Today, the world faces increasingly complex social problems with limited financial resources. Most traditional institutions – government, business and nonprofit – have to do more with less, creating a growing demand for engaging people in problem solving. To solve today’s complex problems, we need breakthrough ideas that are scalable, leverage technology and engage people in new and different ways.

Fortunately, entrepreneurs are stepping up to the plate. People are interested in solving social issues in new ways with 60 million Americans saying they care about the social and environmental impact of products, and a developing market with $2.7 trillion in capital focused on social impact investing. However, the lack of infrastructure, access to capital and support services makes it difficult for entrepreneurs to launch ambitious ventures. As a result, innovative ideas often dissipate before becoming real and meaningful solutions.

Enter the Civic Accelerator. To help ensure social entrepreneurs are armed with the resources they need to succeed, Points of Light launched the Civic Accelerator, in partnership with Village Capital and with funding from the PwC Charitable Foundation, Inc. and Starbucks Foundation. Civic Accelerator is the first start-up accelerator focused on “civic ventures” – enterprises that inspire, equip and mobilize people to create positive change.

The group recently graduated its first class of civic ventures. After completing an intensive 12-week boot camp focused on mentoring, peer support, networking and funding, two of the 10 participating start-ups were selected by their peers as the most promising and investment-ready ventures. Generation Citizen, a nonprofit aiming to revolutionize civics education and build a new generation of youth activists equipped to create change, and UBELONG, a for-profit that matches individuals with high-impact, international service opportunities, walked away with $50,000 investments. The other eight participating start-ups walked away with $10,000 investments.

The program will be run with a combination of in-person time in three cities across the United States (Atlanta, Washington DC, and one other) and lots of virtual time together, with our entrepreneurs back in your home locations. Along the way, multiple public events will give you a forum to promote your enterprise and gain support.

Eligibility for the program.

To be eligible, ventures must be US-based and in the startup phase and less than 5 years old (i.e., beyond the idea stage but before scale-up). For-profits and non-profits alike are welcome to apply! The ideal applicant’s venture will address a social or community problem by leveraging people as part of your solution. Ventures’ founding teams should be comprised of at least two members, and at least one member must be able to attend all three Civic Accelerator sessions and attend each weekly virtual meeting. There is also a $45 application fee. You will be directed to a Paypal site after completing the on-line application form. Failure to pay this application fee will result in disqualification from further consideration.

Civic Accelerator is accepting applications for its next cohort through March 18. Early stage start-ups that achieve a social mission by engaging people to drive the change can apply here.

Scott Warren, GenerationCitizen founder, on  the Civic Accelerator.

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In a sector that is conventionally characterized by limited access to financial support, but also, equally important, lack of mentorship and peer network, Virtuzone’s Connect Breakfast proved to be a touch point like no other for women entrepreneurs, where practical advice met sky-high inspiration, networking fuelled opportunity, and growth strategies were the most coveted rumours. “We are committed to accelerating the advancement of women and the growth of their businesses by fostering an upbeat entrepreneurship environment and promoting a network where women could share their knowledge, solve problems, make new contacts and forge alliances”, said Neil Petch, Chairman, Virtugroup.

“Globally the number of women entrepreneurs is growing and women are seen as a force for stabilizing employment and supporting continued economic growth. We believe there is great potential for the UAE community of female entrepreneurs to mirror this trend, but there is still much that can be done to help them reach their full potential,” added Petch.

Mona Ataya, the event’s guest speaker was uniquely positioned to give advice to budding women entrepreneurs. She is widely respected and well known as one of the leading champions for entrepreneurship in the region, with 20 years of experience in high leadership positions and at the helm of some of the most dynamic companies in the regions, such as Mumzworld, a successful e-commerce platform she founded in 2011 to offer parents the widest choice of children’s products and the ability to search, compare and buy from a vast selection, easily and conveniently.

The Connect Breakfast was launched by Virtuzone in 2012 and was designed as a series of business networking events, that provide its customers with a regular platform for interaction and sharing, with a focus on the critical challenges and issues of small businesses. “When we started these gatherings we were pleasantly surprised by the turn-out and the level of entrepreneurship happening in the UAE. We thought that a dedicated platform aimed at bringing women entrepreneurs together on a regular basis to share best practices and spotlight the positive impact women-owned businesses have on the UAE economy, could be very beneficial”, explained Petch.

‘We also wanted to break away from the traditional networking events. We wanted to provide an intimate and worthwhile experience for all women attending, because we want to equally empower and inspire the newly set-up companies by stay-at-home moms, who just gathered the courage to set-up their own business; but also the high-growth start-ups of more experienced business women. To us there is no such thing as a small business. Without these small businesses and their stories, our community simply would not exist”, concluded Brett.

The next business networking mixer for women from Virtuzone’s Connect Breakfast series will take place in April 2013. Event details will follow in due time.

Mona Ataya and MumzWorld : An Overview.

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Eligibility Criteria.

The business project to be considered for the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards must be:

• An original for-profit business creation,
• In the start-up phase: between one and three to four years of operation,
• The main leadership position must be filled by a woman.

The competition is open to women from any country, nationality and industry.

What can you win?

Eighteen finalists* representing the best projects worldwide will be selected in the first phase of the contest. They will receive coaching and media exposure and will be invited to France for the Finale week which includes a presentation in front of the international Jury, entrepreneurship workshops and the Global Meeting of the Women’s Forum. The six Laureates* nominated for the Awards receive one year of coaching, US$ 20 000 in funding, media visibility and networking opportunities.

Closing date of applications : March 8, 2013 at 10am Paris time (CET).

For more details and entry forms, click here.

The 2012 Awards Presentation.

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As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.

-  Carl Jung

May this Season help your inner light shine and strengthen your faith.

wowElle wishes you all a merry Christmas.

Credit & Rights : WSJ

Marianne Lake would also join the operating committee of the banking major, and would be reporting directly to CEO Jamie Dimon as she takes over the responsibility of the CFO early next year. “Marianne Lake is an outstanding choice for this critically important role,” said Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, noting that “she has developed an impressive breadth of knowledge and experience in finance across both our wholesale and our consumer businesses — in the United States and around the world.”

“I hope to be described as a great partner and someone who helped drive and develop the business,” Lake said in a interview. Marianne Lake worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in London and Sydney before joining JPMorgan. She joined JPMorgan Chase as a senior financial officer for its UK operations, and took charge of its global finance infrastructure and control functions in its corporate finance group from 2004, running it till 2007.From 2007-09, she worked in JPMorgan’s investment bank as global controller in finance and business management.

Here is wishing her all the very best in her new role as one of the most powerful women on Wall Street.

Julie Larson-Green, who now heads Microsoft’s flagship product which makes $18 billion in revenues annually, had successfully overseen the conceptualisation and launch of Windows 7, and was also awarded the Outstanding Technical Leadership in revamping the interface of Microsoft Office 2007  ( she was the one who brought in the now highly popular and easy-to-use elegant solution of the browsable Ribbon ), and according to Steve Ballmer, was the perfect choice to lead Windows. And that Ribbon UI has traveled from Office 2007 to the File Explorer in Windows 8.

According to Ballmer, “Leading Windows engineering is an incredible challenge and opportunity, and as I looked at the technical and business skills required to continue our Windows trajectory — great communication skills, a proven ability to work across product groups, strong design, deep technical expertise, and a history of anticipating and meeting customer needs — it was clear to me that Julie is the best possible person for this job, and I’m excited to have her in this role.”

Since 1993, Larson-Green has worked on and led some of the most successful products for Microsoft, including the user experiences for early versions of Internet Explorer, and helped drive the thinking behind the refresh of the user experience for Microsoft Office. For Windows 7 ( she was Corporate Vice-president of the of “Windows Experience” at Microsoft at the launch of Windows 7 ), and Windows 8 she was responsible for program management, user interface design and research, as well as development of all international releases. She has a master’s degree in software engineering from Seattle University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western Washington University. In her new role she will be responsible for all future Windows product development in addition to future hardware opportunities.

With Microsoft being rechristend as a “devices and services company” , and with a future that promises “incredible opportunity for  the 8 million developers building apps for Microsoft devices along with its more than 640,000 partners worldwide, it would be an exciting era for Julie Larson-Green herself, as she takes charge of the Microsoft’s flagship product for the future.

Julie Larson-Green, with ABC News

According to a message posted at their corporate blog,

Since 1997, our team in Korea has provided high-quality editorial content and services, and has built a successful search advertising network. We’re proud of the work they’ve done. But despite the hard work of the team, the Korean operation has faced growing challenges over the past few years that now make scaling our business very difficult.

Yahoo! is committed to Asia. We have a solid business in APAC and see a lot of opportunity for growth across our content properties, communications services and ecommerce sites. We’ll continue to focus on building great experiences for the millions of people across the region who come to Yahoo! every day.”

The South Korea office of Yahoo, with its 200 employees will be shut by the end of 2012.

Courtesy : Sauber

According to Peter Sauber, “We decided a long time ago that Monisha would take over from me, but we left the timing open. Now is a good time for both of us, so this is the right moment to pass on the baton. After all, there have been a number of races I’ve been unable to attend – most recently the Japanese Grand Prix, where the team put in an excellent performance. I’m in no doubt that Monisha has all the necessary skills to be an outstanding Team Principal, and I’m equally certain she will ensure that the values underpinning the company live on. That is very important to me.”

Monisha Kaltenborn, an Austrian of Indian origin, joined the company in 2000 to run the legal department, was appointed a Member of the Board of Management not long afterwards, and took over as CEO in January 2010. In late 2011 Peter Sauber transferred a third of the company’s shares into her name. She said, “We are the fourth-oldest team in Formula One. To build up a project like this and keep it alive in a difficult environment is a tremendous achievement. I have set my sights high and am committed to taking the team forward as Peter Sauber would want and leading it on to success.”

Monisha Kaltenborn on CNN : October, 2011

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The recipients learned, through a phone call out of the blue from the Foundation, that they will each receive $500,000 in no-strings-attached support over the next five years. MacArthur Fellowships come without stipulations or reporting requirements and offer Fellows unprecedented freedom and opportunity to reflect, create, and explore. The unusual level of independence afforded to Fellows underscores the spirit of freedom intrinsic to creative endeavors. The work of MacArthur Fellows knows neither boundaries nor the constraints of age, place, and endeavor.

The selection process begins with formal nominations. Hundreds of anonymous nominators assist the Foundation in identifying people to be considered for a MacArthur Fellowship. Nominations are accepted only from invited nominators, a list that is constantly renewed throughout the year. They are chosen from many fields and challenged to identify people who demonstrate exceptional creativity and promise. A Selection Committee of roughly a dozen members, who also serve anonymously, meets regularly to review files, narrow the list, and make final recommendations to the Foundation’s Board of Directors. The number of Fellows selected each year is not fixed; typically, it varies between 20 and 25.

Including this year’s Fellows, 873 people, ranging in age from 18 to 82 at the time of their selection, have been named MacArthur Fellows since the inaugural class in 1981.

Here are the Women MacArthur Fellows 2012, honored for helping build a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. Click on each link to learn more of the recipients and video interviews.

The MacArthur Fellows Program : An Overview.

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