News On Women

Favorite Women of March,08 Triumph Over Turmoil

Erin Callan, Chief Financial Officer of Lehman Brothers(image borrowed from cnnmoney.com), was the number one woman searched for on Newsonwomen.com in March,08 - understandable given the turmoil in the financial markets this past month.

I have been wondering if the economic slowdown would keep women from getting good jobs, but March had a significant number of important appointments, particularly in the media and information arena. Sheryl Sandberg was named Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. Bonnie Hammer was made President, Cable Entertainment and Cable Studio at NBC Universal. Mary Parent was made Chairperson, Worldwide Motion Picture Group at MGM. Lynda Clarizio was made President, Platform A at AOL. Rene Aiu was appointed Chief Executive Officer of ShopNBC. And there are more to read about if you scroll down NewsonWomen.com. In the financial world, Teresa Dial was made CEO of Consumer Banking, North America at Citigroup. Jane Mendillo was made CEO of Harvard Managemet Company.

Despite the turmoil in the markets, Goldman Sachs donated $100 million dollars to build business education programs for women in underdeveloped countries. Goldman will be working with business schools including Harvard and Columbia to develop programs in countries like Nigeria and Rwanda. Speaking of Harvard, Evelynn Hammonds was appointed Dean of Harvard College. Other philanthropy news included Jean Blackwell being made CEO of the Cummins Foundation. March came in like a lion. Let's hope these major appointments keep on rolling in as the year progresses.

Women Move Up in February in Finance, Media and Technology

Media companies had high visibility appointments in the television, newspaper, and magazine businesses this month. The women of Fox Business Network continue to generate interest with Jenna Lee, Nicole Petallides and Tracy Byrnes all among the top women searched for in February on NewsonWomen.com. Other happenings - Orly Adelson was made President of Dick Clark Productions, Lori Conkling was made EVP at Lifetime Networks, and Pamela Parker was made SVP at Sony Pictures Television. Lynne Constantini was made EVP at Scripps Network, and Caroline Waxler was chosen as Managing Editor of TheStreet.com’s new website, Mainstreet.com. On the publishing side, Jessica Sibley was made Worldwide Publisher of Business Week, Katherine Weymouth was made Publisher of the Washington Post, and Danielle Yuen was made Marketing Director of "The Week". It is great to see an industry faced with such a challenging and changing business environment turning to so many women. TheStreet.com’s new venture plans to give traditional financial issues an everyday spin with a splash of celebrity. This seems to be the hiring trend as well, traditional jobs backed up by marketing talent and some media splash.

The Finance Industry gave Media a run for its money this month with insurance companies and banks putting a number of women in important positions like Nancy Foster made Chief Risk Officer at CIT, Irene Esteves made CFO at Regions Financial, and Lizabeth Zlatkus made CFO at The Hartford.

Technology also comes to the front in February with Michele Goins made Chief Information Officer at Juniper Networks and Cara Schnaper made EVP Tech at TIAA-CREF. The new opportunities created by the internet in business development continue to produce important jobs for women like Elinor Hirschhorn, made Chief Digital Officer at Simon & Schuster, and Elaine O'Gorman, made SVP at Silverpop. Gretchen McClain was made SVP at ITT. Her accomplishments in technology are amazing, including overseeing the development and launch of the International Space Station.

Stephanie Rosenbloom’s article in The New York Times about teenage girls being the “Cyberpioneers of the Moment” demonstrates that the ranks of young women interested in technology are swelling. Girls becoming our cyberheroes is an important step forward in developing future leaders. I don't think the meaning of why teenage girls are now the “cyberpioneers” can be completely understood using historical measures. While it may not have a precedent, I think we should capitalize on this trend. Stephanie’s article had it right – “the girls are into putting something up and getting responses”. That should give us some insight into how to make science and technology interesting for them.

Technolgy, Media and Finance offered many accomplished women new opportunities this month. As these industries move us in new directions, more women are at the forefront and more young girls will follow if we encourage them.

What we can learn from our Favorite Women January 2008

Among the women business executives most searched for on NewsonWomen.com this month were Ellen Alemany, CEO at RBS America (pictured at left), Andrea Wong, CEO of Lifetime Entertainment Services and Barbara Turf, new CEO of Crate & Barrel. Major corporations appointing women to important jobs in January included DuPont, Metlife, Dunkin Brands, PSEG, CareerBuilder, Pfizer, Nintendo of America and more.

The importance of marketing and global strategy in today’s economy is reflected in the significant number of women put in high level marketing and strategy jobs this month, such as Michelle Gass at Starbucks and Sue Kroll at Warner Brothers Pictures.

I continue to be impressed by the women in technology and engineering highlighted this month like Jocelyn Scott at DuPont; Maria Morris at Metlife; Irene Qualters at SGI, and the young women of MIT, who spent January traveling the country to encourage high school girls to study math and engineering.

As Meg Whitman steps down from the CEO job at eBay, I would be sad were it not for the women I see stepping up to leadership positions. While we didn’t get the CEO job at eBay, although Lorrie Norrington stepped up to be President of eBay Marketplaces Operations, we did see some big corps giving big jobs to women like Sabrina Simmons becoming CFO at Gap, Inc. A significant number of women were made Presidents this month, to lead their companies or divisions. Leadership is the key to the future, and we should all take the lead by working together and sharing information using the vehicles available such as business associations or conferences, like the Harvard Business School Dynamic Women in Business Conference and the Columbia Women in Business School Conference featured this month.

Can we find a recipe for success among the appointments made in January? Women moved into important jobs in media, retailing, human resources, construction, food and beverage, education, and finance, showing us there is no one recipe for success. However, I do see two roads to these leadership positions. One is experience/expertise. Barbara Turf’s story is particularly interesting, starting out as a part time sales rep at Crate and Barrel, rising to store manager, eventually becoming President in 1996, and now the ultimate prize – CEO of the company. Then there is Tina Gaudoin who spent time at Harpers Bazaar, Vogue, Tatlers, iVillage and Luxx before landing the new WSJ job; or Michelle Donnan who was at Abercrombie’s, J Crew, Macy’s and American Eagle before becoming President of dEliA*s Brand. The second road, which I have mentioned before, is education. Many of these women have advanced degrees; MBA’s, MD’s, JD’s or PhD’s, like Deborah Spar, the Harvard B School Professor who just became President of Barnard.

Managing our careers means looking for the opportunity that can give us the right experience, expertise or education. A tall order, but these women show us it is possible.

Ringing Out the Old Year 2007

Ellen McColgan was the number one woman searched for on NewsonWomen.com in December07, closing out 2007. In ringing out the old year, I would like to list what I have learned from the women posted on Newsonwomen.com in 2007. I am not giving you a list of the ten most powerful women or the ten most important promotions, but a list of women who do things everyday that can help us all get ahead. My suggestions have been inspired by all the women I wrote about in 2007. We should take care in 2008 to do the following:

1. Share information like Gina Bianchini, CEO of Ning, whose company developed software that lets you create your own social networks. Harnessing the power of shared information will advance the cause of all women in business.

2 Branch out of your comfort zone and read about the different career paths of the women posted on this site.

3. Use your business associations to help advance the cause of women in business like the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association who worked with Booz Allen Hamilton to study what helps women get ahead in corporate America. They came up with six essential elements for companies and posted it on their website so all could benefit rather than just keeping the information for their members (find the link in the Newsonwomen.com November favorite women post).

4. Think big like the Hunt sisters who started the “Women Moving Millions” initiative to benefit women and girls in poverty, and Nell Merlino who started Count-Me-In.org and “Make Mine a Million” to help women entrepreneurs grow their companies.

5. Encourage all the women appointed hr execs and diversity officers in 2007 to build their sphere of influence and make extra efforts to get more women in leadership jobs in 2008.

6. Foster “leadership thinking” like the Stuart Country Day School which not only has women leaders come and speak at the school, but also opens the talks up to all in the surrounding area with no charge for admission.

7. Get involved with an issue you care about like Amy Keroes, a former Senior Counsel for Gap Inc, who left and started Mommytrackd.com, an online magazine offering resources to working mothers, or the “100 women in hedge funds” who raised more than $2 million in November07 for the iMentor organization.

8. Don’t get discouraged since you never know what the future has in store as we saw this year with Ellen McColgan, who was promoted at Fidelity in April07, left there later in the year and then was appointed President of the Global Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley this December.

9. Encourage others to consider advanced degrees as we have seen that many of the women put in leadership positions in 2007 have advanced education, and Education leads to Leadership.

10. Learn about managing risks and making a difference by reading the NewsonWomen posts on Alison Levine, the former Goldman Sachs Executive turned Explorer and Adventurer (crossing Antarctica as we speak!) who started the Climb High Foundation to help women in underdeveloped countries earn a living.

I myself will never have the sense of adventure or the talent to climb Mt. Everest, but reading about these and the other women featured on NewsonWomen.com in 2007 helps me realize I can achieve the success I am looking for each day.

Our Favorite Women in November07

In November,07, the women on Fox Business News were three of the top five women searched for on NewsonWomen.com. Jenna Lee was number one, with Tracy Byrnes and Nicole Petallides not far behind. (Image of Jenna borrowed from foxbusiness.com.) The new Business Network on Fox has given a number of opportunities to women reporters and anchors. Other major companies appointing women to important positions in November included Amcore Financial, Bon-Ton Stores, Nautilus, Bank of America, Sharper Image, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly Clark, Reader’s Digest, Mass Mutual, LandAmerica, New York Life, Belo Corporation, BET Networks and Duke Energy.

This month marketing guru Kirsten Osolind, whose Chicago marketing firm Re:Invention helps companies market their products to women, asked me to be a guest writer on her blog. In my guest postings which are based on the individual achievements I cover on NewsonWomen, I discuss things like what helps women get ahead such as education and experience; how to use the power of giving to improve your community and your career; and our strength of numbers. Read what I had to say on Kirsten’s blog.

Also in November, the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) gave Johnson and Johnson an award for their women’s leadership program, and released findings of a study done with Booz Allen Hamilton on how to create a corporate environment where women can succeed. The study came up with six essential elements to create the right environment including senior management support, a merit based culture, tracking systems, leadership training, and work flexibility. Scroll down and read more about it in the J&J  and HBA post. I think these elements are key to success in corporate America. I do, however, have one more to add that was not mentioned in their summary. As I noted on Kirsten’s blog, most of the women about whom I post are very well educated. Advanced degrees definitely enhance your ability to move up the corporate ladder. And the need to study math is highlighted in my post on strength in numbers.

November has provided us with a new vision. It is clear from HBA how companies should help women get ahead. And it is clear from my posts how women can help themselves get ahead. It also became clear that we need to help other women get ahead for the sake of our own careers as well as theirs. Send the six elements or this post to your bosses, HR people, Diversity Officers and friends. I would also like you to join me in the “Education Leads to Leadership” Initiative. We can make a difference by going back to our high schools and colleges and encouraging young women to study math no matter what their career interests, to look towards advanced degrees, and to share these experiences with each other. Women are great at both sharing and community building but need to direct that effort toward helping themselves and other women get ahead. It is the people who know how to harness the power of the community and the power of sharing that are making millions today like Google and Facebook and YouTube. I have already contacted my first school to encourage advanced degrees and leadership training. I intend to contact many more. You should too. In this time of giving, this is a gift that doesn’t cost a thing.

Women on Fox Business Sweep Favorite Women in October07

Nicole Petallides, Jenna Lee and Tracy Byrnes of Fox Business were the top three women searched for on NewsonWomen.com in October07, giving the new Fox Business Network a sweep of the top spots. Marilyn Wasser, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Realogy, and Ellen Alemany, CEO of RBS America, completed the top five. Major companies appointing women to important jobs in October07 included Neiman Marcus, Kraft Foods, Fox News and Fox Business Network, JC Penney, Kodak, Borders, Walgreens, Kate Spade, Conoco Phillips, American Stock Exchange, TheStreet.com, Nike, Ethan Allen, Campbell Soup, Aetna, Juniper Networks, Principal Financial, Realogy, and Caterpillar. Scroll down and read about these amazing women. (Image borrowed from foxbusiness.com.)

Media Makes an Impact on the Five Favorite Women of September 07

Nicole Petallides, named an Anchor for the new Fox Business Network, was the number one woman searched for on NewsonWomen.com for the month of September. Sue Nokes, Senior Vice President of Sales and Customer Service, T-Mobile USA, was number two. Ellen Alemany, CEO of RBS America, continued to make our list of top searches as number three. Jenna Lee, also named an Anchor for the new Fox Business Network, and Andrea Wong, CEO of Lifetime Entertainment Services, round out the top five searches for NewsonWomen. Major corporations appointing women to important positions in September included Best Buy, Avon, General Mills, United Airlines, Fox, Viacom, GE Commercial Finance, Simon & Schuster, Allstate, Lehman Brothers, and Chrysler.

Your Favorite Women August 2007

Melody Hobson, President of Ariel Capital , was our most searched for executive on Newsonwomen.com in August,07. Ellen Alemany, CEO of RBS America, Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry's, and Wei Christianson of Morgan Stanley were also among the top five women searched for in August,07. Major companies appointing women to senior executive positions this month included Yahoo!, General Electric, Bank of America, Jenny Craig, Chrysler, Illinois Tool Works, Borders Group, Prudential Financial, HSBC, Peoples Bancorp, Accenture, The Gap, Reader's Digest, and UPS International. Women were made General Counsel at Pacific Life, Barnes & Noble and Qualcomm. New Media, Marketing and tech jobs were also the order of the day, as companies like uBid.com, TBWA, Terra Technology, Jamster, BuzzNet and New Motion added women executives to their teams.

CEO's Lead the Pack in our July Favorite Women

CEO's were the top women searched for on NewsonWomen.com in July 2007. Ellen Alemany, CEO of RBS America, and Trudy Sullivan, the new CEO of Talbot's, were among the most popular searches. Finance and Retailing were the majority of businesses appointing women to executive positions this month including companies like Wal-Mart, Capital One, Citi, AXA Equitable, Best Buy and American Express. Three major appointments on the legal side included Merrill Lynch, ConocoPhillips and ING America. Scroll down and read about these amazing women.

June07 Favorite Women and Other Outstanding Appointments

June 07 was an amazing month of important appointments for women. Susan Decker leads the way as she was made President of Yahoo! Susan was the number one search on Newsonwomen.com in June. Claire Babrowski was in our top three as she became the Chief Operating Officer of Toys "R" Us. A number of other major appointments like Sullivan to CEO of Talbot's, Pope to President, NBC Universal Television Studio, Allen to Chief Marketing Officer of Dunkin' Donuts, Campbell to GC at Staples, Reich to CFO at United Stationers, Granoff to EVP at Liz Claiborne, Smyth to Controller at United Technologies, Soranno to EVP at American Express as well as the three women appointed Corporate Officers at GE, make this a month to remember. And there is more! Blackstone made Solotar Head of Public Market Activities and Federated Investors made Startari Head of Global Equity Trading. I could go on but you should scroll down yourself and read about more of the amazing women appointed to great jobs in June.