Companies have spent millions of dollars and invested significant time and budget to create diversity programs and even women’s networks, but time and again they are proving ineffective. Despite gains in middle and senior management, women hold just 3.6% percent of Fortune 500 CEO positions, according to research from Rebecca Shambough, Bentley Center for Women and Business’ executive partner and author of “It’s Not A Glass Ceiling, It’s A Sticky Floor.”

As organizations are increasingly looking to retain and advance talented women, the Center for Women and Business at Bentley University is answering the call and hosting Best Practices Forums - a series of events meant to engage thought leaders and business professionals from around the world and provide solutions for organizations to adopt a culture of inclusion in order to harness the full potential of current and future women leaders. These forums bring together high-level executives and experts and offer dynamic sessions with leadership practitioners that include hands-on learning exercises and case studies for all attendees.

This semester’s Best Practices Forum will focus on how to create effective programs to advance women by asserting that “Sponsorship Matters” and will take place Tuesday, May 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the LaCava Conference Center on the Bentley campus. Sessions will include:

• Moving From Conversation to Action: Sponsorship Matters – The Facts About Sponsorship and Its Impact for Men, Women and Organizations
• The Difference Between Mentorship and Sponsorship
• Case Study: A Five Step Model for Setting the Foundation and Implementing Sponsorship for Sustainable Results
• The “How To’s” for Mastering the Role of a Sponsor or Protégée
• Organizational Best Practices on Sponsorship

For more information or to register for this event, please visit the Center for Women and Business website or contact Elisa Vincent at evincent@bentley.edu or (781) 891-2306.