Fortune/State Alumni Speak at Krynica Economic Forum

Judith McHale

Judith McHale, former president and CEO of Discovery Communications Inc., spoke at the Economic Forum in Krynica, Poland on September 5th in the panel “Women in Business: A Force for Innovation.” The seventeenth Krynica Economic Forum, the most prestigious event in Central and Eastern Europe, included more than 130 debates and brought together representatives from more than 60 countries – Europe, America, Asia and was attended by more than 3000 including European commissioners, presidents, prime ministers, as well as governmental and parliamentary delegations. This panel also included Tanya Woynarowsky, Vital Voices Global Network and Agnieszka Anielska, Vice President of “Murator,” and Dr. Daria Golebiowska-Tataj of the Warsaw University of Technology Business School who are both alumni of the Fortune/U.S. State Department Mentoring Program. McHale gave the keynote address discussing how to create a gender balanced work force, some of the obstacles women face in the work place, and the role that women play in leading innovation in the competitive global business environment. McHale also discussed how companies are now also trying to respond to the changing needs of their workforce by providing programs and processes that help employees balance the needs of their personal lives. Anielska and Golebiowska-Tataj described their participation in the Fortune/State Mentoring Program and the importance of promoting mentoring to help women achieve more in the workplace.

On September 10th, Judith McHale, was hosted at the Ambassador’s residence by Mrs. Joan Ashe, for a special “America Presents” program on business innovation. Ms. McHale spoke about how to build business environments that inspire innovation, how to manage for changing markets and technology, and how to create workplaces which provide work/life balance for employees. After McHale’s speech, Tanya Woynarowsky announced the creation of a new chapter of Vital Voices being developed with the Polish Professional Women Network. Members of the Polish Professional Women’s Network, Dorota Dabrowska, the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce and Daria Golebiowska-Tataj signed a memorandum of understanding uniting the two organizations at the end of this event.