Network of Executive Women Pilots Two New Leadership Development Programs

CHICAGO — The Network of Executive Women (NEW) recently announced that it will pilot a pair of new programs: NEW Action for Women of Color and NEW Leadership Essentials.

Sarah Alter, NEW president and CEO, shared the news of the new programs in her opening remarks at the 12th annual NEW Executive Forum, held in Carlsbad, Calif., last month. 

"The voices of women are getting louder, stronger and more united," Alter said. "But, as we’ve seen, advocacy alone doesn’t transform our corporate cultures. We must be more deliberate and demand action for our companies and ourselves.

"The social climate and marketplace pressures are converging and demand action on gender equality and inclusion," she continued. “We don’t have time to waste."

NEW Action for Women of Color is a leadership and cultural training program, while NEW Leadership Essentials is an online learning and group-coaching program for field operations. 

They will join NEW's three existing leadership programs: NEW Career Accelerator Workshops, NEW Rising Stars for mid-level leaders and NEW Executive Institute for emerging executives.

Also on the horizon for NEW is additional research and insights gathering. The organization is investing in a special report on the workplace experiences of women of color, as well as a report on developing and retaining emerging leaders and how business results improve with diversity. 

Other investments are being made into research on solutions for closing the gender pay gap, and creating a "Blueprint for Action" for corporate partners that will feature insights, strategies and tools leaders can use to their advantage.

The Network of Executive Women is the retail and consumer products industry's largest women's leadership organization.