Welcome to the Winter Women in Project Management SIG Newsletter 2017

Women in Project Management SIG – Winter Newsletter 2017

Newsletter contents

1. Welcome message
2. Events update
3. Committee pledges update
4. Links we like and book review
5. Call for success stories
6. Follow us
7. And finally...

1. Welcome message

Welcome to this edition of our quarterly newsletter.

Last month our SIG organised its first event in Bristol, exploring the role of social media in shaping the way we work and communicate. Many thanks to one of our volunteers, Ewelina Kruk, for planning this very exciting breakfast event which we hope will be the first of many in the region. Read more about it in section two.

Our committee is now hard at work planning our upcoming events in the New Year. To celebrate International Women’s Day 2018, 8 March, we are organising multiple events across different regions. We currently have events confirmed in Cambridge and Doncaster and are working on a third one in Cumbria. We will share more details on these events and other initiatives in the upcoming weeks.

The APM Awards ceremony also took place last month and we were very pleased to see a fair number of female winners. If you missed it, you can find more information on the event and the winners.

With 2017 coming to an end, our committee members are also reviewing their pledges for the year. Read in section three how they are ‘getting on’. If you would like to share with the rest of the community your ideas or achievements in 2017 or you’d like to get involved in one of our activities then get in touch.

2. Events update

Progressive project professional: maximising opportunities that social media present
In a digital age, it is almost impossible to have no online presence. Like it or not, social media is influencing the way we view ourselves, and indeed other people. In an intimate interactive breakfast event held in central Bristol on Wednesday 22 November, the Women in Project Management SIG (WiPM SIG) had a social media overview.

3. Committee pledges update

At the start of 2017 the WiPM SiG committee all made pledges in relation to a personal challenge for the year. Here is an update on how a couple of the committee members are getting on with their pledges:

Adeline Daly
Adeline promised to do more public speaking. Over the last few months she ran an International Women’s Day 2017 event in Cambridge with approximately 80 people attending. She also supported our flagship APM WiPM National Conference in London with over 420 delegates attending and hosted two project management seminars during the year.

Natalie Deane
Natalie pledged to complete the APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) and get a new role to start her on the path to becoming a project manager. She succeeded in doing both this year! She completed her PMQ in February and last month got a new job as an Assistant Project Manager with a new company.

We would also like to congratulate former committee member and newsletter editor, Jeanette Pope and current committee member Bukola Feyistan for achieving Fellow of APM status last month. Many congratulations to both!!

What about you? Get in touch to tell us what you pledged to do and how you are getting on with it.

Let us know via twitter: PM@apmwipmsig #apmwipm

4. Links we like and book review

Each quarter in the newsletter we will include links to articles, webpages, blogs and book reviews of interest to the members of our community. If you have any suggestions, please let us know on WiPMSIG@apm.org.uk

Links we like

Cluster of UK companies reports highly improbable gender pay gap

Diversity in publishing – still hideously middle-class and white?
Diversity in publishing: the article explores the lack of diversity within the publishing industry and the initiatives that are being set up to improve the situation.

Everyone Likes Flex Time, but We Punish Women Who Use It
Surveys show that flex time ranks high on the list of benefits employees want and that women value it even more than men do.

Disability Confident: how to sign up to the employer scheme
Guidance about signing up for the Disability Confident scheme, and how it can help your business.

Book review

Inclusive Talent Management, How Business can Thrive in an Age of Diversity
The authors, Stephen Frost and Danny Kalman, look at the role of diversity, inclusion and talent management in achieving business objectives and how to gain the competitive advantage. The books also provide case studies, practical steps and models for incorporating diversity and inclusion activities into talent management strategies.

5. Call for success stories

Share your experiences and inspire the next generation! If you are a female FAPM, Hon. FAPM and/or RPP member - and you have a great story to tell get in touch.

Call for speakers
WiPM is always looking for inspirational speakers for our upcoming events. So if you would like the opportunity to share your knowledge, expertise and passion for a specific topic with the wider community, get in touch.

6. Follow us on social media

Join the debate on our linkedIn group: APM Women In Project Management SIG
Thank you for your support, we have now reached our target of 1,000 followers !!!

Follow our achievements and celebrate success on Twitter APM Women: PM@apmwipmsig #apmwipm

7. And finally…

Thank you to all those who contributed to this edition. We look forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions for our newsletter and our social media channels. The WiPM committee wish you a wonderful Christmas break!

Valentina Lorenzon
WiPM SIG Secretary and newsletter editor