By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
“Try to speak out – have a voice,” advised Laura Liswood. “Claim your accomplishments, and ask for and know what you want.”
Liswood, now Secretary General of the Council of Women World Leaders and a Senior Advisor at Goldman Sachs, has built her career around improving diversity and bringing women leaders into light.
Making powerful women more visible, she explained, will help change presumptions around what a leader should look like.
By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
It would be fair to say that Cynthia Urda Kassis, a Partner and Co-Head of the Project Development and Finance Practice at Shearman & Sterling LLP, is a bit of a globetrotter. In her work, which involves arranging financing for infrastructure projects all over the world, Urda Kassis sometimes participates on site visits to see first-hand the fruits of her labors.
“Young lawyers are always very excited about the chance to travel around the world,” she explained.
“In my work, it’s very important to learn about different legal systems – for example, what they prioritize and what structuring flexibility they allow.”
“And it is very interesting to travel – you get to see a lot of places. But it’s not typical sightseeing. I see a lot of offices, conference rooms, and airports – you don’t get to go on a lot of safaris.”
In a career that has made her one of the most highly sought-after project finance attorneys in the US, Urda Kassis tries to never lose sight of what attracted her to the law in the first place.
“The law is very diverse,” she explains. “There are a multitude of different subjects and practice areas within the law. I tell young lawyers all the time: find the area of law that really excites you and piques your interest.”
By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
Clare Porter’s career has taken her from engineering to manufacturing, to operations, to marketing, and now, as SunGard‘s Senior Vice President of Technology Solutions, she is enjoying her role as a change agent at a $5 billion technology company.
“Right now we have to be brave,” she said. We have to keep our heads above the status quo and have a vision of where we’re going to go.”
She continued, “What makes me so excited about this industry is that in a five-year time horizon, it will be fundamentally different, because of the people coming into the business, both from a user standpoint and a staffing standpoint. They will be fundamentally different than the people we have today. Trying to measure and judge and anticipate that is a big thing for me, looking at the digital natives.”
By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
Karen Hughes, Vice President, Technology at American Express is passionate about ensuring that women feel comfortable taking a career break – whether taking leave to care for children or other family members, or taking time off to care for themselves.
She explained, “Perceptions around on-ramps and off-ramps are still causing women uncertainty around their careers. Things are getting better though.”
Hughes leads the New York chapter of American Express’s new global Women in Technology group – and is enthusiastic about how networking and career development can help women grow.
By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
This week, in honor of Ada Lovelace Day, The Glass Hammer is highlighting women who have achieved high levels of success working in technology. Making role models visible is one important way we can encourage girls and young women to pursue a career in tech – and stay there!
“I don’t want to over generalize what the main challenges for women are, but for me personally, the greatest challenge has been balancing my role as a partner with my role as a mother,” said Mika Mayer, Partner at Morrison & Foerster, who deals with patent law in the medical device, drug delivery, and pharmaceutical fields. “For each role, there is no limit to the amount of time you can invest, and I take both roles very seriously.”
She continued, “Balance is one of those words that has very little meaning, because true balance is very hard to obtain. You need to define boundaries and set limits for yourself. You can’t rely on your employer to set those limits for you.”
By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
This week, in honor of Ada Lovelace Day, The Glass Hammer is highlighting women who have achieved high levels of success working in technology. Making role models visible is one important way we can encourage girls and young women to pursue a career in tech – and stay there!
Speaking with Augusta Sanfilippo, Managing Director of Cash Securities Operations IT at Citi, you get the feeling that she is one of those people who really loves her work. In fact, Sanfilippo says she has loved IT and investment banking since she was in college. Having grown up in Queens, she was studying business at St. John’s University. Then, she said, “I fell in love with the computer room in about 1983.”
Sanfilippo went on to major in computer science and minor in business. Since then, she’s spent her career in managing data, designing systems and processes, and implementing new ideas on Wall Street. “I just had this passion for computers,” she explained with a laugh.
Sanfilippo is also passionate about solving problems. Now leading Citi’s efforts to streamline its various cash securities operations systems after several years of mergers, she has also become enthusiastic about improving the IT space for women.
By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
“Right now the United States is ranked 72nd in terms of women in political leadership,” said Tiffany Dufu, the newly inaugurated President of The White House Project. Recently Marie Wilson, founder of the WHP, handed over the reins of leadership to Dufu, who says she has big plans for the organization.
“My goal is to take us to number one,” she said.
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Dufu got her bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Washington. “I was actually on my way to a career in academia, but then my mentor asked me a question about the kind of impact I wanted to make in the world,” she explained.
Dufu realized she wanted a different path. She began volunteering for a program that provided mentorship opportunities for girls. Then she took a fundraising role at Seattle Girls School – a math, science, and technology middle school with an ambitious commitment to diversity. In fact, Dufu said her proudest professional achievement so far has been helping to raise $1 million for the school in order to secure a matching grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – in only a year – “because they’ve been able to maintain that commitment to diversity to this day.”
By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
Joan Steinberg, Morgan Stanley’s Global Head of Philanthropy, was recently named a Managing Director at the firm. Steinberg says that it’s important to project professionalism and leadership when seeking advancement.
“You have to be at the next level,” advised the woman who led Morgan Stanley’s charitable efforts following 9/11. She explained that at a recent event for new Managing Directors within the firm, she saw many people she already assumed were MDs.
“Be the role you want to be, so that it’s easy for others to see you that way,” she said.
By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
“Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself,” advises Linda Rappaport, a senior partner at international law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP and Practice Group Leader Emeritus of the firm’s Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits/Private Client Group. “And be really prepared – there’s no substitute for being good at what you do.”
Rappaport knows all about being good. She has earned a reputation as one of the top executive compensation lawyers in the US and Europe, working with major financial services firms, entertainment companies and other organizations.
Her rise to prominence was no accident. Rather, Rappaport says, it was the product of traditional business values: hard work, a commitment to client service and a genuine interest in the area in which she practices. “Make sure you enjoy what you do,” she said. “You’re not going to enjoy every moment of every day, but if you’re excited by the ideas, people will sense that and will respond with enthusiasm as well.”
“You want work to be challenging. Never in one day of my life at Shearman & Sterling have I been bored – and I consider that a gift. I’ve been engaged, excited, challenged and occasionally even scared or nervous, which is perfectly appropriate sometimes. That’s a wonderful thing,” she added.
By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
Vanessa Lau, Group CFO for Global Rolled Products at Alcoa has never shied away from a challenge. Named on Crain’s New York’s 40 Under 40 list last year, Lau has had the drive to fuel an exciting and esteemed career from the very beginning.
Her advice? Don’t be shy about your goals.
She said, “I find that my male colleagues are more willing to show their ambitions and my female colleagues are less willing to show their ambitions. They feel like they are being pushy.”
“But management really values transparent discussion. Be ambitious.”