A GREAT WLC YEAR
 Season’s greetings WLC members,
I’ve had the pleasure of celebrating the holiday season with many of our members at two recent events. WLC Advisory Council Vice-Chair Judy Thomson and I each hosted a WLC table at The Board’s popular Spirit of Vancouver Christmas luncheon (how often do you have a turkey served at your table for lunch?) followed by a very festive and lively “meet your WLC Advisory Council” reception at Joe Fortes (see article below). The event sold out quickly and the buzz in the room indicated a strong desire for more such events! Several of our members have graciously offered their venues for future get-togethers. Watch for details in the upcoming weeks!
Best wishes for the holiday season and I look forward to seeing you all in 2012.
Evi Mustel
President, Mustel Group
Chair, WLC Advisory Council
FORTUNE DOES FAVOUR THE BOLD
 In a National Post article on “Finding balance” Nathalie Bernier, managing partner of KPMG’s Montreal office, made a very interesting comment. She said that she had noticed “that men are very good at networking and making their expectations known ahead of important events, such as compensation meetings.”
This reminded us of the August 2011 WLC newsletter article about Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” speech at Barnard College. Her talk may not be as famous as Steve Jobs’s commencement speech to Stanford grads, but it did resonate beyond the 2,400 women at Barnard. What did she mean by “lean in?” We first heard this term used by a U.S. aircraft carrier captain during flight ops. It means to push deep into difficult tasks.
During the Barnard speech Sandberg asked, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Research shows that women are less bold when it comes to salary negotiations and Bernier’s advice at the top of this article to make expectations known ahead of opportunities (promotions, salary negotiations) is a reminder to lean in and speak up before these important events for your career. Fortune does favour the bold.
Read this excellent article on Sheryl Sandberg in The New Yorker.
QUOTABLE
 “Motherhood is nothing if not the triumph over multitasking.”
Carrie Mandel, partner with executive search firm Odgers Berndtson
INTERESTING STAT, INTERESTING REASON
 Educated Canadian women are opting for few, or no, children, according to a new study released by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR). “The average woman in the U.S. with a professional or graduate university degree will have 1.9 children over her lifetime, well above the Canadian average of 1.6 children per woman.” It may not be surprising that Canada now has one of the lowest birth rates in the developed world, but even in the U.S., “where women have more to lose with the birth of each additional child – with shorter maternity leaves and less tax relief for those paying childcare expenses – it seems that educated women are having more children than in the past.” The study says that the “answer is simple: In the U.S., the growing divide between the wealthy and the poor has created both a class of women who can afford to hire help in their homes and a pool of workers who are willing to provide it cheaply.”
Read the article here.
CONNECTING AT JOE’S
 Seventy amazing women – and a few very smart men – attended the sold-out Joe Fortes WLC reception on December 5. We could tell you how great it was, but it sounds much better coming from these WLC members:
“Congratulations on a great event last night. It was by far the most valuable event I have attended since joining in May of this year. I really enjoyed being able to connect with people on a more personal level (hair, business, kids – it’s all good!) and I look forward to future WLC events.”
“FANTASTIC!! Met the nicest people, made new friends. Best kept secret in Vancouver? Joe Fortes Mac & Cheese.”
“Good food, drinks, & service & good to meet & greet in a relaxing environment.”
Thanks to everyone who attended! We hope you got a chance to connect with one of these WLC Advisory Council members who were in attendance, including Rita Bellano, Filomena Nalewajek, Mary Anne Davidson, Yvonne De Valone, Maninder Dhaliwal, Susan Thom, Lisa Martin, Margaret McNeil, Evi Mustel, and Judy Thomson. Special thanks to Debbie Downs and the membership team for making this event happen and to The Board’s CEO, Iain Black… one of those very smart men in the room!
See more photos.
AMAZING SPEAKERS TO LAUNCH 2012
 Before you get too deep into year-end projects at work, Christmas shopping, and holiday entertaining, we suggest you go to the VBOT website and check out the amazing speaker events happening in January 2012 and book now. Here are just a few that we noticed.
If you want an update on the black eye Vancouver suffered this year, attend the January 11 event and hear Jim Chu, Chief Constable of the Vancouver Police Department, give an update on the riot investigation. It is quite different hearing Jim Chu speak in-person, rather than getting your information from news sound bites. Then on Wednesday, January 25, Larry Berg, CEO of YVR, will be speaking on Connecting B.C. to the World. Even if you these topics aren’t directly related to your business, it’s the people you will meet, who come to hear these high-level leaders, which make these events more than just interesting and important speeches. Join a WLC table and, in the spirit of inclusiveness, invite a male associate to join you. See events calendar.
DEBUNKING THE SILENT CANCER
 Dr. Oz does a great job of educating people about health issues on his television show, and he has put a big focus on ovarian cancer recently, trying to debunk the myth that ovarian cancer is the “silent cancer.” Take a look at these very good tools and information to keep yourself informed including a “symptom diary” and “one-sheet” that you can take to your doctor.
WHAT IS IN THAT PRODUCT?
 Ever wanted to know how safe your mascara, lipstick, family shampoo or other beauty products are? Then take a look at Skin Deep, a searchable database that matches the ingredients in more than 60,000 shampoos, makeup, deodorants, sunscreens and other personal care products with 50 toxicity and regulatory databases. The project was started in 2004 by the USA-based Environmental Working Group. According to research, the average American woman uses 12 personal care products per day, resulting in exposure to more than 120 chemicals, many of which are likely linked to cancer, asthma, allergies and other health related problems. Men and children’s products are listed too.
POWERFUL 100
 Congratulations to all the women honoured on December 1, 2011 as part of WXN’s 2011 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards including these Metro Vancouver women:
- Catherine Aczel Boivie, CEO, Inventure Solutions, and senior vice-president, information technology, Vancouver City Savings Credit Union
- Frieda Granot, Senior Associate Dean, Strategic Development and External Relations, Sauder School Of Business, UBC
- Debra Hewson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Odlum Brown Limited
- Connie Linder, Founder and president, Insight Creative Communications
- Fiona Macfarlane, Chief Inclusiveness Officer and Managing Partner, Western Canada, Ernst and Young LLP
- Valerie Mann, Partner, Lawson Lundell LLP
- Cybele Negris, Co-Founder and President, WebNames.ca
- Sue Paish, Chief Executive Officer, Pharmasave Drugs Ltd.
- Tracy Redies, President and Chief Executive Officer, Coast Capital Savings Credit Union
- Launi Skinner, Chief Executive Officer, First West Credit Union
- Tamara Vrooman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Vancity
- Janet Wood, Executive vice-president, Maintenance Go-to-Market, SAP
A special note that former Vancouver Board of Trade Chair Susan Paish is included in this high-profile list. During her time on the Board of Directors Paish became the founding chair of The Board’s Women’s Leadership Circle!
Check out the complete list and perhaps send a congratulatory note to the women you know.
NEWSLETTER IN A NEWSLETTER
 The Vancouver Board of Trade’s Small Business Council (SBC) has started a newsletter, Small Business Matters. The newsletter is edited by Janice Tomich, chair of the SBC’s communication subcommittee and principal of Calculated Presentations. This month’s newsletter is full of great information on mobile marketing. Check it out and, if you like it, hit the subscribe button in the top-right corner.
SHARE THIS WITH A FRIEND
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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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