Publishing the list brought TSG, perhaps, some totally unexpected controversy. The list contained only men’s names. In my, albeit limited, experience on the social media conference circuit, I would say there are quite a few very qualified women who should have been mentioned too. Some of them are TSG clients.  Later, we learned that all of the men on the list were affiliated with The Speakers Group, some loosely, but still their clients in some way, shape or form.

The “List” had been a seemingly innocent, perhaps naïve, attempt at self-serving promotion for TSG. That should not have been surprising, since it was their blog, but certainly a wee bit insulting to their female clients. There were quite a few comments on TSG’s blog and on Geoff Livingston’s blog Buzz Bin. The Technically Women team also had a frank and feisty backchannel discussion for several days amongst ourselves.

I left a comment at Geoff’s blog, excerpted here:

I was quite surprised, as were the rest of my Technically Women colleagues, that more than a few of our group had been recently rejected as speakers for the same conferences. I have noticed, even in my limited experience with the “Social Media” circuit here in Chicago, that there are often the same speakers at every event, or at least the same wish-lists for speakers at many of the events I attend. It’s all about drawing a crowd.

For the life of me, I don’t get the big buzz around some of the folks I have heard speak. But then again, I am an accountant, auditor, and technology consultant. The conferences I go to are less about evangelizing social tools, and more about nuts and bolts technical information for our profession. So, given the “technical” nature of most conferences I go to, I thought I would check to see how well women were represented in some I’ve recently attended.

Based on the results below, I would say that the traditionally conservative, male-dominated days for accounting, audit, and compliance events are over. The speaker rosters at our conferences are more and more looking like their, and their sponsors’, target audience.

The Compliance Week Annual Conference is held every year in June in Washington, DC by Compliance Week, a print and on line publication. The conference draws ~400 paid attendees, sponsors and lots of speakers from the world of legal and regulatory compliance – C-level executives with titles like Chief Risk Officer, Chief Audit Executive, and General Counsel. Heavy duty keynoters from the SEC, PCAOB, and Department of Justice mean there is also significant major media coverage.

I cover the conference for my blog, re: The Auditors and have been granted a press pass the last three years by, as well as experienced sincere hospitality from, the Managing Editor, Matt Kelly, and Publisher Scott Cohen. Up until this year, I was the only blogger who was granted a press pass.

The Compliance Week Annual Conference 2009 had sixty-nine speaking slots that were filled eighteen times by women, or 26%. I think the conference organizers strive for a variety of speakers once they select the key themes for that year. My impression is that, for them, one’s position with a brand name Fortune 500 company or major law or advisory firm, as well as a reputation as a very knowledgeable speaker are the most important criteria for selection.

This is a conference that is held as a live version of the publication, but it’s a profit making endeavor. Sponsors desires for a large crowd and an agenda that aligns with their selling objectives is, I am sure, taken into consideration. There have been very few poor speakers at this event and no one that didn’t have useful knowledge to share. In fact, this conference is known for the full participation of all of the speakers in sharing presentations and other hands-on resources with attendees.

The Current Issues in Financial Reporting Conference is sponsored by FEI in New York each November. Financial Executives International is the preeminent association for CFOs and other senior finance executives providing networking, advocacy and timely updates on financial management and reporting; Sarbanes-Oxley Act compliance and regulatory updates from the SEC, FASB, PCAOB and IASB; As such their conferences include heavy hitters for US and international regulators and standards setters.

Representation of women at the podium last November was nine out of forty-eight speaking slots. At least half of the 2000+ paid attendees were women, based on my informal visual assessment. I was present as media, covering the conference as the only blogger, besides FEI’s own house blogger Edith Orenstein, that was granted a press pass.

FEI, through their spokesperson Kristen Lewko, told me, ““Financial Executives International is an organization dedicated to diversity and our conference committee actively pursues this when it comes time to craft the agenda and speaker list. We are able to secure the accomplished, high caliber of women to speak at our conferences through the assistance of our robust member base and their invaluable contacts.”

The CFO Rising Conference, sponsored by print and online publication CFO.com, is scheduled for September 20-23, 2009. It’s intended for CFOs and Controllers of large public companies. The roster of speakers at this time includes eight women out of twenty-six speaking slots for 30% representation. Speakers include Lori Calabro, the Editorial Director of CFO.com Conferences.

The Maryland Association of CPAs held the Maryland Business Expo in June in Baltimore.  I was invited as a speaker, panel organizer/moderator, and panelist. At this conference, nineteen of eighty-nine speaking slots were filled by women, or 21% . I did triple duty here, as well as a few other women who filled multiple spots. This conference can also boast speaker representation by minorities that seemed to me to reflect the demographics of the state and the complexion of small business and smaller accounting firms employees and their clients, their target audience, as well. I did not comment on minority representation in the other instances, since it is not always possible to give everyone their due without having seen and met folks myself. But representation by a diverse racial/ethnic/sexual orientation roster could be another area of interest for conference planners as attendees and sponsors expect to see content providers that align with their marketing focus.

Bill Sheridan, MACPAs’ Electronic Communications Manager / Editor, told me, “We were just looking for the brightest thought leaders around. A lot of them are women.”

As it is.

As it should be.

First, it was an interesting and accomplished group I would be collaborating with.

Second, it seemed the right thing to do at the time.

Finally, although as a CPA with an interest and aptitude in the technical I am not as “technical” as some of the others, I have much to learn from these ladies. This was a great chance to meet them and start that conversation

I’ll be honest. I don’t do many single sex things, especially those focused on the fairer sex. I have been fortunate to be treated throughout my career as just another chap, someone who throws in and throws up ideas with no worry as to how they might seem coming from a woman. And I write about the business of the Big 4 audit/accounting firms, a traditionally male dominated audience, exacerbated by the fact that with all the auditor litigation going on, I also entertain a lot of attorneys.

So when we tossed out names for the blog, “Technically Women” was a consensus winner. To me it describes both the literal and figurative middle ground we inhabit between being women and desiring to operate in a traditionally male-dominated realm. It may mean that some of us have learned to operate and succeed in the technical fields and have forgotten that there is any reason to feel intimidated or unnerved by being a minority. It may also be that, without an avatar, our voices are just as likely coming from a man, regardless of our biology.

So to me the title of the blog means that you will get interesting, enlightened, newsworthy, and insightful commentary from the assembled group – a group that just happens to be, technically, women.

Should be fun.
Francine McKenna