Thursday 29 September 2011

Lenovo celebrates sixth year of partnership with the Women’s Forum

Hook, UK, September 29, 2011 – Lenovo (HKSE: 0992) (ADR: LNVGY), the world's third largest computer manufacturer, has announced that it is the Official Technology Partner at the Women’s Forum Global Meeting for the sixth year in succession. This partnership reaffirms Lenovo’s commitment to promote creativity, innovation and high performance across the diverse talents within the company.

Founded in 2005, the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society is the first forum of its kind on both a European and international level. The Women’s Forum Global Meeting is an annual 3-day international forum in Deauville, France, gathering 1,250 business and opinion leaders from around the world. This year’s meeting will take place 12th-15th October 2011.

The 2011 meeting will focus on the theme: "What if? Challenge, Imagination, Commitment". In this period of economic uncertainty, participants will reflect on the challenges for the future in terms of politics, economics and society, and suggest how technology can play a pivotal role in solving major social issues. Lenovo will actively participate in these discussions thanks to its technological expertise and the multi-cultural experience of staff.

The Lenovo delegation will take part in several sessions during the Forum. It is headed by Gina Qiao, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Lenovo Group and member of the executive committee. She stated: “In Lenovo we have a very strong belief and practice around the benefits and value of embracing diversity. It is an integral part of our culture and a key factor behind both our current and future success.”

Gina Qiao will participate in the plenary session* of the Women’s Forum, themed on: “What if corporate key drivers became totally different?” Lenovo will share its best practices with the session's audience, including the management, leadership and technological choices that have made it a success in a challenging economic environment.

Agora session: technologies and change
Lenovo and AMD will lead a session** highlighting the changing uses of technology and the ways in which brands are adapting to this evolution. Catherine Ladousse, Executive Director, Marketing & Communications, Lenovo Western Europe, Linh Bergen, EMEA Marketing Director, AMD, and Lindsay Gough, Western Europe Strategic Alliances Director, Lenovo will discuss the trends and vision of their respective companies.

“The way people absorb and utilize technology is different from 20 or 30 years ago,” says Linh Bergen-Peters, AMD Vice President Regional Marketing, EMEA. “Manufacturers have to anticipate these trends if they want to succeed in what is a highly competitive sector.”

In addition to this session, Lenovo, in partnership with AMD will make 60 laptop and desktop computers available to the Women’s Forum, as well as 30 tablets, including ThinkPad Edge E325 and X121e computers incorporating AMD processors. Stylish and compact for peak performance, these portable computers are designed for SMEs and professionals on the move as well as large businesses and students.

Thanks to the ThinkPad Tablets, participants will be able to stay online during the Forum, consult the media and internet at the Orange WiFi centre, and sign petitions or take part in surveys conducted by the sponsors of the forum.

“Do with Lenovo” Corner
Lenovo is launching a new innovation at the Women’s Forum this year with the introduction of the “Do with Lenovo” Corner. This area will be designed for attendees to relax and exchange ideas, with a series of interactive quizzes helping participants to draw up their “technology profile” to find out whether they are laptop or tablet people.

This initiative forms part of Lenovo’s worldwide “For those who do” campaign. Lenovo considers that technology is not an end in itself but should serve a purpose and help users achieve their goals.
The “Do with Lenovo” Corner will also be the meeting point for Forum participants and Lenovo managers, a place where they can talk informally about diversity, leadership and innovation.

The Diversity Club
This year the Women’s Forum has created the Diversity Club For Business which brings together companies which are engaged in the promotion of Diversity, one of founding values of the Forum. The initiative is in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group and Lenovo staff have taken part in working groups in Paris and London on the theme of “Leadership for the 21st Century.” This subject, with its close links between diversity and business, will consider the profile of the leaders of tomorrow.