on the link to read): WPNG Attendees Meeting feedback.03.13.12. There is some very positive feedback, but also a few lessons to be learned.  Food!

WPNG members do not eat prior to attending the meeting! So no wonder we had a very high score for people wanting more food to accompany the wine tasting. The WPNG e-mail message confirming your attendance should have been clearer about us moving the social networking session (food) to the end.

Lesson no.2       Timekeeping

We finished late which meant that some people were unable to stay until the end and enjoy the full wine tasting journey. We appreciate that this is a general trend and not specifically linked to this one event.

Lesson no.3       Networking

Not enough time to mingle and catch up with friends. We acknowledge the disruptive nature of this event and will ensure that future sessions will be shorter and to the point, leaving more room for networking before and after the speaker.

Lesson no.4       Noisy

The room is air-conditioned and when the ventilators get going it is very hard to hear what the speaker is saying. Unfortunately once the room is filled with 50 people, all the lights and two overhead projectors running, the ventilation will surge. We can ask the speaker to speak louder or resort to shutting the ventilation system to zero (it will take a few minutes to shut off).

Lesson no.5       Welcoming new members

We do not do enough to welcome new members and are too busy organizing, taking inscriptions, helping the speaker. As a Steering Committee this is one of our biggest challenges and we need help. Please take it upon yourselves to spot the new comer and make her feel welcome and at ease, explain how the meetings are run etc. We (the SC) will also do our best to ensure a good welcome and in addition we will stand up and introduce ourselves at the beginning of each and once in a while we will ask the entire group to introduce themselves.

Many thanks to Claire Blondel for managing the survey and providing the report and analysis.

Thank you for your feedback – It can only get better from here!

Kristina Ashton – President WPNG

The March monthly meeting will feature a wine lesson and tasting by a Lyonnais oenologist and one of our very own WPNG members!

**NOTE: PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED by Sunday March 4th!  Spaces are limited to 48 participants, so please email info@wpng.org no later than Sunday, March 4^th.  and put “Registration – Wine tasting” in the subject line to RSVP.  We also ask for a €5 contribution at the door to pay for expenses.**

Many of us have enjoyed familiarizing ourselves with one of France’s most enjoyable and well-known products – the incomparable French wine.  Surrounded by a thriving wine culture, some of us may have even wanted or begun to learn how to correctly taste wine, what makes French wine unique, and even the peculiarities of wine from different regions.  For the next monthly meeting, Lyon-based oenologist Hugues Mialhe and WPNG member Shannon (Blake) Tesseyre are joining together to present a wine lesson and tasting.

Hugues Mialhe (http://www.coursdoenologie.fr/), our first guest speaker, might have a passion for wine in his blood: His great grandfather created spirits (pastis Gaillard!) and was a wine merchant in the south of France.  Following the family trade, Hugues became a certified French oenologist (Masters degree equivalent) in 2002, and he has helped to vinify 8 vintages all over France (such as Châteauneuf du Pape, Alsace, and Beaujolais), in Switzerland, and in the Californian Russian River Valley.  In 2008, Hugues started focused on selling French wine and teaching about French vineyards.  Hugues helped create the first French Wine Society handbooks (in Washington, DC, USA), edited the “French wine scholar level” manuals, and was event coordinator for the FWS from September 2008 to July 2009.

Shannon Tesseyre (what-the-french.posterous.com) is a California girl, born and raised in the United States.  She developed a passion for wine after turning 21 and wanting to compare French and California Cabernet Sauvignon.  She quickly realized that she would have to study (and taste) her way through the world of wine.  This spark brought Shannon to her first level sommelier test where she passed the blind tasting and written exam with ease.  She then began to host wine tastings and work in restaurants, where her interest in French wines grew.  Finally, three years ago, inspired by the possibility of living and breathing in the French wine culture, Shannon bought a one-way plane ticket to France.  She is now married to a French man and living full-time in Lyon.  She dreams of opening an international wine bar but for the moment enjoys doing private wine tastings and learning as much as possible.  Shannon is thrilled to collaborate with Hugues and light the same love for French wine in her fellow WPNG members at the March meeting.

The Steering Committee is thrilled at the unique partnership of Hugues and Shannon and hopes you’ll join us for this exceptional meeting.  Please register your intention to attend and pay 5€ for the pleasure.  Exceptionally cash will be accepted, and you can bring your contribution and pay at the door.  Logistically, we cannot exceed 45-50 participants, so reserve your place no later than Sunday, March 4^th.  To register, please send an e-mail to info@wpng.org and put “Registration – Wine tasting” in the subject line.

Tuesday 7th February 2012 – 19.00 to 21.30 at KPMG.

Parts of this presentation was performed live and recorded for future screening at the very first TEDxLyon event in November 2011. We are very pleased and honoured that the speaker is an active WPNG member. 

Parts of this biography could be you, couldn’t it? 

“When she left her career she had been a Quality manager for 10 years in the industrial field, 5 of those years in post in China.

Her husband’s subsequent move to Japan brought up childcare issues, so she quit her job and got involved in her daughters’ school: PTA president, substitute teacher and formal teacher in a 3-6 years old class. 

Fortified with this experience she wanted to give more parents the opportunity to “grow” international children and when she came back to France in 2010 she worked on opening her own international school.

Her own opinion is that she has failed, but that is not true, her adventure and ambitious project is not over.

We invite you to come and meet Claire Blondel, entrepreneur and mother, and listen to her very personal story and project; it has brought to light interesting specificities in the French education system that we will all recognize to some degree.”

Join the discussion afterwards where we will focus, not on the French educational system, but what is good and can be learned from educational systems all over the world.

The WPNG membership represents over 20 nationalities and we expect the exchange to be very rich indeed!

111109_succession-property-law