by Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)
In these tumultuous times, who could blame a gal who wants to escape for a little while into the nonsense that is “reality” television or to go a live concert to sing cheesy hair band songs of her youth at the top of her lungs? Here are some of the top women in Entertainment who make these guilty pleasures possible:
by Sima Matthes (New York City)
Kudos to Madelyn Lankton of Travelers Insurance (#93 on Fortune 500), who recently received the Women In Insurance Leadership Award from Insurance Networking News (INN).
Ms. Lankton is the senior VP of Travelers Claim Shared Services. She was recognized for making a “significant impact” on her business according to the INN. In her role as senior vice president, Ms. Lankton is reposible for Claim Shared Services, an organizaiton of over 1500 people that uses the latest in information and data analysis to help the company in reviewing claims and evaluating the results. Ms. Lankton also serves as an executive mentor for individuals in the Finance and Information Technology Leadership Development Program at Travelers. According to INN, Ms. Lankton initiated the development of Women’s Mentoring Forum for high potential young women in the IT department.
by Sima Matthes (New York City)
All eyes are on the market today, looking to see if the $700 billion “rescue plan” will have the desired effect of soothing nervous investors and turning around the downward market spiral. This intense market scrutiny put us in mind of those who, among other things, process the market transactions. And, as we focus on the stock tickers and market fluctuations, it seemed appropriate to note some women leading the way in the Financial Data Services industry.
by Sima Matthes (New York City)
We love it when companies on the Fortune 1000 are recognized for having women at the top! The October issue of U.S. Banker, profiles the 25 Women to Watch, a ranking that honors women whose leadership continues to shape the financial services industry.
by Sima Matthes (New York City)
When you think cutting edge, you think Silicon Valley. Within the Valley, there’s a smaller community of internet companies, and, regrettably, these companies can hardly be called cutting–or leading–edge on gender equity.
So why the dearth of women? Quoted in a 2007 article in the Guardian UK, Jenny Slade, the communications director of the National Center for Women and Information Technology [UK] said “There were fewer women in 2006 getting computer degrees than in 1985. Women’s participation in computer-related occupations is low overall and it decreases as women climb the corporate ladder.”
That said, the following women are proof that there are some exceptionally qualified women who are blazing trails along the high tech highway:
by Sima Matthes (New York City)
We try to focus on the positive here at The Glass Hammer, giving examples of women who’ve made it or are well on their way to the top of an industry. And much progress has been made, as can be seen from our reports on women in industries from pharmaceuticals to energy and everything in between. However, we were surprised at how few women could be found among the management of the top real estate companies listed on the Fortune 1000. Of the 10 real estate companies that made the list, not one has a female CEO, and two have no women at all in senior management.
by Sima Matthes
According to a 2007 report, women make up fewer than 5% of the total number of CEOs in the automotive industry. However, the recent appointment of Kim Harris Jones to the position of senior vice president, corporate controller and auditor at Chrysler LLC, may be a sign that the industry on the road to change.
by Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)
Writing for PharmExecutive.com, Kristin Rand recently asked “Where are the women in Pharma?” (article) . The article reported on a study–commissioned by the nonprofit Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association and fielded by Booz Allen Hamilton–which showed that, despite a concentrated effort on the part of the industry to ensure diversity, women at the top of pharmacuetical companies remain few and far between.
Perhaps the most telling fact is that the percentage of women in management in pharma showed little, if any, increase, over the course of the five-year period studied. The researchers, drawing on data from 19 US and European pharmaceutical companies, found that women held only 17% of senior management positions and 34% of middle management positions over the five years.
The Glass Hammer is hopeful that the following women, already making their marks in the industry, will pave the way for the next wave of women in pharma:
by Margarita Shelley-Smith (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
The Glass Hammer recently spoke with Michelle Crumm, the co-founder and chief business officer of Adaptive Materials, an innovative company in Ann Arbor, MI. Adaptive Materials (AM) develops portable, quiet and efficient fuel cell systems capable of converting low cost, ecologically friendly fuel into electrical energy. These devices are already being used by the United States Armed Forces, commercial industries, and in emergency response situations by the Department of Defense.
Michelle Crumm, the business mind behind the success of the company, is a licensed CPA, with an MBA from University of Michigan. She was awarded the Crain’s Detroit Business “Most Influential Women” award in 2007 and was named one of “2008 Women of the Year” by the Enterprising Women magazine. Under her guidance, the company grew from a start-up into a manufacturing enterprise with double-digit increase in revenue. In March, the company moved to brand-new 47,000 square foot headquarters, and noted that its staff had tripled in the past year.
by Heather Cassell (San Francisco)
What do Liquid Paper, the submarine telescope and lamp, Kevlar, the windshield wiper, and the rotary engine have in common? They were all invented by women. Women have been creating innovative technologies that benefit the lives of people worldwide since before the start of the Industrial Revolution; however, until relatively recently, few, if any, women have been acknowledged for such achievements.
The Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology is helping to fill the recognition gap with the Women of Vision awards. The Institute, an organization that provides resources and programs to help the public and private sectors recruit, retain, and develop women leaders in high tech fields, created these awards nearly three years ago to recognize and honor women’s achievements in innovation, leadership and social impact through technology.