WomenCorporateDirectors Awards Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and the Chairman/CEO of Kraft "WCD Visionary Awards"

NEW YORK, April 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 200 of the world's most powerful women - global corporate directors - will come together for the first time to honor the CEOs and companies who have made strides in transforming the boardroom and corporate performance.

On May 17, WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD), a global organization of 1,000 women directors representing 1,200 companies from 32 chapters around the world, will grant its first-ever "WCD Visionary Awards" to Procter & Gamble, The Coca-Cola Company, and Kraft's CEO and chairman Irene Rosenfeld. KPMG and UPS are co-sponsoring the awards.

"It's about greater performance. Companies with more women directors are outperforming their peers, connecting their strategies to their communities, and innovating with the ideas and leadership of women in the boardroom," says Henrietta Holsman Fore, co-chair of WCD and director of Theravance, Inc. "We want to recognize the companies and individuals who are driving the transformation of the boardroom, corporate strategy, and 'shared value'."

The WCD Visionary Awards will be launched in conjunction with WCD's first Global Institute, an invitation-only conference of global women corporate directors taking place May 17-18 in New York City. The theme of the conference is "The Director's Role in an Age of Complexity, Uncertainty, and Accelerating Change." KPMG is the lead sponsor of the Institute and, along with Heidrick & Struggles, is a founding partner of WCD.

"We are at a critical point in corporate history regarding diversity in the boardroom," says Susan Stautberg, co-founder and co-chair of WCD and president of PartnerCom Corporation. "Directors must not only develop a company's global strategy, but also be vigilant watchdogs who understand the hidden challenges of working around the world. Both the WCD Visionary Awards and Global Institute are about how boards need the right men and women leaders - multi-generational, multi-national, and multi-regional. Excellence in board performance and board diversity are business and governance imperatives."

"Given the lack of trust of the business community that is so widespread coming out of the global financial crisis, we believe it is important to recognize those companies who are leaders in demonstrating their commitment to strong corporate governance, diversity on their boards, and corporate social investing," says Alison Winter, co-founder and co-chair of WCD along with Ms. Stautberg and a director of Nordstrom.

The WCD Visionary Awards

"Procter & Gamble is delivering the message that women belong in the boardroom," says Ms. Stautberg. "The consumer products company has five women on its 11-member board - one of the highest percentages of a global corporation - and these directors are engaged strategically."

"Coca-Cola's commitment to sustainability of water resources is a story of success," says Ms. Fore, who chairs the awards committee. "We want to honor their progress in returning to nature and communities the amount of water equal to what they use in their beverages and production."

"Irene Rosenfeld is being recognized for her leadership in making strategic decisions," continues Ms. Fore, "and for her courage in making long-term and short-term strategic investments - most notably with Kraft's acquisition of Cadbury."

The Honorees:

    
    -- Procter & Gamble will receive the WCD Visionary Award for Leadership 
       and Governance
           -- Sponsored by UPS, this award is given to a top-performing
              company and board with three or more women board members and 
              which serves as a role model in both corporate leadership and 
              best governance practices
           -- The award recognizes a company exhibiting excellence in
              financial performance for its shareholders and for assembling 
              and developing an exceptional board that serves as a role model 
              in best governance practices for board process and committees
           -- Presented to Bob McDonald, chairman, president and CEO of
              Procter & Gamble
           -- Presented by Mike Eskew, former chairman and CEO of UPS and
              director of UPS, 3M, IBM, and Eli Lilly

    -- Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods, Inc., will receive 
       the WCD Visionary Award for Strategic Leadership
           -- This award recognizes outstanding leadership by a woman board
              chair or CEO exhibiting courage in making strategic leadership
              decisions and courage in making long-term and short-term 
              strategic investments
           -- Presented by Myra Hart, director of Kraft Foods, Inc. and
              Office Depot, Inc.

    -- The Coca-Cola Company will receive the WCD Visionary Award for 
       Innovation in Shared Value
           -- Sponsored by KPMG, this award recognizes innovative corporate
              citizen program partnering with one or more nonprofits rooted 
              in community and embedded in the core business
           -- Accepting the award on behalf of Coca-Cola is Maria Elena
              Lagomasino, director of The Coca-Cola Company and Avon 
              Products, and CEO of GenSpring Family Offices
           -- Presented by John Veihmeyer, CEO and chairman of the Board for 
              KPMG

"We have recently seen unparalleled shocks to the geo-political universe, and women directors are having a greater impact than ever on how corporations are responding," says Ms. Stautberg. "By becoming an annual tradition, these awards will identify those companies and people who are leading this trend. WCD and our partners KPMG and UPS are committed to honoring the substantive commitment to good governance, director education, thought leadership, and gender diversity that our honorees demonstrate."

For more information about the WCD 2011 Visionary Awards, please contact Suzanne Oaks or Trang Mar of Temin and Company at +1-212-588-8788 or news@teminandco.com.

About WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD)

WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD) is the only global membership organization and community of women corporate directors, comprised of more than 1,000 members serving on over 1,200 boards in 32 chapters around the world. In this new era of responsibility, WCD is committed not just to good governance, but to governance with global vision. Smart boards are going global in members and mindset. Our members share information and insights in order to ensure best practices in corporate governance around the world.

WCD's global chapters are located in Arizona, Atlanta, Beijing, Bogota, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Delhi, Denmark, Hong Kong, Israel, Lima, London, Mexico City, Minnesota, Mumbai, New York, Northern California, Northern/Central Europe (Berlin), Paris, Philadelphia, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Shanghai, Singapore, Southern California, South Florida, Switzerland, Tennessee, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. Chapters in Abu Dhabi, Australia, Cairo, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Houston, Iceland, Malaysia, and South Africa are in formation.

Our mission is to continue to expand the WCD community through leadership, diversity, education, best practices in corporate governance, and a focus on development and new board placement opportunities. WCD offers local, regional, national, and international forums, providing a platform for turning ideas into action. For more information, visit http://www.womencorporatedirectors.com.

About the WCD Global Institute

The WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD) 2011 Global Institute is an unprecedented opportunity for global board directors to share corporate governance and business strategies and to build partnerships with a purpose, in a private invitation-only setting.

The Institute is a two-day, high-powered idea forum exploring compelling issues on the minds of today's board directors and their companies. The program includes keynotes, panels, and discussion groups - as well as the WCD Visionary Awards Dinner - that facilitate informal peer exchanges. Panels include "Complexity/Risk," "Addressing Global Scarcities in Six Critical Areas Governing Economic Activity: Food, Commodities, Energy, Water, a Clean Environment, and Talent," "Boards with Three or More Women: What Differences this Makes," "Urbanization - the Future of the City is the Future for the World," "Changing Customers Around the World: From Niches to Global Mass Markets," and "Corporate Social Investing: Beyond Philanthropy."

The agenda features more than 25 CEOs and board directors including Maggie Wilderotter, chairman and CEO, Frontier Communications, and director of Procter & Gamble and Xerox Corporation; Maria Livanos Cattaui, director of Petroplus Holdings, AG; Mouna Sepehri, managing director, Alliance CEO Office for Renault-Nissan; Naina Kidwai, CEO of HSBC India, director of Asia Pacific HSBC, and director of Nestle; Doug Conant, president and CEO of Campbell Soup Company; Denise Morrison, EVP and COO of Campbell Soup Company, and director of Goodyear Tire & Rubber; Elaine La Roche, director of China Construction Bank; Lulu Wang, chairman and CEO of Tupelo Capital Management, and director of MetLife; and Deborah Wince-Smith, president, Council on Competitiveness, and director of NASDAQ-OMX, Inc.

The WCD 2011 Global Institute is sponsored by KPMG, UPS, MetLife, Microsoft, Renault-Nissan, Paul Hastings, Baccarat, JPMorgan Chase, Pfizer, and Shell. Additional sponsors of the WCD Visionary Awards Dinner include American Express, Gristedes/United Refining, Heidrick & Struggles, Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble, and Toyota.