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ATLANTA, Nov. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's largest organization of women board directors will bring together more than 130 top women board members and C-suite officers at the WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation (WCD) Americas Institute this week at The Coca-Cola Company's headquarters in Atlanta. The program for the invitation-only November 4-5 Institute features directors and top executives of companies from Coca-Cola and General Electric to Rite Aid, Tech Data, Latin American Venture Capital Association, and others.

WCD recently became a not-for-profit organization, with a significant contribution from KPMG, allowing the group to expand its global resources. More than 3,500 women directors worldwide are members of WCD, now the WCD Foundation, with 70 chapters in more than 35 countries.

"From managing investor-board dynamics to understanding and mitigating cybersecurity risk to navigating the particular needs of private and family-run companies, our Institute program tackles key governance and strategic questions for boards either operating or thinking about operating in the Americas," said Susan Stautberg, Chairman and CEO of the WCD Foundation.

Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, who is speaking at the Institute, said, "Women represent one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing economic forces in the world today. As such, it's critical that the composition of talent and leadership inside companies like ours more closely reflects the composition of the opportunity outside. This is just one reason why we're so proud to host the Americas Institute and help provide a forum for talented women leaders to gather and compare notes on the challenges facing organizations in our fast-changing world."

"Forums like the Americas Institute provide strategic, just-in-time insights on the most dynamic trends directors in corporate boardrooms are facing today," said Nancy Calderon, KPMG partner and WCD Foundation board member, who is also participating in the Institute.

Institute topics include:

• Cybersecurity Committees and Ways to Approach Risk
• Going "Glocal": Selling Products and Services Overseas – What Directors Need to Know About Balancing Global Brand Consistency With Regional Relevance
• What Directors Need to Know about Doing Business In Cuba
• Changing Dynamics of Board Roles with Investors: A Conversation with Helene D. Gayle, MD, MPH, Chief Executive Officer, McKinsey Social Initiative; Director, The Coca-Cola Company and Colgate-Palmolive Company and Maria Elena (Mel) Lagomasino, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Partner, WE Family Offices; Director, The Walt Disney Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Avon Products, Inc. and the Americas Society.
• Top Questions Boards Should Be Asking about Executive Compensation
• Activist Investors: Friendivist? Suggestivist? How Directors Can Work with Them, for Them, or Against Them 
• A Conversation with Thomas W. Farley, President, New York Stock Exchange
• Innovative Ways a Board Can Act and Create More Innovations in a Company
• Family and Private Company Trends
• Managing Conflicts in the Boardroom

For media inquiries, please contact Suzanne Oaks Brownstein or Trang Mar of Temin and Company at 212-588-8788 or news@teminandco.com.

About WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc.  (WCD) 
The WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc. (The WCD Foundation) is the only global membership organization and community of women corporate directors, with more than 3,500 members serving on more than 7,000 boards. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, the WCD Foundation has 70 chapters around the world, with seven more to launch over the next year. The aggregate market capitalization of public companies on whose boards WCD Foundation members serve is over $8 trillion. In addition, WCD Foundation members serve on numerous boards of large private and family-run companies globally.

WCD Foundation membership provides a unique platform for learning from the intellectual capital of accomplished women from around the world, and the WCD Foundation's mission is to increase courage, candor, inclusion, and cohesion in the boardroom.

The WCD Foundation has 70 global chapters, located in Arizona, Atlanta, Beijing, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Chile, Cleveland, Colombia, Columbus, Dallas/Fort Worth, Delhi, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greater Colorado, Greater New Mexico, Guatemala, Gulf Cooperation Council, Hanoi, Hawaii, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Houston, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kansas City, Kenya, London, Los Angeles/Orange County, Malaysia, Melbourne, Mexico, Milan, Minnesota, Mongolia, Morocco, Mumbai, Netherlands, New York, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern California, North Florida/South Georgia, Panama, Peru, Philadelphia, Philippines, Quebec, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, San Diego, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Shanghai, Singapore, South Africa, South Florida, Spain, Switzerland, Sydney, Tampa, Tennessee, Toronto, Turkey, Washington, D.C., and Western Canada. 

For more information visit www.womencorporatedirectors.com or follow us on Twitter @WomenCorpDirs, #WCDboards.

SOURCE WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc.