At the Institute of International Education’s awards gala in New York City on September 21, IIE presented Microsoft with the Opening Minds Corporate Leadership Award in recognition of the company’s global philanthropy and outstanding commitment to corporate social responsibility and education in communities around the world. Pamela Passman, Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Global Corporate Affairs, accepted the award on Microsoft’s behalf. IIE Trustee Ruth Hinerfeld joined IIE Chairman Thomas S. Johnson in presenting the award.
The event highlighted Microsoft’s support for the Women in Technology Program, a successful public-private partnership between Microsoft, IIE and the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) of the U.S. Department of State to provide women throughout the Middle East and North Africa with vital business and technology skills.
The Women in Technology (WIT) program for the Middle East and North Africa provides local organizations and the women they serve with cutting-edge training in business planning, professional development and information technology. WIT’s sustainable business model expands local organizations’ reach, sustainability and ability to serve women and girls. By the end of 2010, WIT will have trained more than 10,000 women, increasing their participation in the workforce, entrepreneurship and civil society, and built the capacity of 60 women’s organizations in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Yemen.
More than 500 WIT participants have obtained internships or employment in banks, corporations, and NGOs, and more than 100 women trained by WIT have started their own businesses. In addition, the program has trained more than 700 trainers and partner organization staff, and generated income for WIT training centers enabling them to employ 150 women WIT Yemen was presented with a Best Practices Certificate by the Dubai Municipality and the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) in 2009, and Microsoft won the 'Best Arab Corporate Social Responsibility Award' of the Year from the Union of Arab ICT Association in 2010 in recognition of its significant contribution to empowering women through programs such as WIT.
Pamela Passman
Pamela Passman is Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Microsoft's Global Corporate Affairs function. She oversees four main missions: to provide regulatory counsel to business groups and develop corporate positions on public policy issues, such as intellectual property rights, privacy, internet security and safety, international trade, accessibility and telecommunications; to strengthen government and industry relations; to develop partnerships with governments, international organizations, non-profits and industry; and to oversee Microsoft's community and philanthropic investments and outreach. Passman also has leadership responsibilities for Microsoft's cross-company, global corporate citizenship efforts and Microsoft Unlimited Potential, a commitment to bring the benefits of technology to the next five billion people.
From October 1996 through April 2002, Passman served in Tokyo as Associate General Counsel responsible for Microsoft's Law & Corporate Affairs groups in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Peoples' Republic of China, including Hong Kong.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Passman was with Covington & Burling, an international law firm based in Washington, D.C. She also practiced for two years in Japan with Nagashima & Ohno and served as Special Counsel to the Office of Political and Economic Research, Executive Office of the President of Itochu Corporation. Passman is vice-chair of the Board of the Information Technology Industry Council and serves on the Boards of Business for Social Responsibility and the National Bureau of Asian Research. Passman is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Pacific Council on International Policy. Passman is a graduate of Lafayette College and the University of Virginia School of Law. She was also a recipient of a one year Thomas J. Watson Foundation grant for independent research in Japan.