Presentation by Virginia Littlejohn,
CEO and Co-Founder of Quantum Leaps, Inc. and
Co-Founder, WEConnect International
23 November 2010
NASSCOM Summit, Bangalore, India
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
Mission
• Facilitate sustainable economic growth by increasing
opportunities for women-owned businesses to succeed
in the global value chain.
Vision
• We envision a world where global value chains benefit
from the full participation of women-owned businesses;
where corporations, entrepreneurs, governments and
NGOs collaborate to ensure inclusive and sustainable
economic development.
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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History
• Quantum Leaps and leading multinational corporations
that are members of the Women’s Business Enterprise
National Council (WBENC) in the U.S. collaborated to
launch WEConnect International as a non-profit in 2009
• WEConnect International is led by an independent Board
of Directors elected by and from its corporate members
• WEConnect International is now established in Canada
and Europe, is launching initiatives in India and China,
and has been invited to focus on a number of developing
economies through strategic partnerships
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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WEConnect International Members
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Accenture
Alcatel-Lucent
AT&T
Boeing
Cisco Systems
Citigroup
Dun & Bradstreet
Ernst & Young
Exxon Mobile
HP
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IBM
Intel
Manpower
Marriott
Motorola
Pfizer
PG&E
Verizon
Walmart
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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What is Supplier Diversity and Inclusivity?
• A business program that encourages the use of
historically underutilized vendors as suppliers
• Examples of “diverse” business owners include:
– Ethnic Minorities
– Women
– Disabled Persons
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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Why Multinationals Have Supplier Diversity
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Create more competitive and dynamic supply options
Reduce costs and demonstrate return on investment
Improve the total value of their offerings
Seek out and encourage innovation
Contribute to real economic opportunity in target markets
Enhance their image and brand
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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Multinational Corporation Case Study
• AT&T is the largest telecommunications holding
company in the world by revenue
• AT&T’s Supplier Diversity Programs promote, increase
and improve the quality of the participation of small,
minority, women and disabled veteran businesses
• AT&T spends over US$2 billion with women-owned
companies each year—and can trace several hundred
contract wins to its supplier diversity program
• AT&T values the innovation, cost savings, and quality of
service it receives from diverse businesses
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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Supplier Diversity Trends
• 97% of the Fortune 500 corporations in the U.S. have
programs to source from diverse suppliers
• 80% require first and second level suppliers to report on
the diversity of their U.S. suppliers
• 65% intend to develop global supplier diversity programs
in the next 5 years
• These corporations are starting to ask vendors to source
from innovative new suppliers and report on that “spend”
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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Why Women?
• According to The World Bank, women-owned businesses
represent 25-33% of all private businesses in the world
• Women do 66% of the world’s work, receive 10% of the
world’s income, and own 1% of the means of production
• Women make 70% of purchasing decisions in the home
so their impact on value chain creation is key
• Women represent 50% of the world’s population, but they
are almost invisible in the global value chain as suppliers
to corporations and governments
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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Certification Standards
• Certification – confirmation that a business is at least 51%
owned, managed and controlled by one or more women
• Ownership – at least 51% ownership of the company is
held by one or more women
• Management – the company is led / managed by a
Principal Executive Officer who is a woman
• Control – the key business decisions regarding the
company’s finances, operations, personnel and strategy
are made by a woman
• Certification is not evidence of size, quality or sustainability
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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Certification Process
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Self-register on WEConnect International Global Portal
Apply and pay for certification on Portal
Certification lead from portal sent to local service provider
Service provider conducts site visit and document review
Site visit and document review results sent to WEConnect
WEConnect issues certification if applicant meets criteria
Certified business have access to the global knowledge
and networks offered by WEConnect International
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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Impact
• Potential – WEConnect International’s global network
spends over $700 billion on products and services per year
• Vision – WEConnect International has the power to
influence at least 1% of that global spend
• Result – $7 billion can be available to women owned
businesses that are able to compete for contracts
• Collaboration – The success of this global effort will
depend on a high level of collaboration and local support
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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Contact
www.WEConnectInternational.org
Copyright © 2010 WEConnect International, Inc., All Rights Reserved
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