2012 Media Releases

The key to becoming a successful negotiator, whether over international boundaries or what to have for dinner, is managing your own emotions and anticipating those of the other side, according to business leaders and a Harvard academic speaking at yesterday’s Women in Banking and Finance Annual Forum hosted by Deutsche Bank.

The best results come from being “hard on the problem and soft on the person,” keynote speaker Dr. Daniel Shapiro, founder and director of the Harvard International Negotiation Program, told an audience of 500 high-flying women and men at the City Recital Hall Angel Place in Sydney.

Drawing on examples from his work with the President of Ecuador and New York Police Department hostage negotiators among others, he said a good working relationship depends on expressing appreciation for your counterpart, building affiliation, respecting their autonomy, acknowledging their status and choosing a fulfilling role in the discussion.

A panel of Australian business leaders chaired by Adam Spencer, breakfast host of 702 ABC Sydney radio, put flesh on the bones with real-life examples. Launa Inman, CEO of Billabong; actress and playwright Kate Mulvany; Nicole Sheffield, CEO of NewsLifeMedia, News Custom Publishing and news.com.au; and Catherine Tanna, Chairman of BG Australia opened up with anecdotes about the value of playing devil's advocate, making sure to understand how you are being perceived and being prepared to leave something on the table. Mulvany and fellow Bell Shakespeare actor Paul Reichstein then performed an excerpt from Macbeth illustrating the sinister side of influence as Lady Macbeth persuades her husband to kill the king.

The Women in Banking and Finance Annual Forum hosted by Deutsche Bank, now in its fourth year, has become a flagship event in line with Deutsche Bank’s global commitment to promoting diversity. Previous speakers have included then acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Penny Wong, Minister for Finance and Deregulation and then Premier of NSW Kristina Keneally. Deutsche Bank has supported the renowned “Women on Wall Street” event in New York for the past 17 years and, more recently, similar annual events in London and Singapore.

 “It says a lot that our focus at these events - and today - is less and less about issues affecting women, and more about issues affecting all of us doing business,” Deutsche Bank Executive Chairman JT Macfarlane said. He acknowledged that the finance industry has much work to do on gender diversity, particularly at the senior levels, stressing the business case that a more diverse workforce enables institutions to anticipate and tackle challenges more effectively and to more closely mirror their clients.

Women in Banking and Finance President Julie Hunter reinforced the point, saying that as the association works to support the career development of women, it needs to influence the debate to shift “away from a focus on why we can’t get more women into leadership roles in our industry, and instead focus on identifying those who do make the journey and understanding what was causal to their success.”