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Susan Unger<= /span>

Speaker Comments

Global Summit of Women 2007<= /b>

Opening Ceremony

DaimlerChrysler: Driving Equality for Women

Good evening.   Thank you. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am hon= ored to be here tonight to share in the ceremony and spirit of the opening = event.

Everyone in this room spent a con= siderable amount of time; some more than others, getting to Berlin for tonight’s opening ceremony.

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You’ve traveled from cities= across Germany and from = countries around the world, including the United States, Latvia, Finland, South Africa, Vietnam, and beyond!

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No matter how long your journey to Berlin was,= it is very short compared to the journey women around the world continue to face each a= nd every day.

I’m talking about the journey women undertake for inclusion and equality in the workplace and in the market place.

DaimlerChrysler is very aware of the difficul= t road women travel in this quest and is committed to h= elping women reach the goal.

That’s why DaimlerChrysler is the exclusive automotive sponsor of this year’s Global Women’s Summit, and why we’ve sponsored eight previous Summits.

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Many of you have heard the news about changes= at DaimlerChrysler.

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While there will be a change in relationship = and a different ownership structure sometime in the future, what will n= ot change or be diminished in the future at either company is the commitment to diversity and the growth of women in the business place.=

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Rather than looking too far into the future, I want to focus on tonight and share more details with you on our vision= and activity.

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DaimlerChrysler wants to be a role-model for businesses and organizations around the world when it comes to diversi= ty and the inclusion of women in the workforce.

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We believe it’s our responsibility to b= uild a workforce that clearly reflects our society and the customers who buy our products and services.

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We know we aren’t there yet. That’s why, with the st= rong support of CEO Dieter Zetsche and the management team, a Global= Diversity Office was established in Germany in 2005.

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Utilizing the U.S. based Chrysler Grou= p as its benchmark; the Global Diversity Office helps promote women in management roles at DaimlerChrysler worldwide.

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In Germany, a Mentoring Pro= gram for Women in Executive Positions is in place.

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To help female executives with the demands of work and family life, new day-care centers will provide 350 nursery pl= aces at plant locations throughout Germany for children under 3 years of age.

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Last October in Frankfurt, Ger= many, DaimlerChrysler was given the Total E-Quality award by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

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This award recognizes companies that actively support and implement equal opportunities in their personnel policy.

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In the states, our commitment to diversity sp= ans many decades.

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Our Chrysler Group is respected as a leader in diversity and inclusion, and experienced a strong increase in the numb= er of female executives, moving from 10% in 2000 to more than 18% today.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

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Women and ethnic minorities comprise nearly 3= 0% of our executive leadership, and the Chrysler Group was recently named= “One of the 50 Best Companies for Diversity” by DiversityInc and one = of the “top 10” companies for supplier diversity.

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So you can see, we= ’re making progress in the quest to be the world’s best when it come= s to diversity.

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But reaching the goal of equality for women is going to take everyone’s help.

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We each need to ask “what steps can I take to help wh= ere I work, in my world?”

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One way we can each make a difference is thro= ugh mentoring. Women have been discounted in= the work place for far too long.

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Now, with a greater focus on inclusion of wom= en in the work world, we finally find ourselves in a more powerful, favor= ed status.

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Don’t feel guilty about it. Use this power to help= each other.    =

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There are women of all ages at this summit. The benefits of mentoring ext= end to young and old alike.

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I hesitate to use the word “old” because age is a state of mind, not a number. When I was in my twenties, 45 seemed old. Now, 60 seems on the young side!

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Regardless of the age or the stage of her car= eer, every woman should be involved in mentoring even if her business or organization doesn’t have a formal program.

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If you’re young and just starting out, = look around. Find a woman you admire, someone you think is successful. Ask her to share her experien= ce and advice with you.

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If you’ve been around a while, like me,= you have an obligation to give back. Offer to have lunch or dinner with a young woman you work with.= Talk about career strategies.=

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Let’s use our influence and harness the power we have to help each other, one woman at a time.

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We must do what we can to prepare young girls= to become tomorrow’s leaders.

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We = know that leadership skills don’t come in shades of pink or blue.

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They = need to get that message too. We can be their role model.

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We can make sure their choices aren’t r= estricted. In sports, in areas of study,= in school and career choices, at a very young age they must feel empowere= d to choose what they want, not what society says they want.

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Women have considerable influence and power in another area -- the consumer marketplace.

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In the United States, women are involved in the decision-making process for almost 85 percent of all n= ew vehicle purchases. =

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In Europe it’s even higher – 87 percent. Those numbers will continue to climb!

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We must be discriminating consumers. We owe i= t to ourselves and to future generations to support businesses and organizations that support our cause.=

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As I said earlier, the journey is long and the work is not done. = <= /span>

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At DaimlerChrysler, we won’t stop until= we reach our goal of being the world’s beacon and role-model for diversity and inclusion. Our polic= ies and actions reflect the importance of women and the advancement of = all under-represented groups in our enterprise.

Diversity, inclusion and equality are woven in= to our corporate vision.

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They’re guiding principles. =

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They’re simply the way we do business. =

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The next two days will give you an amazing opportunity to network with wom= en from around the world. W= omen who share your vision and dreams.&nbs= p;

Let the knowledge you gain and those you meet motivate, renew and inspire = you.

I want to leave you with words from a legendary symbol of the fight for human rights and equality --- Nelson Mandela.

“I have walked that long road to freedom…I have discovered the secr= et that after climbing a great hill, one only finds there are many more h= ills to climb….I can rest only for a moment….for my long walk is not yet ended.”

Although we come from many differ= ent places and life situations, tonight everyone in = this room is focused on the journey towards equality for women.

Progress is being made, but there are more hills to climb.

Together, we can and will make a difference.

Thank you.