New Sexual Harassment Law in Saudi Arabia

iStock_000007448674XSmall_1_.jpgby Shannon Johnson (Orlando, Florida)

Saudi Arabia is a country with a reputation for its less-than-progressive attitudes and laws regarding women. Women aren’t allowed to drive. Women are required to have permission from a male guardian to work, travel, study, marry, or even have access to basic health care. And women aren’t allowed to own their own businesses unless there is a male director or chairman. But 2008 was a year in which some progress for professional women was made, first with the appointment of the first female CFO in the country, and then with the draft legislation by the Shoura Council forbidding sexual harassment in the workplace.

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Sophia’s Sunshine School

indonesiaschool.jpgby Anna T. Collins, Esquire (Portland, Maine)

On May 27, 2006, a powerful earthquake in the Indian Ocean shook the region surrounding the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta. The immediate death toll was close to 6,000, with over 37,000 injured and 1 million people displaced. Following the earthquake, large charities rushed in to provide shelter and food. But once those charities had left, there were many schools that needed to be rebuilt. Sharon Bloodworth, a co-manager of $200 million in investment assets at White Oaks Wealth Advisors, Inc. in Minneapolis, jumped at the opportunity to fund the rebuilding of one such school – Sophia’s Sunshine School.

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Movers and Shakers: Telecommunications

telecom.jpgby Sima Matthes (New York City)

It’s nearly a cliché to say that women are the communicators in this world; however, given the lack of women at the top of many of the top ten Telecom companies on the Fortune 500, one wonders if this news has somehow escaped the powers that be.

Yet we don’t need to look too deep into the list—just to Verizon, #2 in Telecom and #17 overall— to find not one but FIVE women at the executive level, all of whom have been with the company in its various prior incarnations, through mergers and splits.

Marianne Drost, senior vice president, deputy general counsel and corporate secretary for Verizon is responsible for strategic transactions, securities and finance, SEC reporting and disclosure and corporate governance in addition to her role as corporate secretary. She began her career at GTE in 1977 and continued there—save a brief hiatus at Cheesebrough-Pond’s Inc. legal department in 1984—until GTE became part of Verizon. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Connecticut College in New London and received her J.D. with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

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The State of Massachusetts

iStock_000004552349XSmall_1_.jpgby Liz O’Donnell (Boston)

The rest of the country may paint Massachusetts as an ultra-liberal state, but for many women living in the Commonwealth the reality is actually much more conservative and a little old-fashioned.

According to a report published last month by The Boston Club, which provides networking and professional support for women in business, the number of female executives and directors in the state’s 100 largest public companies fell in 2008. In fact, the number and percentage of women executive officers, and the percentage of companies with a woman among their most highly compensated officers, fell to the lowest point since The Boston Club began tracking the data in 2003. When this information is coupled with the fact that women comprise just 26 percent of the Commonwealth’s legislature, the state of women in Massachusetts looks grim.

“The Old Boy’s Network is alive and well,” says Vicki Donlan, author of “Her Turn: Why It’s time for Women to Lead in America.” Donlan is also the founder of Women’s Business, a Massachusetts-based newspaper. “Boston is a conservative part of the country,” she says. “It takes a long time to move forward.” Read more

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Falling Off The Ladder: Do Women “Shoot Themselves In The Foot”?

ladder.jpgby Anna T. Collins, Esq. (Portland, Maine)

Women are employed at higher levels today than ever before, but some are still struggling to stay up at the top of the ladder of success. While experts agree that gender bias remains a force to be reckoned with, some say that women may have another enemy in the workplace: themselves.

Jo Miller, CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching Inc. in California believes that the most rampant behaviors preventing women from breaking into positions of leadership include refusing to acknowledge or “play the game” of office politics, relinquishing power and influence, working when they should be schmoozing, accepting low-visibility assignments, and downplaying accomplishments.

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Ask-A-Recruiter: The Versatility of Specific Graduate Degrees

istock_000005168521xsmall1.jpgContributed by Caroline Ceniza-Levine of SixFigureStart

I recently have graduated with my BS in Business Administration, Finance. I’ve been accepted into University of Richmond to study the Masters of HR Management. I find HR very interesting and want to learn about the subject, but what if later on I decide to focus on a career outside of HR? Will this masters degree hinder me?

Since my undergrad is in business, I have absolutely no desire to go for my MBA. They seem like a dime a dozen these days. How would the MHRM be viewed to recruiters in terms of managing other areas of a business? Other departments?

If you ask 10 recruiters the same question, you will get a range of answers. Careers are not an exact science and vary based on an individual’s goals, skill set, personality, drive, etc. In this case, the only thing I am sure about is that you will find some recruiters who highly value the MHRM, some who dismiss it and some who will be in-between.

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Raising the Bar: Balancing Professional and Personal Choices

Atty_Headshots_2004_026_1_.jpgContributed by Jacqueline Harounian, Esquire of Wisselman, Harounian & Associates, P.C.

As a mother of four and partner of a leading matrimonial law firm on Long Island, I have some inspirational anecdotes and advice related to the challenges of balancing professional and personal choices.

I married my husband during college and by graduation day, we were expecting our first child. I always knew I wanted to continue to graduate school, and with my husband’s encouragement I started law school when my son was 9 months old. I had always loved to read and write, which made analyzing cases for hours each day slightly less impossible. After class, I immediately went home to my “real job”. I studied with my son on my lap and after he went to sleep. I soon became adept at multitasking and juggling family and school.

During law school, I excelled in my studies, but I was fraught with anxieties and concerns about what I was doing: Would I ever practice law in the future? Would I be able to handle combining family and career?

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Once More with Feeling: Emotions at Work

emotions.jpgBy Paige Churchman (New York City)

Two senior managers, both direct reports to the CEO, are faced off in a heated discussion. Their eyes flash. Their voices rise. Neither will give an inch. Then one shouts, “Come back when you’re not so emotional” and walks out. End of confrontation. It happened to Betty-Ann Heggie. At the time, she was the highest-ranking woman at PotashCorp and one of the few women in the mining industry. Her equally angry peer was a man. In business, to let your emotions get the best of you was to be weak, and in the dirty, sweaty, tough-guy world of mining in which they both dealt, a display of emotion could be career suicide.

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Toot Your Own Horn

Come for an exciting evening of networking and information. The first 20 participants to register will have up to 3 minutes to speak about any topic they wish. (Their business or a cause they support.) This is a great opportunity to “Toot your own horn” and let other NAFE members get to know you.

For more information contact karenflam@yahoo.com

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Autumn Ambition: Fourth Annual PINK Fall Conference Series

Where America’s Most Influential Women inBusiness Meet and Share Tools, Tactics and Strategies for Success

PINK just wrapped its 4th annual conference series, featuring seven high-impact events across the nation. Attendees brought friends, clients, mentors or employees to enjoy an inspiring two-hour lunch with America’s most influential women and:

DISCOVER Life/Balance Solutions

BUILD Career Success Strategies

LEARN Valuable Business Lessons

REGISTRATION FOR 2009 CONFERENCES COMING SOON.

Visit PINK TV and click on “PINK Conferences”for footage of last year’s events.

2009 Conference Schedule Coming Soon

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