by Liz O’Donnell (Boston)
The Network Journal, a business magazine which provides news and commentaries on the workplace and focuses predominantly on Africa-American professionals, recently announced its 2009 list of “25 Influential Black Women in Business.”
The twenty-five women will be honored during Women’s History Month at the Eleventh Annual 25 Influential Black Women in Business Awards luncheon March 12. The event will be held at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel.
Events like this one help to foster much-needed strategic networks for African-American business women. As we recently reported, the lack of these networks is often cited as one of the reasons there is still far too little diversity in executive suites and on corporate boards. As we reported last week, a recent poll conducted by The Executive Leadership Council showed that 31 percent of the 150 executives surveyed attribute advancement challenges for African-American women to weaker or less strategic networks available.
This year’s list of influential women includes two corporate attorneys: Sandra Scott, Vice President, Legal Affairs, Home Box Office, Inc., and Teresa Wynn Roseborough, Senior Chief Counsel – Litigation, MetLife. It also includes Vernã Myers, Esq., Principal, Vernã Myers Consulting Group, LLC. Ms. Myers’ Boston-based consulting company helps law firms and related organizations face the challenges of diversity and inclusion. Prior to starting her own business, Myers practiced corporate and real estate law for six years at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault LLP and at Fitch, Wiley, Richlin & Tourse LLP.
Also among the recipients is Ci Ci Holloway, Managing Director, Diversity & Inclusion, for UBS Investment Bank. UBS offers programs in mentoring, work-life balance and managing a career comeback.
There are several women from the technology sector among this year’s honorees including Gayle Lanier, Vice President & General Manager, Knowledge Services, Nortel Networks; Elizabeth Williams, President & CEO, Roxbury Technology Corp.; and Kelly Chapman, Director, Diversity Recruiting, Microsoft Corp. Microsoft has an extensive program to reach out to potential employees from diverse backgrounds. The software giant partners with organizations like Catalyst, The Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit, the Society of Women Engineers and the National Society of Hispanic MBAs in its recruiting efforts.
“The women we are honoring on the eleventh year of these awards are, as usual, in the forefront of American leadership and symbolize the diversity and advancement that has occurred across industry lines,” The Network Journal Publisher and CEO Aziz Gueye Adetimirin said. “We salute them for achieving significant levels of success in their businesses and professional careers and for their myriad contributions to their community.”
The Struggle To Achieve Equity Partner Status
Office PoliticsWhen the National Association of Women Lawyers released its annual survey at the end of last year, the statistics regarding women equity partners were sobering. Only 16% of equity partners are women. On average, only 15% of a firm’s highest governing committee members are women, and 15% of the national’s largest firms have no women on their highest governing committee. Furthermore, only 6% of firm managing partners are women. Since men earn almost $90,000 more than women at the equity level, ignoring the hurdles women face is not an option. When we spoke to women lawyers about the hurdles women face on the path to equity partnership, they inevitably identified three challenges: (1) a lack of role models or mentors; (2) the increasing importance of a book of business; (3) work-place bias.
Lack of Role Models
Christine Kirchner of Chamberlain Hrdlicka in Houston, believes a lack of role models is an important hurdle women lawyers face. “As an associate in our commercial litigation group,” she recalls “I was the only woman for a number of years and did not have anyone to serve as a mentor or ‘follow in their footsteps’ in building a practice, networking or developing business.”
“Additionally, as a younger woman,” she continues “I believe it is difficult to develop business when many of the decision makers within companies are still men and feel comfortable handing work to lawyers with whom they have developed a personal relationship over the years.” As a result of a lack of role models or mentors, Kirchner had to look to other women that practiced in the commercial litigation area that had been successful in Houston to develop her own “mentoring system” outside of the firm. Her initiative was instrumental to her development of her own book of business and ultimately becoming a shareholder at her firm.
Read more
25 Influential Black Women in Business
Newsby Liz O’Donnell (Boston)
The Network Journal, a business magazine which provides news and commentaries on the workplace and focuses predominantly on Africa-American professionals, recently announced its 2009 list of “25 Influential Black Women in Business.”
The twenty-five women will be honored during Women’s History Month at the Eleventh Annual 25 Influential Black Women in Business Awards luncheon March 12. The event will be held at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel.
Events like this one help to foster much-needed strategic networks for African-American business women. As we recently reported, the lack of these networks is often cited as one of the reasons there is still far too little diversity in executive suites and on corporate boards. As we reported last week, a recent poll conducted by The Executive Leadership Council showed that 31 percent of the 150 executives surveyed attribute advancement challenges for African-American women to weaker or less strategic networks available.
This year’s list of influential women includes two corporate attorneys: Sandra Scott, Vice President, Legal Affairs, Home Box Office, Inc., and Teresa Wynn Roseborough, Senior Chief Counsel – Litigation, MetLife. It also includes Vernã Myers, Esq., Principal, Vernã Myers Consulting Group, LLC. Ms. Myers’ Boston-based consulting company helps law firms and related organizations face the challenges of diversity and inclusion. Prior to starting her own business, Myers practiced corporate and real estate law for six years at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault LLP and at Fitch, Wiley, Richlin & Tourse LLP.
Also among the recipients is Ci Ci Holloway, Managing Director, Diversity & Inclusion, for UBS Investment Bank. UBS offers programs in mentoring, work-life balance and managing a career comeback.
There are several women from the technology sector among this year’s honorees including Gayle Lanier, Vice President & General Manager, Knowledge Services, Nortel Networks; Elizabeth Williams, President & CEO, Roxbury Technology Corp.; and Kelly Chapman, Director, Diversity Recruiting, Microsoft Corp. Microsoft has an extensive program to reach out to potential employees from diverse backgrounds. The software giant partners with organizations like Catalyst, The Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit, the Society of Women Engineers and the National Society of Hispanic MBAs in its recruiting efforts.
“The women we are honoring on the eleventh year of these awards are, as usual, in the forefront of American leadership and symbolize the diversity and advancement that has occurred across industry lines,” The Network Journal Publisher and CEO Aziz Gueye Adetimirin said. “We salute them for achieving significant levels of success in their businesses and professional careers and for their myriad contributions to their community.”
The Network & Affinity Leadership Congress
NewsIn corporate America’s war to attract and retain top talent, diversity is front and center. People of color, women, the LGBT and disabled communities have made huge strides in advancement by forming thousands of groups inside corporate America to work together for culture change and address the way companies do business with diverse markets. On February 25-26, in New York City, Diversity Best Practices and Working Mother Media are hosting the third annual Network and Affinity Leadership Congress (NALC). This congress brings together network and affinity group leaders from America’s top companies for leadership training, networking and to share best practices.
This is the ONLY event of its kind bringing together leaders from all types of network and affinity groups from all industry sectors to examine ways to increase their groups’ value to business.
Register here to learn about rates and discounts
Bright Spots in the Financial Sector Job Market
NewsAccording to Steve Candland, Managing Partner of Advantage Integrated Talent Services, “generalist junior investment bankers” – people who are only a couple of years into career at professional level – are having the most difficult time in the current job market. “Also, on the capital market side, credit default swaps, which was a fast growing area just a year ago, has seen a steep drop as well.”
But is it all doom and gloom out there?
Read more
The Great Distraction
NewsTimes are tough. People are losing jobs, losing homes, and losing heart. While we at The Pink Agenda haven’t yet come up with a plan to get the economy back on track, we know that any stimulus package
of ours would include a seriously spectacular party.
Having said that, we hope you’ll join us for The Great Distraction on Wednesday, February 25, an evening of entertainment and escapism.
Get ready for some fantastic food, great drinks, amazing music, and lots of good karma. The donation is $20 and, thanks to our sponsors, we’re offering complimentary Pink Agenda cocktails until 9:00 p.m. and a chance to win a weekend stay in a suite at the Hotel Rivington. Because, let’s face it, we could all use a little break from reality.
Please be sure to RSVP by February 18 and include your company affiliation. There will be a strict door policy, and RSVPs are not only encouraged but required.
See you on the 25th.
Ask-A-Recruiter: Personal Performance Reviews
Ask A RecruiterLast week I wrote about how to maximize your company review process. This week’s piece is for those employees at companies that do not have a formal review process. Furthermore, I coached a mid-career researcher last week who felt adrift in her career. When we actually itemized where she was and what she needed to do, she felt energized and inspired (and much more confident). Effective reviews accomplish three main things: measuring progress; setting goals; and defining an action plan. Whatever your job situation — if you work for yourself, are an employee or are in between jobs — give yourself a personal performance review.
Read more
Leading Women MASS: Fire Up Your Job Search Workshop
NewsFeeling confident in the way you approach your job search is essential to a successful job transition. In this difficulty economy, it may be time to redirect your current strategies and put winning techniques to work. This workshop will address the do’s and don’ts of writing a resume, key networking tools, starting a new career, pursuing entrepreneurship and much more.
seating is limited and advance registration is required. Register here
Wall Street … Or What?
News“Wall Street…Or What?” is a 5-session program for Wall Street women who have reached the Vice President level or above, and are looking for help as they plan their next career move. To ensure that all participants are coming at the question of “what’s next” with current perspectives, returning professionals must have left the investment world within the last three years.
This workshop will be a combination of high-level support group and structured executive coaching-giving like-minded women the opportunity to explore options and gain job search momentum and accountability through collective resources, ideas and perspectives.
Each session will be led by Sharon Dauk, an executive coach who trained at the highly regarded Columbia University coaching program. Sharon is one of you: she has nearly 20 years of diverse professional experience as an investor, board member, financial advisor and business executive with a variety of small to mid-sized companies. An alumna of both the Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley corporate finance departments, she earned an MBA from Cornell. A major focus of her coaching practice is working with professionals transitioning both into and out of the financial services industry. Learn more about Sharon at www.sharondauk.com.
Workshop sessions will be held on five consecutive Tuesday nights, beginning on February 24th, 6:30 to 8:30pm. The other workshop dates are March 3rd, 10th, 17th and 24th. As you consider if you would like to participate, be sure that you are available on all five dates: there are no partial fees or refunds if you are unable to attend on one or more dates.
For further information please contact Kathryn Sollmann.
WEC NY Presented Panel on Corporate Boards
Pipeline, What's OnContributed by Caroline Ceniza-Levine of SixFigureStart
On Tuesday, February 10th in New York City, the Women’s Executive Circle of New York presented “Tips For Landing That Boardroom Post: An Insider’s View.” The panel to encourage and inform women on how to get on corporate boards featured:
The panel was moderated by Nicole Sebastian, Heidrick & Struggles, an associate in the Corporate Boards practice group. Read more
School Visiting Professorial Fellow Lecture – Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women
NewsSpeakers
DescriptionWomen are conspicuous by their relative absence at the most prominent levels of science, medicine, business, law, and academia. Women are sparsely represented on the editorial boards of leading journals and on the steering committees of professional organizations. Women are thinly represented among full professors at major universities. Why?
Valian’s explanation of women’s slow advancement in the professions details how and why women are disadvantaged and men advantaged – even though all the participants sincerely hold egalitarian and meritocratic attitudes. Valian reviews experimental data that demonstrate that gender schemas produce subtle overvaluations of men and undervaluations of women, by both men and women. As a result of many small examples of differential valuation, men are able to accumulate advantage more quickly than women.
Valian includes remedies, what institutions and individuals can do to achieve genuinely fair organizations that make full use of everyone’s talents.
The Lecture will be followed by a drink reception.
To view the poster, please click here.