Keynote Addresses by:

-Christopher J. Olsen, CRM, Systems Engineer, Principal, Lockhead Martin, Chief Records, CIA

-John W.Woods, Privacy and information Management Practice Litigation & Intellectual Property Practice, Hunton& Williams

Keynote Address:

2-4, 2009 9 am – 10 am

Exhibit Hours:

February 2-3, 2009 10 am – 5 pm

February 4, 2009 10 am – 3 pm

Conference Hours:

February 2 -3, 2009 10:30 am – 5pm

February 4, 2009 10:30 am – 3 pm

For more information, or to Register

wanda_wallace_mg_0020_higherrez.jpgWanda Wallace, Ph.D. is President and CEO of Leadership Forum, Inc. The firm specializes in working with organizations to enhance corporate capability in leadership including strategic thought, customer insight, people and inclusive cultures.

Dr. Wallace has worked with many firms in the financial arena, including Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Ernst and Young, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Prior to founding Leadership Forum, Inc, Dr. Wallace was Executive Vice President of Duke Corporate Education, Inc, which she helped found after her tenure as Associate Dean of Executive Education and professor of marketing at The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

What prompted you to use your psychology background in the financial arena?

I believe the best strategies succeed or fail based on engaging hearts and minds in the opportunities and the requirements for success. To do so, one must understand people – how they think, how they react, how they make sense of their world, what communication style is best, and so forth. To me, this is the essence of what I bring from my psychology background.

Five years ago, the financial world was interested in high quality coaching, strategic planning and teamwork development. They still are, but in the last year there has been an increasing focus on improving the ability to manage people in a business where numbers count for everything. As an industry, I see financial professionals placing an increased emphasis on retaining the great talent they worked so hard to recruit. Improving retention requires improving management practices. Even in diversity efforts, which are critical for financial services firms, better management practices increase the chances of developing and retaining diverse talent.

What I enjoy most is the ability to go into an organization, identify and clarify the issues and present solutions, using training and development activities and/or coaching.

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Join us for a lively discussion about the new landscape of C-suite leaders.

Against All Odds: Successful Women in Real Estate is a panel discussion with leading women in the commercial real estate industry throughout New York City.

The conference brings together current students, alumni, and business leaders to discuss the issues that female professionals face every day.

Contributed by Alana Elsner

The Glass Hammer has published several pieces in the past on how women in finance can get involved in charitable enterprises that put their skills to work helping women in need. In this article, a new contributor to The Glass Hammer highlights her experience with socially responsible investing.

505984259_91c2bc3fae_m.jpgEver wondered what happens to your money when you invest in a “green” fund? In addition to posting strong returns, the goal of socially responsible investing is to make a difference in the world. But how can you see the tangible results of your investment? This question snuck up on me one cold January night. With the holiday season passed and my New Year’s resolutions already broken, I decided now was the time to take an active role in making the world a better place. This is the story of my journey down the rabbit hole of microfinance. This is the story of how I help catch fish in Uganda.

I asked myself, how was I to start saving the world? My typical ten hour work day, plus occasional weekends, left me with little time to spare. Then one evening I caught a news report about Kiva.org, a website linking poor borrowers with U.S. lenders. In the era of billionaire philanthropy, my $25 realized its full potential as I became a Kiva lender. With a few swift clicks of my mouse, I teamed up with Sara from San Francisco, Bobbi from Atlanta, and 44 other lenders to raise funds for Gertrude, a 44 year old mother of nine. From the moment I went to the website, Gertrude’s picture and story fascinated me. As a fishmonger, Gertrude’s fish stock and profits help support her family. But now she is ready to become one of the few female entrepreneurs in Uganda. Gertrude plans to use my $25 to multiply her fish stocks. Once her profits increase, she hopes to open up a clothing business. I was surprised, but I also admired this woman, continents away, who had not one but two business plans. After seeing Gertrude and hearing her story, how could I not help?

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Womenintechnology and Société Générale is sponsoring “Political Savvy for Women in IT” which will help females within the technology industry identify their power source, how they are perceived and to read the organisational politics in situations.

Euromoney is sponsoring its annual private banking awards.

Contributed by Philippa Robbins and Emma Lyon

“Behind every great businesswoman……”

The Natwest everywoman Awards have been running for several years now but in December 2007, as members of Rooks Rider’s networking group, With Women in Mind, we attended this event for the first time along with fellow With Women in Mind members, colleagues from the firm and guests.

The Awards are a celebration of female entrepreneurs who are running successful businesses, and it is particularly dedicated to those who have had to overcome difficulties along the way, whether financial or personal.

The event was held in the stunning ballroom at the Dorchester Hotel in London and was hosted by everywoman founders, Karen Gill and Maxine Benson. Barbara Follett, the Women’s Minister, opened the proceedings by giving a rousing speech about the difficulties women face today both in employment and as entrepreneurs and the ways in which she is campaigning for change.

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Network with others involved in finance.