Global initiatives: Germany

Women’s Network Meetings

Encouraging women to be prepared for leadership roles – with powerful women networking meetings

In 2008 the initiative “Women at PwC” was initiated by the German Leadership team with the objective to enhance career opportunities for women and increase the number of female key talents in leading roles. The target group is comprised of about 900 women including female Young Excellence Program participants (key talent senior consultants) and all women from grade manager to partner of all lines of service.

The initiative “Women at PwC” focuses on encouraging female talents to be ready for leadership roles and has developed initiatives to achieve this, e.g., annual women’s meetings, business networking contacts, Women Leadership Trainings.

Women at PwC facilitates Women’s Meetings for female managers to get together in regional and national network meetings. At these network meetings, women have the opportunity to learn from successful female role models and external subject matter experts as well as to build and strengthen their network. 

Mrs. Petra Justenhoven, Assurance Partner and member of steering committee, says, “We need a platform where women can enter the dialog to resolve individual questions. The yearly ‘Women’s Meetings’ offer a good framework for that”.

In the last few years the “Women’s Meetings” focused on the topics “Networking and Self-marketing”, “Power Competence and Power Play” and “Success Strategy”. This year's theme will be “Successful – by being yourself”.

In addition to internal networking, PwC encourages the participants to actively involve themselves in external business networks to expand their perspectives.

These regional and national network meetings are ‘networks from women for women’, where participants have contact persons and role models. Kathrin Kersten, Assurance senior manager and one of the role models, says, “This is a great opportunity to help other women build their networks by organising ‘Women’s Evenings’, motivate them to be more courageous and support them as a mentor”.

The “Women’s Meetings” enter their fifth round this year.