Latino Leaders articles from July 2008

Latino Leaders archives from July 2008

Publisher's letter.
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was a nice, sunny day in mid-February in Mexico City. We were enjoying a cigar after our business luncheon and in the middle of a lively conversation with our good friend Carlos Represas, Chairman of the Board of...

Tasting Napa Valley history.(LL WINE ZONE)
July 1, 2008... You hear the phrase "the end of an era" so often it stops having much meaning until you're thunderstruck by the actual end of an honest-to-goodness era. Such was the case when Robert Mondavi died this year in mid-May. It stopped me in my...

Sauvignon Blanc!(LL CELLAR)(Buyers guide)
July 1, 2008... The Sauvignon Blanc is definitely the original variety. From Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc, the most famous and most planted red variety, Cabernet Sauvignon was born. So, we can say Souvignon Blanc is the mother of the Cabernet Sauvignon....

Latino leaders on boards: are you ready?(INTRODUCTION)
July 1, 2008... If you're thinking or have thought about serving on a major board at some point in your career, there is a lot to consider. Major board service is not a sprint--it's a marathon, it is not an end in itself; it's a result of excelling at what you...

The corporate & board perspective.(CORPORATE & BOARD PERSPECTIVE)
July 1, 2008... The answer to the question d whether or not Latinos are fairly represented in today's boardrooms may be more encompassing that we can even imagine. In every complex issue there is more than one side, one element, one dimension, and it is the...

The importance of having a diverse board: searching for an answer to the question: "why is it important for boards to be diverse, we attended by exclusive invitation the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility's 16th Annual Symposium held in New York in April of 2008. The story below, which captures excerpts of the event, helps provide some revealing answers.(CORPORATE & BOARD PERSPECTIVE)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last April, Hispanic leaders from around the country gathered in New York City for the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility's 16th Annual Symposium, Included in two-day event was a panel discussion by two...

Latino market is a sweet deal for Nestle.(Corporate & Board Perspective)
July 1, 2008... As the Hispanic demographic continues to grow in the U.S., more and more companies are beginning to realize the importance d taking that market seriously. Nestle, a global company based in Switzerland with extensive operations in the U.S. may...

The value of diversity: former general manager, Los Angeles City Employees Retirement fund (LACERS) Robert Aguallo.(Corporate & Board Perspective)(Interview)
July 1, 2008... To better understand the importance of large funds within the context of board service, we spoke with Robert Aguallo just prior to his retirement from LACERS. In this exclusive interview, he talks about his experiences with LACERS, his...

A guide to search firms.(CONNECTORS AND CAPACITY BUILDERS)
July 1, 2008... One of the most significant steps of the board selection process is the executive search. Often, boards in need of candidates tap executive search firms for this part of the process, and it is the firms' responsibility to provide the board with...

The Search firm perspective: Chairman & CEO, Korn/Ferry International Paul Reilly: time changes everything--and that includes the manner in which companies and their boards function.(CONNECTORS & CAPACITY BUILDERS)
July 1, 2008... With the landmark passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002--created in the wake of the Enron and similar accounting scandals--everything from board recruitment, duties, financial incentives and liabilities has changed. Where once company...

The gold standard: Peter Gleason Managing Director and CFO, National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD): the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) is a national non-profit membership organization dedicated exclusively to serving the corporate governance needs of corporate boards and individual board members.(CONNECTORS & CAPACITY BUILDERS)(Interview)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] We wanted to know what the organization is all about and how it can help Latinos to score a seat at the table, and we got some interesting answers from Peter Gleason, the organization's affable and accessible...

Board of directors.(A Seat at the Table)
July 1, 2008... The landscape of board service is comprised of a variety of elements, with groups and organizations playing a critical role in the process of electing future members. This illustration provides a concise view of some the key players in the...

The power of inclusion: president and CEO, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACFI): Carlos Orta.(CONNECTORS & CAPACITY BUILDERS)(Interview)
July 1, 2008... As president and CEO of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR), Carlos Orta takes his mission to work on Hispanic governance, employment, procurement, and philanthropy very seriously. In an exclusive interview with Latino...

Opening doors: Marjorie Torres: CEO, concrete stories, chair of the NAA's Board Initiative Committee.(CONNECTORS & CAPACITY BUILDERS)(Interview)
July 1, 2008... The New America Alliance (NAA) is the premier organization dedicated to promoting leadership and success among American Latinos, and it does so through the sheer power of its membership. Among the various initiatives in place within the...

Expanding the pipeline: National Chair, NSHMBA and senior VP, bank of America: Cosette Gutierrez.(CONNECTORS & CAPACITY BUILDERS)(Interview)
July 1, 2008... The National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) continues to develop a strong reputation as a pipeline for candidates for the future. We spoke with Cosette Gutierrez, NSHMBA's National Chair, about the rote that the organization is taking in the...

The Candidates the Directors.(CANDIDATES AND THE DIRECTORS)(List)
July 1, 2008... This section is perhaps the most valuable tool of the edition. Here we bring to you our exclusive compilation of Latinos that are either veterans d board service, currently serving on or recently joining boards, and finally, a top quality list...

10 new and notable board appointees.(CANDIDATES & DIRECTORS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Arcilia Acosta President and CEO, CARCON Industries & Construction Board: Energy Futures Holding (parent company of TXU) Mario Baeza Chairman and CEO, The Baeza Group Boards: Air Products &...

A sampling Latino corporate directors.(CANDIDATES & DIRECTORS)(List)
July 1, 2008... According to the 2007 Corporate Governance Study by the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, 125 Latinos held 172 seats (3.1% of the total) on the boards of 145 Fortune 500 companies. This included 25 Foreign-National Directors...

Why Latinos should serve on boards: Patricia Diaz Dennis: vice president and assistant general council, AT&T.(PERSPECTIVES ON BOARD SERVICES)
July 1, 2008... In addition to being the Senior Vice President and Assistant General Council of AT&T, Patricia Diaz Dennis is the chair of the national board of directors for Girl Scouts of the USA and a board member for both Massachusetts Mutual and UST, Inc....

The making of a director: CEO, Evans Foods and Board Director, Walgreens Alejandro Silva director: there's no magic behind gaining a seat on a corporate board. What there is, though, is years of dedication. Such is the strategy that has led Alejandro Silva to landmark status as the first Latino to sit on the Walgreen's Board of Directors.(PERSPECTIVES ON BOARD SERVICE)
July 1, 2008... Earning a corporate board position involves a combination of factors--education, personal connections, professional success and knowledge of board functions. None, Silva says, is more important than the other. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

From the lower east side to the board room: Michael Montelongo Senior VP for strategic marketing, Sodexo Board Director, Denny's.(PERSPECTIVES ON BOARD SERVICE)
July 1, 2008... When it comes to compelling success stories, Mike Montelongo's is definitely one d the finest. Mike's story is not only inspirational, but also a remarkable example d tenacity, dedication, and how the ability to make the right decisions at the...

The first and only: Maria Sastre Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Latin America and Caribbean, Royal Caribbean International.(PERSPECTIVES ON BOARD SERVICE)
July 1, 2008... Every story of every Latino that has served on board has a compelling element to it, and each one has a lesson to be learned from. We recently discussed with Maria, who currently serves on the boards of Laidlaw and Publix, the individual...

A strategic perspective: George Munoz Co-founder and principal, Munoz Group.(PERSPECTIVE ON BOARD SERVICE)
July 1, 2008... George Munoz is a true veteran of board service. As an expert in the matter, he has gained invaluable insight on what makes a successful leader in the boardroom. We chatted with George about what it takes to make it as a board member, and why...

The realities of board service.(PERSPECTIVES ON BOARD SERVICE)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Structure NYSE listing standards require audit, compensation, and governance/nominating committees. The most prevalent additional committee is an executive committee. These are also the most common committees of major private and...

It makes good business sense.(Conclusion)
July 1, 2008... As we hove clearly gathered from all the opinions, the data and interviews that we've included on this edition, it is clear that the answer to the question "why should there be more Latinos on boards?" is quite straightforward: it makes good...

Latino leaders network: Los Angeles County supervisor Gloria Molina keynotes Latino leaders luncheon series[TM].(LEADERSHIP LUNCHEON)
July 1, 2008... Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina was the featured speaker at the June 4, 2008 Latino Leaders Luncheon Series[TM] in Washington, DC. The series is a quarterly event hosted by the Latino Leaders Network[TM] and its founder, Mickey...