Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/163731
37 Events maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2013 Pushing boundaries with Hugo Red Emirates to fly daily from Milan to New York City To celebrate the launch of Hugo Red, the red hot fragrance for men from Hugo Boss, four beautiful girls scouted Hugo's Terrace and Hugo's Lounge looking for men who were hot enough to handle this new perfume. Wearing T-shirts that asked the question 'Are you Hot Enough?' the girls handed out fragrance samples, allowing all to get a whiff of this exciting new scent. It is no accident that red was the color chosen to rep- resent this new scent. Not only is it universally recognised as the most intense of all colours – associated with energy, strength, power and determination – it is even claimed to have the potential to provoke an exhilarating physical effect in us, like the new fragrance Hugo Red. For local trade enquiries, please call VJ Salomone Marketing Ltd on Freephone number 80072387 From 1 October, Emirates will be launching a new direct transatlantic service from Milan to New York, making it much easier for passengers from Malta to visit the Big Apple. Moreover, those who wish to take advantage and book early by 31 August 2013 for outbound travel between 1 October and 14 December 2013, can reach 'the city that never sleeps' at a special price of €636. Linking Italy directly with the United States, the new route will provide an important connection between continental Europe and the US, giving both leisure and business travellers more choice and added convenience. Customers looking to fly on the airline's award-winning product will be able to seamlessly connect from points across Europe, maximising the airline's frequent flyer partnership with EasyJet. Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft offers the highest standards of passenger comfort, with eight luxurious private suites in first class, 42 lie-flat beds in business class and 310 generously sized economy class seats on the MilanNew York service. Its innovative on-board features include mood lighting that helps reset body clocks and minimises jetlag, Emirates' Ice system, which offers over 1,500 channels of video, audio and games on demand, noise-cancellation headsets, SMS and e-mail from one's seat and an in-seat five-zone massage system, ensuring that every traveller arrives relaxed and refreshed. Passengers can also look forward to gourmet meals in all cabins and seamless transfers to a global network of over 130 destinations through Emirates' stateof-the-art hub in Dubai. The price includes Malta-Milan return flight on Air Malta. Onboard a Boeing 777-300ER, flight EK205 departs from Milan at 16:00, arriving in New York at 19:00 the same day. The return journey on flight EK206 departs from New York at 22:20 arriving in Milan at 12:15 the following day. For further information, one can contact Emirates sales at MIA (departures lounge) on 2557 7255 or the respective travel agent or visit www.emirates.com/mt IoD Chairman James Satariano says more Maltese women should be in the boardroom and not in the kitchen Institute of Directors Malta Branch (IoD) Chairman James Satariano is happy to be supporting the National Council of Women and European Parliament Information Office conference 'Women on Board', which is taking place at Europe House on 13 September, citing the issue of gender parity on corporate boards as a key barometer of economic and social progress in Malta. In 2011 the European Commission launched a number of initiatives to encourage Member States and businesses to consider gender diversity on corporate boards and called on companies listed in the European Union to introduce specific measures to enhance the representation of women on boards. Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Iceland and, most recently, France and Italy are among the European countries that have adopted affirmative action measures – mainly quotas – to promote gender parity. Other countries, such as Germany, have started discussions on this issue. The Netherlands is considering a bill expected to come into force this year requiring 30 per cent representation by women on corporate boards. In the UK, the Davies Report provided recommendations on what government and businesses can do to increase the percentage of women on boards, and developments since its publication indicate IoD Malta Chairman James Satariano will be attending the 'Women on Board' conference at Europa House on 13 September, organised by the National Council of Women and the European Parliament Information Office some improvement. All indications are that Europe will remain the leader on this issue for the immediate future. But what about Malta? Mr. Satariano says that culture, history and societal norms, as well as the varying degrees of government involvement, affect the representation of women on Maltese boards. However, the key factors as far as IoD Malta are concerned are the legislative and regulatory regimes, cultural perceptions of women and Malta's level of economic development, with the most salient feature being an orientation towards SMEs and family businesses in Malta. Mr. Satariano maintains that the issue of gender parity on corporate boards is increasingly gaining attention in many countries, including Malta, and he believes that the 13 September conference at Europe House will provide local women and all stakeholders with an in-depth look at this critical issue. IoD Malta take the view that mentoring and educational programmes are central to positive change, coupled with better corporate governance practices, and Mr. Satariano goes a step further, saying that stock exchange listing rules requiring disclosure and recommending gender diversity among selection criteria for directors would support an atmosphere where women are given due consideration for their role within a board "provided that they receive the right kind of training. Too many people, male and female, join boards and are given no training for their role. This is the place to start, having a cadre of properly trained and if possible, accredited and warranted, Maltese board members. You would not want a chef who has not been trained. Why do we continue to accept this of company directors who shoulder significant responsibilities?" IoD has long been a pioneer in this field with its Certificate in Company Direction. The certificate encompasses the core knowledge and awareness that is necessary to function effectively as a director. It covers an in-depth view of the role, responsibilities and legal duties of a director, an understanding of the characteristics of an effective board, sound knowledge of financial terms and concepts and the issues and processes associated with formulating strategic and business plans and achieving strategic leadership. This is covered in a series of courses, backed up by a set of e-learning modules leading to the certificate examination. "At the IoD, we believe that excellence and professionalism in the boardroom are essential for business success, it's the key to sustainability and there can be no greater goal for the economy than that. There are three stages to the IoD development programme internationally: the Certificate in Company Direction; the Diploma in Company Direction; and Chartered Director. It's time for Malta, led by its women entrepreneurs and with their astute grasp of the realities of modern business, to help Malta get its foot on the first rung of this ladder. We will be explaining this in more detail during the Eu- rope House Conference", explains Mr. Satariano. Asked why he is so passionate about the subject, Satariano says, "One of my daughters spent 15 years as a board member and made a significant contribution to the value of the business, I would say women belong in the boardroom and not in the kitchen. Lethargy, inertia and the status quo must be addressed before meaningful progress can be made in Malta. The University, MCAST, industry associations, business schools and NGOs have to advocate for and develop initiatives to increase representation of women on local boards. That's the way forward, and IoD Malta will be very keen to establish collaboration and support recognised organisations such as the National Council for Women in developing databases to keep track of qualified women candidates and providing networking, mentoring, and educational opportunities. I look forward to seeing that as an outcome from the Europe House Conference on 13 September." For further information about the 'Women on Board' Conference with Malta's MEPs, please call 21 23 50 75 or visit www.europarlmt. eu or the facebook event page at h t t p s : // w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m /# ! / events/678022468893588/