03011.jpgby Erin Abrams (New York City)

Kathy Robb, a partner in the New York office of the law firm Hunton & Williams, credits her success as an attorney in part to a willingness to embrace change and a passion for environmental issues.

The Glass Hammer recently sat down with Kathy, whose practice focuses on energy, environmental and administrative law, to talk about her background, her accomplishments and her advice for young women in law.

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The digital transformation in payments and forms processing is underway. TAWPI is right in the thick of things with a one-of-a-kind Forums & Expo to showcase ideas, technologies, tools and techniques in three key subject areas: Payments Automation, Distributed Capture, and Imaging & Forms Processing.

surfing.JPGby Nicki Gilmour (New York City)

Every summer, the beaches of Long Island are filled with women and girls on surfboards. I am one of them. As far as I’m concerned, if the sun is shining, the ocean is clear and the waves are clean, the best board to be on is a surfboard.

I am sure that there are lots of successful professional women among my fellow surfers. It’s a tough sport—I have the injuries and scars to prove it. It’s thrilling. You need stamina and strength, as well as some talent to keep improving. You also need a desire to conquer yourself, not just the ocean; in other words, all the stuff that you need to make it in the other “boardroom” at the office.

The first time you catch a wave, it will rank as one of the best feelings in the world, like falling in love: the butterflies flit in your stomach, sending a signal to your brain that gives you a euphoric feeling of taking flight. You are flying on top of the wave even though it’s probably just the frothy white water breaking around you and lifting you along with it. Then you get bolder and better, paddling out further and taking many hits as the ocean drags you along the seabed like a spin cycle on a washing machine. A few hours later, you will emerge and you arms will feel like they each weigh 100 lbs. from all the paddling out and paddling in for the wave.

It’s all worth it.

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The Gamma WomanLast week, Advertising Age held its annual Women to Watch Awards Luncheon, honoring thirty of “the most innovative, empowered and accomplished women in the world of media and marketing.” Hailing from industries as varied as energy, internet entertainment, professional sports and banking, among others, the honorees were given just a couple of minutes to answer a single question posed – mostly related to marketing advice or work-life balance.

 

Each of the speakers was inspiring and powerful. Helen Clark, Corporate Marketing Manager of Chevron Corporation-under whose guidance the successful “Power of Human Energy” campaign was launched-advised “be brave…know your challenges.” Lynda Clarizio, President of Platform A at AOL, the world’s largest online ad network, told the crowd of the importance of having a “clear, strategic vision…” and “to not be afraid to make the tough decisions.” And Annette Stover, CEO of Euro RSCG, New York, advised to “capitalize on teamwork and technology” when attempting to achieve work-life balance.

The room was packed with powerful and accomplished women–event organizers, honorees, and audience members alike–who have broken free of stereotypes and surpassed expectations to reach the top of their fields. This made the announcement by Meredith Publishing, one of the sponsors of the event, all the more incongruous. Meredith Publishing’s new study, “The Gamma Factor,” purports to define a powerful marketing segment: the “Gamma woman.”

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pharma.JPGby 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:

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Corporate politics is something everyone loves to hate, but is seldom discussed openly. The “Elephant in the Conference Room” – it’s big, it’s often clumsy and destructive, and everyone
tries to pretend it’s not there.

We’ll start out by naming the Elephant for what it is: interpersonal politics. And we’ll talk about why it
seems so unpleasant and overwhelming.

Grace Judson will be the key speaker. Grace Judson is an executive coach and business consultant with more than two decades’ experience in strategic planning, coaching, business planning, and tactical execution. Her career includes over a dozen years in senior management. A coach, consultant, and teacher, she guides organizations and individuals in making choices and decisions that create powerful, integrity-based results for employees, executives, and shareholders. She specializes in corporate politics and workplace culture issues.

*All registrations must be received by Tuesday, August 19, 2008

To Register

Presented by SixFigureStart (and GlassHammer columnists!) Caroline Ceniza-Levine and Connie Thanasoulis

Learn real-world tactical strategies to get a job in this market from two former recruiters who have hired from thousands of candidates just like you.
If you’ve always wanted an inside view into how the hiring process really works, bring your questions for this interactive and engaging discussion.
Learn the six steps to landing the job you want where you want
Find out the three categories of candidates and how to know where you fit (and what to do about that!)
Discover a common mistake that many candidates make to blow the offer (usually right before the offer comes)
*Bring your questions and get candid, no-nonsense responses.

Please RSVP to psunyprofwomen@gmail.com

(Lite snacks and beverages will be served.)

For more information on SixFigureStart

Contributed by Ruth Haag of www.RuthHaag.com

conference-room.jpgWhen you are leading an unruly group, you need to take every advantage to maintain control. The shape of your meeting table can help or hinder you.

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Contributed by Caroline Ceniza-Levine of SixFigureStart

istock_000005168521xsmall1.jpgJob searches seem to be taking longer given the poor economy. How can I use the wait to my advantage?

A lot of recruiting is waiting: you send a resume and wait for an interview; you go on an interview and wait for more interviews; you go on more interviews and wait for the offer; you negotiate the offer and wait for the response; etc. In a shaky economy like the present, the waiting can be even longer as budgets are slow to be approved. To keep this waiting time from wasting time:

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by Valerie Poulin (Toronto)

twowomenatcomputer.JPGWhen I decided to return to life as an employee after a decade of freelance and contract work, I thought that it would be tough to find get back into the swing of things. But while I dreaded leaving behind the freedom and flexibility of the freelance life, I longed for the stability of full-time employment, as well as the back up that comes from being a part of a team.

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