Neuroscientist and Ted Speaker Baroness Greenfield Wowsaudience at KPMG Luxembourg S Inaugural

KPMG Press release
27February 2015

Neuroscientist and Ted Speaker Baroness Greenfield wowsaudience at KPMG Luxembourg’s inaugural Gender Diversity Summit

Brains can be rewired and environment is key: two messages that sum up neuroscientist, author and broadcaster Baroness Susan Greenfield’s key note speech on harnessing the female mind-set in the corporate world. On 25 February, over 150 eager listeners gathered at KPMG Luxembourg’s headquarters - 39 JFK - to hear the Baronesses’ charismatic, forthright and scientific take on gender and the workplace during KPMG Luxembourg’s inaugural Gender Diversity Summit.

“Knowing how to capitalize on differences is key”

The Baroness – a member of the House of Lords and founder of a Biotech company developing an Anti-Alzheimer drug – explained how connections in the brain built up over the years may have a larger impact on gender than genes or “nature”. She went on to show how the brain can be rewired and mindsets changed – but only with the right environment where differences are capitalized upon and “celebrated and harnessed, not denied”.

Held under the patronage of the Ministry of Equal Opportunities, the Gender Diversity Summit was moderated by Michael Stuber, Germany’s Diversity Guru, and involved speeches and panel discussions dealing with the importance of gender diversity in the business world.

“Gender diversity: a top ten priority for KPMG Luxembourg”

Georges Bock, Managing Partner KPMG Luxembourg, Melanie Richards, KPMG UK, and Alison Macleod, KPMG Luxembourg, highlighted that gender diversity was a “top ten priority at KPMG Luxembourg”.With more than 23% female partners and 47% female directors, Bock stated that KPMG Luxembourg was already on the right path towards gender parity with an increasingly balanced management pipeline. Having signed the Luxembourg Diversity & ABBL Charters, KPMG Luxembourg further underlined its commitment towards a more inclusive workplace.

No need for quotas, say industry representatives

Lively debates around the need for female quotas in leadership positions and current perceptions of the gender question were discussed by Robert Dennewald (FEDIL), Françoise Thoma (BCEE) and Marie-Hélène Massard (AXA). The general view is that mandatory quotas should not be implemented, as it would be counterproductive towards the idea of rewarding achievement for both genders.

Nancy Thomas Bastien (IMS), Jean-Etienne Griesbeck (Carvivo) and Gabriela Tennhard (KPMG Luxembourg) discussed about the possibilities that new technologies would give the next generation in supporting the gender diversity question.

Ends

Notes to editors:
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