35 Under 35: Erika Serow, Partner, Bain & Company, Global Retail Services

Serow_erika_print_color_1_.jpgby Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)

Erika Serow joined Bain out of college, looking to consulting to help her figure out what she really wanted to do with her life. Bain sent her to work in London, Sydney, and then Milan, which ultimately allowed her to put her Italian major to good use.

After several years, she left to get her MBA from Stanford Business School, fully expecting to do something other than consulting when she came out; however, it was during school that she realized that she could advance faster in consulting than in any other industry and thus decided to return to Bain after graduation.

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Movers and Shakers: Entertainment

remote.jpgby 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:

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Movers and Shakers: Insurance

womenladder.jpgby 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.

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Voice of Experience: Dianne Ledingham, Director, Bain & Company

ledingham_diane_print_color_1_.jpgby Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)

The Glass Hammer recently spoke with Dianne Ledingham, Director in Bain’s Boston office, member of Bain’s North America Telecom, Media & Technology Practice and leader of the consulting firm’s Global Sales Effectiveness group. Ms. Ledingham has played various local and global governance roles in the firm and is currently a member of Bain’s Worldwide Compensation and Promotion committee. In addition to serving corporate clients, Ms. Ledingham has advised several early stage technology start-ups in her career at Bain. She is also a Board member of City Year, a multi-regional non-profit.

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Voice of Experience: Anne Wallace, Executive Director, Identity Theft Assistance Center

Anne_Wallace1_1_.JPGby Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)

Anne Wallace is a trailblazer. In a 35-year career in banking and financial services that has taken her from the public to the private sector and back again, Wallace has broken down barriers for women and has reshaped the industry in the process.

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Movers and Shakers – Financial Data Services

stockticker.JPGby 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.

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Executive Personal Shoppers

bfashion.JPGy Caroline Shannon (Dayton, OH)

Sure, “girls just wanna have fun” and “diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” but, despite conventional wisdom, shopping can sometimes rank pretty low on the list of fun things to do — especially, when you are a busy business professional who can barely squeeze in lunch let alone a trip to the department store.

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25 Women to Watch in Banking and Finance

bank2.JPGby 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.

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Voices of Experience: Alice Wang, Managing Director, Global Credit Markets, J.P. Morgan

by Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)

“Nothing is impossible – there is always a solution,” advised Alice Wang, Managing Director of Global Credit Markets when interviewed by The Glass Hammer. In 23 years with J.P. Morgan, Ms. Wang has seen the company and the industry change dramatically.

She started her career in investment banking after a stint as a CPA with responsibilities that included auditing banks, government entities and non-profits. “When I joined J.P. Morgan, it was still thought of as The Morgan Guaranty Trust Company–the bank–not J.P. Morgan, the investment bank that we think of today. I was offered a role as an internal consultant, which at the time felt like a good fit, as problem solving was and continues to be very appealing to me.”

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Intrepid Women: Ice Dreams

ice hotel_1.JPGby Kate St. Vincent Vogl (New York City)

Walking pneumonia would not keep Christin Walth from attending her business meeting. She was Microsoft’s representative to the Bluetooth team, and she could and would pull her weight for that lineup of seven industry leaders now that she wasn’t contagious. The conference had started two days before, and she knew at the backend she’d have to go directly to Israel to outfit those border guards, but she wasn’t about to miss this first meeting—at the Ice Hotel.

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