The 28 women who have completed this training represent a number of industries- from traditional handicrafts, to computer training- and a diversity of nations- from Palau to Tajikistan. They will return to their countries with enhanced skills in leadership, negotiations, pricing and goal setting, and with an expanded network of Thunderbird contacts. Today’s graduation ceremony was presided over by Thunderbird President, Dr. Ángel Cabrera and keynote speaker, Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch from the Supreme Court of Arizona.

“It’s an honor for me to be surrounded by such courageous and inspiring women from all over the world,” Justice Berch said at the ceremony. “They came here because they want to make a difference in their communities when they go back. They are an inspiration to me and to all of us. They have empowered themselves and they will empower their communities. I hope that they will use their talents and skills to make the world a better place.”

Graduate Jolene Sim, the owner of a social media agency from Malaysia, spoke on behalf of her class.

“A piece of advice that I was given through this program, is that in business, it’s very easy to measure success based on financial gain,” she said. “But one thing to remember is that success is measured by how you impact your community and the people around you. Thunderbirds have a huge heart. It’s what defines them, and the members of my cohort believe that. This program is going to go forward into the community and change lives.”

Thunderbird’s philanthropic arm, Thunderbird for Good, has been running programs for entrepreneurs coming from developing nations since 2005.  More than 30,000 participants have attended Thunderbird for Good programs at our campus in Glendale, Arizona, and in the communities where they live and work all over the world. Past projects have worked with women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Peru and Jordan, as well as male radio broadcasters and radio station owners from Afghanistan. This is the first Thunderbird for Good program to bring together such a diversity of participants from so many countries at one time.

“The mission of Thunderbird is to educate global leaders who create sustainable prosperity worldwide,” said Thunderbird President Dr. Ángel Cabrera. “We as Thunderbirds in our community share the commitment that we are going to use the knowledge of business for a good purpose, and make the world a better place.”

The ceremony ended with the new graduates taking the Thunderbird Oath of Honor, a Thunderbird tradition since 2005, which derives from the school’s belief that global managers must contribute to the creation of sustainable economic and social value. All Thunderbird graduates take the Oath upon commencement.

For more information about the Global Cohort program:  http://www.thunderbird.edu/about_thunderbird/thunderbird_good/programs/global_cohort/index.htm

For images from the Global Cohort program:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thunderbirdschool/sets/72157629004725141/

For articles written about the Global Cohort program:

http://knowledgenetwork.thunderbird.edu/thunderbirdforgood/

10,000 Women scholars with Professional Women's Forum members at Henkel

Written by: Wynona Heim, Program Manager, Thunderbird for Good

On Tuesday January 24^th, the Professional Women’s Forum of Henkel Consumer Goods Inc. hosted 28 women entrepreneurs from 10 countries in Asia and the Pacific for an afternoon business site visit, roundtable discussions on leadership, and a networking dinner at the Henkel facility in north Scottsdale.  The women are spending two weeks at Thunderbird’s campus in Glendale for an intensive business skills training course as part of the global Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative.

Cindy Demers, VP of Corporate Communications at Henkel, gave the ladies a short overview of Henkel’s global operations, primary brands, and an overview of what functions the Scottsdale location serves to the corporation.  This overview included Henkel’s Vision to be a global leader in brands and technologies, and how they act on that vision within the context of their organizational values:

1)      We put our customers at the center of what we do.

2)      We value, challenge and reward our people.

3)      We drive excellent sustainable financial performance.

4)      We are committed to leadership in sustainability.

5)      We build our future on our family business foundation.

To conclude the initial overview session, the ladies were given an overview of our host organization, the Professional Women’s forum at Henkel, including membership levels, activities, and the benefits of professional organizations.

After a lively question and answer session in which the ladies asked some very tough and detailed questions about how employees were motivated, how innovation was encouraged, and what the value of employee associations such as the Professional Women’s Forum were, the ladies were split into three groups and taken on a tour of the facility.

In the product testing section of the building the ladies were shown the “fragrance rooms” with their powerful air filtration systems, the sensory labs where testers were provided with samples of products and asked to record their thoughts in computer based questionnaires, and given an overview of how product testing is structured and how product testers are chosen.

10,000 Women scholars in the "laundrey lab" at Henkel in Scottsdale, AZ

Then on to the “laundry lab” where we donned safety glasses and entered a room filled with washers and dryers, sheets and towels, and every type of laundry product Henkel makes for consumers.  I had no idea there were so many types of Purex!  The ladies commented on how great the room smelled, and were very interested in the testing rigor of Henkel’s products, as well as the concentration on water conservation for this area of the facility (all water that goes through the washers here is then filtered through a grey water system and used to irrigate the landscaping on the facility grounds).

Our last stop was the brand label development area, where designers come up with the look for each new label put on the shelves, and test them by placing them on realistic looking grocery store shelves next to the products of their competitors.  We were even allowed to see a top secret new packaging design that will be released soon!

After our tour, the Professional Women’s Forum members sat with each group and had a round table discussion talking about leadership qualities, women as leaders, and many other side topics that came up along the way!  Not only did they learn from the ladies at Henkel, but we all learned a bit from each other – what a rich discussion!

The evening finished up with a networking reception and dinner hosted at the Henkel facility by the Professional Women’s Forum.  These ladies were doing a stellar job of networking, circulating around the room and handing out their 10,000 Women business cards to each new Henkel employee that they met.  A great way to practice the short introductory “elevator pitches” that they had learned from Dr. Stralser during Monday’s class, and a wonderful way to expand their network of women leaders joining forces to help each other around the globe!

The Office of Thunderbird for Good would like to sincerely THANK the Professional Women’s Forum and Henkel for hosting such an excellent business site visit!

Site visits like these give the fellows an opportunity to discuss practical challenges that they are facing- difficulty with talent management and marketing, creative designs and store displays and goal setting. Bryant challenged the fellows to adopt a word for the year- hers for 2012 is “enjoy.” She also gave a good lesson in management philosophy- treat your employees like family. Yamashita emphasized the power of courage. As a female owner of a piercing shop, a traditionally male dominated industry- she faced numerous hardships but never gave up. By sticking to her principles, she has been able to build her business solidly throughout the years.

See more images from the trip at our Flickr page.

Yesterday, Thunderbird welcomed 28 women entrepreneurs from 10 countries to campus for two weeks of intensive business skills training. The program, a partnership between Thunderbird, the U.S. Department of State and the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative, is the first of three “global cohorts” of women who will receive training in Arizona. While Thunderbird has run intensive business skills training programs since 2005 for women entrepreneurs from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Jordan, this is the first time that such a diversity of nations are represented in one class. This “truly global” program brings together women from nations as diverse as Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Malaysia and Tajikistan.  The businesses that each woman operates represent many different industries, including traditional handicrafts, food service, farming, homeopathic therapy, landscape design, digital marketing and consulting.

The fellows were welcomed to campus with an opening reception and global market, attended by faculty, students, staff and our community partners.  Many of the fellows brought goods from their businesses to sell- including beautiful hand-woven Ikat scarves and handbags from Uzbekistan, capiz shell jewelry and home décor from Indonesia and painted canvases and woven goods from Papua New Guinea.  Remarks were made by Thunderbird President Dr. Angel Cabrera, Sharon Harper, President and CEO of The Plaza Companies and a member of Thunderbird’s Board of Fellows, as well as Ambassador Barbara Barrett, a Thunderbird Trustee and the recently announced interim president of Thunderbird. Ambassador Barrett has been a strong supporter of Thunderbird for Good since its inception.

For the next two weeks, the women will take classes with Thunderbird faculty, interact with students and meet with local female business leaders across Arizona. Today, the women will take part in a strategy practicum with Thunderbird Professor Dr. Nathan Washburn, and this afternoon they’ll participate in a roundtable discussion with the Professional Women’s Forum at Henkel in Scottsdale. Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three business areas: Laundry and Home Care, Cosmetics/Toiletries and Adhesive Technologies.

We’re looking forward to the adventures that we will have over the next two weeks with our first Global Cohort! Follow the Thunderbird for Good blog, Facebook page, Flickr and Twitter account for more news, photos and multimedia.

Afghan graduates of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women in Afghanistan meet with leaders of the Ghazni Province PRT team.

Seven Afghan graduates of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) met with Human Terrain Team (HTT), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) members of the Ghazni PRT on November 30, 2011 in Kabul. The meeting, hosted by Pamela Rager (T-bird ‘99), Executive Director of 10,000 Women on the campus of the AUAF, focused on current and future economic opportunities for the graduates in Ghazni Province. Several of the women already have established businesses in Ghazni and Kabul with employee numbers ranging from a dozen to a thousand.

Current businesses include fruit processing, tailoring, wool processing, construction, sericulture, and yogurt processing. The entrepreneurs discussed future business opportunities and various ways the PRT could support their endeavors. New business interests included cardboard manufacturing and aquaculture. The women identified access to training, land, and infrastructure as common limiting factors to business development and/or growth. The meeting was an exciting first step toward enhancing these entrepreneurs’ activities in Ghazni province and further meetings have been planned. Most importantly, these seven women represent a fraction of the 300 Afghan graduates of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women and there are many more motivated entrepreneurs across the country working hard to enrich Afghanistan’s economy.

Edited by: Wynona Heim, Program Manager, Thunderbird for Good

Formal photo of Summit attendees

I was recently invited to attend the Istanbul Forum for Economic Cooperation between Turkey, Afghanistan, and Pakistan in Turkey on November 1^st.  Heads of state from all three countries were at the meeting, as well as the President of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Vice President and Secretary from the Pakistani Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

There were three of us ladies from Pakistan who were invited to attend: myself (Shagufta Parveen), Shah Rukh (both of us 10,000 Women graduates), and Saddaf.  We were pleased to meet four fellow businesswomen from Afghanistan who are graduates of our sister 10,000 Women program there: Fatima Akbari, her daughter Shahla, Andeisha Farid, and Malalai Jawad.

Women Entrepreneurs from Afghanistan and Pakistan

Basically the conference was a forum where we put our thoughts into words for our government leaders about what problems we are facing being business women in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The event was arranged by tepav (Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey) and TOBB (The union of chambers and commodity exchanges of Turkey).

Here is a summary of the challenges that we are facing as women entrepreneurs running businesses in our countries.  All of these challenges were communicated to our leadership at these meetings, and we hope that this opens the eyes of our leaders so that they can make it easier to have success for women like us.

Common Problems to Women Business Owners in both countries:

1. Getting a loan is too difficult and the interest rate is so high.  Often banks do not believe in women’s abilities.  Also, weak property rights mean that women do not have property to pledge in order to get loans.
2. There is a lack of marketing resources and ability.
3. The gap in electricity and gas power for running industry is a serious problem.  Even in areas where security is good, the power situation holds back business and keeps us from making our products.

Afghan entrepreneurs at round table discussion on Day 1 of the conference

Problems expressed specifically by the Afghan women entrepreneurs present:

1. Government policies are confusing and not well enforced if at all.  In addition, these women did not feel that the government of Afghanistan is paying enough attention to the welfare of women.
2. There is a serious lack of seed funding for startup and growing businesses in Afghanistan, especially when those businesses are owned by a woman.
3. The Chambers of Commerce and Industry around the country are not doing anything to help businesswomen in their communities.
4. There is not a way to network with other business owners regularly, creating a lack of knowledge about what is happening in the marketplace.

Pakistani entrepreneurs at the round table discussion on day 1 of the conference

Pakistani entrepreneurs at the round table discussion on day 1 of the conference

Problems expressed specifically by the Pakistani women entrepreneurs present:

1. There is no NSF (National Sanitation Foundation International: www.nsf.org – which provides standards development, product certification, auditing, education, and other services for public health and environment safety) in Pakistan or other mechanism through which business owners could get international certification for their products.
2. The government does not have long term policies for business and they put a high import duty on raw materials which business people need to import for making products.
3. There are not enough opportunities for trainings and skill development that will help businesswomen, such as the 10,000 Women Project Artemis training program we were able to attend at Thunderbird in the United States.

On the 2nd day of the conference we had an open discussion and after listening, officials and others in attendance explained to us what they are doing for Pakistan and Afghanistan.  Programs that they described included:

1. A project to build a train line from Istanbul to Pakistan and Afghanistan.  This will reduce transit time for goods to 15 days and will reduce travel/shipping costs for cargo and passengers.
2. Turkey is working to provide more electricity for both Afghanistan and Pakistan, and hopes to have nearly universal electricity coverage in the region by the end of 2014, Inshallah.
3. The three countries are going to create a mutual funds program from which business women can more easily get loans for their business at affordable interest rates.
4. They have already set up a website where business owners can go and ask advice from others who can help learn how to export products abroad.

It was good that there were so many people from our governments and business chambers at this conference.  While some of them did not seem to want to listen to the women business owners, and just took pictures with us for the press, others did listen.  I think that they didn’t know about the Pakistani and Afghani ladies and what we go through to own our businesses.  To hear from us was sometimes a bitter surprise, but it was good because we could open their eyes to the truth, and now they can better know how to help us.

From September 11 – 16, a media management training workshop was executed at Thunderbird School of Global Management for the executive directors of radio and TV stations in Afghanistan, Eastern provinces. I was one of the participants who attended the workshop and would like to express my feelings about it.

In this workshop at Thunderbird, which was a 5 day long program, we covered 6 different subjects which were taught by different professors. Their teaching methods were organized in a very professional way. Besides their teachings, we were also given the opportunity to express our thoughts and perspectives.

The subjects we were taught during the program were: Negotiation Skills, Marketing, Accounting, Multi-track Diplomacy, New Media for Business Development, Advertising, Commercials and Social Networks. In fact, studying each field separately could take several years to cover all the material. But the way the professors taught us, at the end of each day, I felt I majored in each of these subjects.

Students might not remember every single word of what he or she learns at the university while studying for several years, but they do understand several things about that field such as; what the field covered? What is the position/value of such majors/fields in the social life? How can he help his community and people? Why studying this field is important?

By studying each day at Thunderbird, we have learned the value of such fields in our social life,  and I now have an idea how to use these fields in my life.

There are the changes I have seen in myself after participating in this program, even after my 18 years of education and 8 years of work experience:

1: On this day we learned about Negotiation skills. I was provided with the keys to successful communication. I learned to take into consideration the points that are very necessary while communicating in a group, or the points to remember while I’m trying to achieve objectives. Basically, how to communicate.  How to present my suggestions/requests so I can persuade the listener, and I can achieve my goal or get a positive result. I might have handled meetings very professionally before, but the self-confidence that I have now, I didn’t own it before.

2 : Marketing is a very important step/process toward achieving your goals, not only in business, but in fact it is important in politics, culture, society, religion, economics, and other ways to achieve one’s goals. For example: to find market for a political goal, one has to work to attract more followers. But in business, it’s to attract more customers to sell your products to. The Marketing class at Thunderbird, taught me lessons in persuading and convincing others to do advertising, using my radio station. If I am told to explain this field in once sentence, I would say “If I don’t benefit others, they won’t benefit me.” Meaning if I want to receive something from someone else, I also have to give him something. What I should give that person was taught to me in Thunderbird on that one day.

3: Financing – It’s the most important part of keeping an organization moving and sustainable. I have run an organization for 8 years. My financing was somehow good, but Thunderbird showed me ways in which I can forecast my future. With the formulas and charts that Thunderbird provided us to manage our finances, I can clearly forecast my organization’s existence, strengths, and weaknesses in the upcoming years and I can easily say where I will be standing after five years.

4: Multi-track diplomacy: Before I used to think that only countries use this diplomacy for developing their relationships but now I understand that this diplomacy can be used to increase the network and relationship of two organizations. I learned how can we attract the attention of different people to our stations and use them in terms of achieving our goals.

We were offered very useful and wise advices and guidelines for receiving advertisements for our radios. Beside that we also learned “If we don’t make our programs based on our audience’s interest, we won’t find any listeners or audiences. If we don’t have any listeners/audiences, we won’t receive any advertisements, and if we don’t receive them, we can’t continue our business.”

At the end I want to thank Thunderbird from the bottom of my heart. I am very impressed with their management style and appreciate it. They taught us A LOT of things in so little time. If I don’t get success in my business from now on, that would mean that I didn’t follow the lessons and guidelines of Thunderbird and haven’t embraced the advice and guidelines which were taught to me there. If I had the possibilities and chances, I would pursue my higher education at Thunderbird again and then would return to serve my countrymen and women.

Mr. Shaiq suggests meeting again in one month to continue the dialogue

At a reunion of sorts, nine media entrepreneurs from Nangarhar and Kunar gathered at FOB Fenty on October 13, two weeks after they returned from a 3-week exchange in the U.S., a program funded through a Public Diplomacy small grant and facilitated by American Councils for International Exchange. Thunderbird School of Global Management hosted the gentlemen for 9 days as they completed a rigorous week of business training.

This gathering of media minds brought Brigade, PRT and District military and civilian officers together with radio station owners and managers to reiterate the power of media, particularly in promoting good governance, rule of law, agriculture development and economic growth.

“Oranges are an important crop in Nangarhar,” said Rodat’s Ag Advisor, Dr. Cheng.  “If you warn farmers of an approaching cold spell through daily weather reports over the radio, the farmers can harvest and then sell their oranges before they are damaged by frost.”

Sabawoon Hotik, Task Force Bronco’s Cultural Advisor and Media Liaison, talked about contacting his office to confirm news stories.  He explained that due to security concerns, independent journalists are unable to travel to sites to validate claims made by the insurgency and it would be best if these journalists heard both sides.

Governance Advisor Joanne Jensen stressed the media’s influence on economic stability.  “Help local businesses grow through radio advertisements,” she advised.  “Media as a powerful tool for communications that can highlight the governance capacity to provide essential services to the population and build credibility for GIRoA and its leaders,” said Civil Affairs Officer Major Nilda Toro. “The media can capitalize on GIRoA’s progress to assist Afghanistan to move forward.”

SCR John Bernlohr pointed out that the drawdown in forces does not impact America’s commitment to the people of Afghanistan. “The U.S. Embassy is committed to stay for years to come and will continue to support a vibrant and free media throughout the country,” Bernlohr stated.

Speaking about their impressions of the United States, the group was astonished to see the conglomeration of ethnicities that represent American society. They also discussed misperceptions, “We thought Muslims were treated badly in the United States,” said Shakib Amiri, owner of NAN, a radio station in Shinwar District. “But when we talked to Muslims on 9-11 while they were worshipping at a mosque in Arizona, we learned that this isn’t true. These Muslims all said they were treated very well.”

As the gathering came to an end, Mr. Shaiq, owner of Sharq Network, asked to meet again.  “Americans have different ideas that can help us overcome problems that often seem impossible to fix,” said Mr. Shaiq,  as everyone nodded in agreement.

Thunderbird professor emeritus Llewellyn D. Howell, Ph.D., spoke before a group of about 130 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers at the Malaysian Embassy on September 24 at a luncheon reception hosted by the Malaysian Ambassador to the US, Jamaludin Jarjis, Ph.D. This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Peace Corps by President John F. Kennedy. Dr. Howell served in Malaysia Group IV from 1963 – 1965. He spoke on the history of Peace Corps experiences in Malaysia and the success of the Peace Corps program over the last 50 years.

Learn more about about Thunderbird’s connections with the Peace Corps here.

(Photo by Suzy Howell, Managing Editor, Thunderbird International Business Review.)

Thunderbird for Good recently welcomed nine radio and TV station owners and managers from the Afghan provinces for ten days of business training.

The United States Army developed this special program in partnership with American Councils for International Education, Thunderbird School of Global Management and Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

Our goal was to train and support these men on their new journey of building and growing free-speech practicing media stations. These men feel a sense of duty to promote fair, balanced and responsible journalism.

When the group arrived, I was immediately greeted with ten outstretched hands waiting to shake mine, friendly faces and excited greetings in both Pashto and English. Gratitude for the opportunity to learn and study not only in America, but at Thunderbird. Seems our reputation precedes us in Afghanistan!

As we discussed the schedule for the day, the men seemed a bit apprehensive, but positive about September 11th. I later learned that they were uncertain of their safety, and how Americans would treat them on such a sensitive day. Their families and colleagues at home were nervous for them, and this didn’t add to their comfort. When I explained we would be at a mosque for the day, their tension seemed to ease. They all expressed gratitude that we were able to commemorate and honor September 11th with this special service.

Joining us at the mosque just before afternoon prayers began were Thunderbird faculty Dr. Karen Walch and Dr. Eileen Borris, alumni Shamshad Khan and Erron Boes, and Thunderbird for Good staff member, Wynona Heim. We were immediately welcomed as special guests, the women crossing over to the men’s side for photos, introductions and greetings.

The beautiful afternoon prayers were spoken, and we again became one congregation. Sitting on the floor, legs crossed, circles of friendship forming as we listened to Imam Didmar speak to us about what it means to be an American Muslim post September 11th. We heard stories of intolerance, misplaced fear, and discrimination. We also heard solutions to eliminate the walls the “us” vs. “them” mentality creates. Part of the answer is education. The more truthful knowlege people have, the less they’ll assume, stereotype, discriminate or hate. One participant expressed that this was the first time he felt like Americans understood that 9/11 was a tragedy to them too. It turned their lives upside down as well.

United we stood, side by side, discussing education and hope. Forgiveness and progress. These men are the agents of change in Afghanistan. They are committed to using their media outlets as forces for good, stopping hurtful propaganda, no matter the security issues they face because of it. Their week at Thunderbird was starting out on the right foot, as we agreed that our goals were the same. Education, sustainability, change and understanding.

And now, the universal language of food was spoken! The gracious and generous Afghan members of the mosque cooked a gigantic spread of authentic dishes for us all. We ate until we couldn’t eat any more! Amazing food, inspiring day, and just the beginning of an intensive week of business training!