Konica Minolta Launches Initiative to Inspire Women in Professional Excellence

RAMSEY, NJ—March 6, 2015—Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. has announced the launch of Step Forward, a new initiative which offers a forum for giving and receiving advice and support to women at all career levels. The monthly program will kick off at the Ramsey, NJ, headquarters with an inspirational presentation by Konica Minolta President and COO Rick Taylor and will roll out to all the Konica Minolta branches throughout the United States.

Intended for both male and female audiences, the program encourages the advancement of women by helping to develop leadership skills through sharing experiences and best practices. The monthly series will feature guest speakers and workshops led by local, regional and national experts in various industries. Topics will include: owning your strengths, communicating with confidence and team dynamics, to name a few. Future speakers include: Amelia Duggan, editor, 201 Magazine; Leslie Grossman, author of Link Out: How to Turn Your Network into a Chain of Lasting Connections; and the first female Mayor of Ramsey, Deirdre Dillon.

The program is spearheaded by advocate Kay Du Fernandez, vice president, Strategic Business Development, Konica Minolta Business Solutions, who supports women working at Konica Minolta and their professional development in the work place. Fernandez is the Executive Sponsor of Step Forward and was voted one of the top ten female leaders in the technology industry by the Cannata Report. Her mission is to encourage women to pursue their ambitions and advance their careers to further the company's leadership position. She also sits on the board of directors for the Books for Kids Foundation and the Orange County Ballet Theater. With three daughters, she is passionate about supporting science, technology, engineering and mathematics in education.

"We are excited to be launching the Ramsey Step Forward initiative which will provide a positive framework for women in their careers," said Fernandez. "This is an opportunity for them to network, offer advice, collaborate and exchange ideas which will help propel their growth so they know that they are a valued member with a voice."

Over the last three years Konica Minolta has seen an increase in female mid-level managers by 21 percent and professionals had an increase of 42 percent.

About Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. is one of the world's leaders in information management focused on enterprise content, technology optimization and cloud services. Our portfolio of offerings deliver solutions to improve our customers' speed to market, manage technology costs, and facilitate the sharing of information to increase productivity. The All Covered IT Services division offers a range of IT strategy, support, project and cloud computing solutions across all verticals. Konica Minolta has won numerous awards and recognition, including placement in the Leaders Quadrant of the 2014 Magic Quadrant for Managed Print Services (MPS) and Managed Content Services (MCS). Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for eight consecutive years. Konica Minolta has also been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for three years in a row.

Source: Konica Minolta