By: Jessica Titlebaum

“Opportunities are changing,” said Robin Gugick Mayer, a Corporate Bonds Analyst at UBS. “Companies are recognizing a talent pool that wasn’t recognized even just a few years ago and want to tap into it.”

Mrs. Mayer is referring to the pool of talented women who are returning to the workforce after a career break. As an on-ramper herself, she participated in the Career Comeback Program sponsored by UBS and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School to help her prepare for her return.

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Recently, The publisher of Glass Hammer spoke to Juliet Bullick, Head of Institutional Account Management in the UK at BlackRock. Juliet shared her insights about her job, flexible work arrangements, and her advice to young women in finance.

Juliet made a good point when I spoke to her about her four-day work week, a flex-work arrangement she has had in place since her son was born almost six years ago.

“Not everyone wants to take a salary adjustment and deliver a full week’s work in 4 days.” She does emphasize that the key to making this arrangement work is flexibility on her part to work whenever needed.

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Contributed by Alana Elsner

From a student of the 1960s, to a single working mother, to Time’s “Hero for the Planet”, Joan Bavaria has certainly led an extraordinary life. “I was the generation of women who tried to do everything,” she explained. As founder and C.E.O. of Trillium Asset Management- one of the first and now oldest independent Socially Responsible Investment firms- Joan sits on numerous boards, has won various prizes, and even managed to start two non-profits- Ceres and the Social Investment Forum.

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Janet Lewis, President of Global Accounts Management and Consulting Services at Sungard, answered the question before I had a chance to ask it.

“I’ve punched through the glass ceiling but I do believe there is more for me,” she said. “There is still more opportunity out there.”

She explained that she wanted to coach other women working up the ranks and mentor them. She didn’t have anyone like that in her career and hoped by sharing her experiences; she would be helping others along the way.

“Women’s progress has stalled and we need to get it back on track,” she said. “We need to be more supportive of each other and make sure that there is no gender discrimination in the workforce. We should strive for equal opportunity.”

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2296516641_3b8aa5ce33_m.jpgIndra Nooyi is one woman who has broken the glass ceiling. Named CFO of PepsiCo in 2001, she went on to become the company’s fifth CEO in July 2006. During her keynote speech at the Catalyst Awards last week in New York City, a rapt audience of mostly women from over 100 companies laughed and nodded at her advice on various topics. Here are a few highlights from this gracious and accomplished woman: Indra Nooyi opened her remarks by saying that she suspected that everyone in the room knew the huge difference that a welcoming environment can make. Indra explained that PepsiCo embraced who she was and so she never had to waste energy trying to be something other than who she is. Her keyword for the audience was “authenticity.” Read more

This week, BusinessWeek released its Top 50 list of all-star performers. The list identifies top performers across the 10 sectors that make up the S&P 500. BusinessWeek notes that this list of executives is the most international ever, with companies across the globe represented. Trends emerged in the energy sector, where winning performers were able to capitalize on higher energy costs, and in the housing sector, where rising stars were able to take advantage of the housing boom before it went bust.

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Meg_Whitman.jpgAfter ten years at the helm of eBay, President and CEO Meg Whitman announced that she intends to retire effective today, March 31, 2008. A visionary in the field of online commerce and a true leader, Ms. Whitman offers a Voice of Experience for young women in business. She will be succeeded by John Donahoe, 47, who has headed eBay’s auction and e-commerce businesses.Meg Whitman became President and CEO of eBay, the online auction website, in 1998. One of only 12 female CEOs in the Fortune 500, she has lead eBay with a vision and unique sense of direction that has enabled the company to grow from a small online trading website to the largest e-commerce site in the world. When she took the helm of eBay, Ms. Whitman focused on building the eBay brand into a household name, and improving consumer trust and confidence in the online commerce experience. Read more

businesswomen.jpg“I don’t like the word balance,” Annemarie DiCola said, when asked how she balances her career and personal life. “It implies a perfect symmetry.”

Annemarie DiCola is the Chief Executive Officer of Trepp LLC, a leading technology company in the commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) sector. Ms. DiCola began her career in law after she earned her degree at New York University Law School and worked at a private law firm. Due to some unexpected twists and turns in her career, she found herself at Trepp.

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To continue our Voice of Experience series with another up and coming young woman in finance, The Glass Hammer interviewed Jennifer Ralph Oppold, a research analyst at a long/short hedge fund with about $6.5 billion under management that invests in small and mid-cap companies.

Educational Background and Early Work Experience

Jen graduated from Princeton in 2001 with a BA in International Relations. From there, she went on to work as a business analyst at McKinsey in New York, where she focused on strategic management consulting. At McKinsey, Jen was able to hone her skills in analysis, communication and problem solving.

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nametag.jpgThere is one word that describes why I go to the Columbia Women in Business (CWIB) conference every year: inspiration. Every year, I leave the day-long event feeling invigorated, thrilled, exhausted, and tremendously inspired by the wisdom shared by the experienced women in finance who speak at the conference. This year was no exception.

Columbia Women in Business, an organization for women business students at Columbia University in New York City, sponsors the annual conference. The organization helps their members with networking and access to resources that can help their professional careers. The conference brings together Columbia students, alumnae, and other professionals for a day of networking, workshops and panel discussions, all designed to help attendees address various career and life issues.

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