The full schedule is now available for the industry’s premiere women’s conference, and this year’s educational and inspirational offerings promise to once again deliver real-world ROI to attendees and their employers alike when the seventh annual Center for Growing Talent (CGT) Women’s Fresh Perspectives Conference convenes April 14-16 in San Antonio.Julie Lucido

The three-day agenda is packed with programming designed for industry women across all career stages, from young professionals to c-suite executives. In between educational offerings, a range of informal activities and networking opportunities are planned to help attendees build and maintain strong business connections while recharging their internal batteries.

“Employers, cultivating women is low hanging fruit if you want to attract and retain the talent your companies need for the future,” said Julie Lucido, Marketing Plus president and CEO, and co-chair of the Women’s Fresh Perspectives Advisory Committee. “Likewise, for industry women who want to move your careers and businesses forward, this kind of leadership development is literally made for you.”

Education ranges from practical to inspiring
This year’s conference attendees will choose from a range of educational topics that fall into two tracks: professional growth, and personal growth. CEOs, presidents and other senior-level executives can also select from a series of Executive Experiences.

Content will be delivered using a mixture of educational formats, from the tried-and-true general sessions to innovative participant-guided discussions, where attendees decide which relevant and top-of-mind topics to discuss.

General session topics will include strategies for thriving in challenging times, harnessing the confidence effect and defining your own personal narrative. Workshop topics include shedding behaviors that no longer serve your career and achieving financial wellbeing. Master classes will help build business acumen and strategic leadership in today’s 24/7 global marketplace.

Speakers include big names from the fields such as talent and HR, finance, leadership, change making and resilience, addressing topics that today’s women need to succeed in business and in life. For example, New York Times bestselling author and media empire maven Rachel Hollis will headline the general session, “Girl, Stop Apologizing!”, sounding a wake-up call to women to let go of excuses and behaviors and start living the life they aspire to.

Serial successful business builder and author Courtney Clark will headline the opening general session, “Be on Fire – Not Burned Out”, revealing strategies to increase engagement in challenging times and to look at stress as an opportunity. Wall Street wealth management expert, professional singer and author of “Expect to Win” Carla Harris will share her pearls for getting ahead in the conference’s final session.

Outside of the classroom, attendees can optionally explore the San Antonio River Walk, join in sunrise fitness classes and even get headshots taken by a professional photographer.

Designed for, by our industry
The Women’s Fresh Perspectives Conference differs from mass-market leadership development conferences and courses because its education is designed and conducted with a gender lens, and with our industry’s specific needs in mind. That is, it specifically addresses what women can do differently to strengthen their skill sets, focusing on 12 major business competencies that industry leaders and research demonstrate that female leaders should have. That benefits both attendees and their employers.

The Women’s Fresh Perspectives Advisory Committee (see related story) advises CGT’s professional education designers to ensure that the conference meets our industry’s specific needs. These women hail from across the supply chain and from every career stage.

“This event’s design is very intentional, created to meet the specific needs of women leaders and mindful of what’s unique about our industry,” said Crystal Mayfield, PMA director of education and the conference’s lead education designer. “That’s extraordinary value, available to every member of our industry, large and small companies alike.”

The ROI is real
Focusing on leadership development for women makes good business sense. Research shows that placing more women in leadership positions fuels a company’s success measurably. McKinsey reports that companies whose executive teams are in the top quartile for gender diversity were 21 percent more likely to outperform on profitability than their peers with less gender diversity.

“Industry-specific leadership development designed with a gender lens is a win-win-win situation — for our women, their employers and our industry,” said CGT’s Alicia Calhoun, vice president, talent portfolio. “That’s the strategy behind Center for Growing Talent’s entire Women’s Fresh Perspectives portfolio, and is one example of why CGT is so valuable to the industry we were created to serve.”

First event of the year
The conference is the first and largest offering under the Women’s Fresh Perspectives banner for the year – but it won’t be the last, noted Calhoun.

CGT will host a Women’s Fresh Perspectives Reception July 26 at PMA’s Foodservice Conference in Monterey, Calif. That event is open to men and women, to celebrate women in the industry and to support CGT’s mission to provide industry solutions to help attract, develop and retain talent.

The annual Women’s Fresh Perspectives Leadership Breakfast will again be held at PMA’s Fresh Summit in Anaheim, CA, on Oct. 19. The breakfast is the flagship event in the Women’s Fresh Perspectives portfolio, and dates back to 2003.

For more information, visit www.CenterforGrowingTalent.org.