[Seoul=Whowired] November 03, 2011 -- As part of the celebration of the 100th birthday of its Chevrolet brand, GM Korea began its women’s conference today at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Incheon. The theme of the conference, which concludes on November 4, is “Today’s Change for Tomorrow” in commemoration of Chevrolet brand’s 100-year anniversary.
Among the senior executives attending are GM Korea President and CEO Mike Arcamone, GM Global Human Resources Vice President Cynthia Brinkley and GM International Operations Human Resources Vice President Nancy Owens. They are discussing global work experience, the characteristics of female leaders and maintaining a work-life balance.
“Today is very meaningful as we host this conference while our flagship brand marks its centennial,” said Mike Arcamone. “The role of women in the traditionally male-dominated automotive industry is changing. We actively support our female employees and are fostering their development by offering equal opportunities.”
Cynthia Brinkley said, “I am so delighted to attend this meaningful conference, where many GM Korea female leaders can share and exchange their experiences. There have been many positive changes at GM, GM was recognized recently for the high percentage of women that are on our Board of Directors, more than 30 percent of GM Board members are women.” “GM will continue to fully support the cultivation of talented personnel who have a global mindset to enable GM Korea to grow into a healthy global company” Brinkley said.
On the first day of the event, about 30 female leaders from local and global companies along with 100 young women leaders from GM Korea shared their opinions on the competitiveness of female talent and the use and cultivation of female talent. Tomorrow, around 350 GM Korea female employees are expected to participate.
In addition, GM Korea invited 20 female high school students from Seoul to meet attendees. GM and GM Korea plan to provide them additional opportunities to communicate with GM’s leaders.
GM Korea currently has about 900 female employees, which is triple the number that it had when the company was established in 2002. GM Korea, a core global business unit of GM, is expanding the opportunity for female employees to gain experience locally and at GM’s operations worldwide.
The GM Korea Women’s Committee was created in 2005 to maximize the development potential for all employees and to increase employees’ contributions through expansion of the development and recruitment of female talent. It has created a series of programs such as a mentoring program between senior and junior female employees and regular meetings with successful female leaders. It also has been engaged in various M2W (Marketing to Women) promotions.
# # #
About GM Korea Company
GM Korea Company is Korea's third-largest automotive company, and represents one of GM's largest manufacturing, design and technology hubs. It operates five manufacturing facilities in Korea as well as an assembly facility in Vietnam. In 2010, GM Korea sold domestically and exported more than 1.84 million vehicles, including CKD products, primarily under the Chevrolet brand. GM Korea produces one out of every four Chevrolets sold worldwide. It provides market- and brand-specific vehicle kits for assembly at GM facilities in China, Uzbekistan, Mexico, India, Colombia, Russia and other countries. Vehicles and kits from GM Korea are offered in more than 150 markets on six continents. Additional information on GM Korea and its products can be found on the company’s website at media.gm-korea.co.kr.