WOMEN MUST ALLY TO SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES, LEAD IN NEW ECONOMY:
OUTCOME OF COUNCIL OF URBAN PROFESSIONALS’ WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP FORUM
OUTCOME OF COUNCIL OF URBAN PROFESSIONALS’ WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP FORUM
NEW YORK – New York City’s women professionals must form new alliances to secure leadership roles in today’s transformed economy, according to the speakers and breakout discussions at the Council of Urban Professionals’ (CUP) Women’s Leadership Forum, “New Economy, New Reality: Developing Tools for Empowerment and Opportunity,” held on Friday, June 5th.
Bank of America presented the forum in partnership with The White House Project, the National Council for Research on Women and the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Committee. Bank of America has forged alliances with a variety of national organizations dedicated to networking, technical assistance and support for women-owned businesses.
Speakers and participants from across sectors including law, media, finance and non-profit agreed that women, and especially women of color, are poised to lead the new global economy—but that they must join forces to change the way business is done. As one participant put it, “this is an opportunity to change the conversation.” Speakers and attendees discussed how:
–Mentoring not only opens doors for young women, it helps mentors – today’s leaders – to build a more supportive and diverse workplace for the future.
–Companies must attract a diverse population to win the race for talent and profit.
–Women must target their communications style to fit a largely male audience—but still promote the strengths of their own gender and cultural identity.
“The economic downturn has been challenging for all New Yorkers, but from what we hear it’s a particularly difficult time for diverse professional women to maintain the gains they’ve achieved in the workplace,” said Chloe Drew, Executive Director, Council of Urban Professionals. “With this forum, we created an opportunity for women professionals to come together with experts who can shed light on creative approaches to staying competitive and continuing career advancement despite the ongoing recession.”
The CUP Women’s Leadership Forum provided information, inspiration, tools, and networking opportunities to enhance the professional skills, assets, and prospects of senior-level women across corporate sectors, with panel discussions exploring fundamental areas of women’s leadership within the private and public sector that need improvement and pinpoint the barriers and opportunities to women’s leadership.
The forum also honored two pioneering women professionals, Kamala D. Harris, San Francisco District Attorney, and Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group.
Notable speakers included Kamala D. Harris, San Francisco District Attorney; Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids & Family Group; Linda Basch, President, National Council for Research on Women, journalist Adaora Udoji; Ella L. J. Edmondson Bell, Professor of Business Administration, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth; and New York State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
In recent months, there have been a host of news stories about the disproportionate impact of the economic downturn on New York City’s working women across a broad range of industries and sectors – financial, legal, media, real estate, technology and more–at a time when companies and organizations are making critical decisions about how to survive the economic crisis. Concurrently, professional women have found declining opportunities for support systems, mentoring, and development of tools to help them continue to advance in their careers.
“The White House Project Report: Benchmarking Women’s Leadership,” a study to be released later this year, indicates that women comprise only one-fifth or less of senior leadership in most U.S. industries and sectors, although Roper polling data indicates 90% of the American public is comfortable with women’s leadership in senior management across sectors. Recent research from Catalyst found that women’s advancement has stagnated during the economic downturn, with only incremental improvement if any, and with virtually no growth seen in women’s share of top positions or in board and leadership positions held by women of color. The combination of disproportionate impact and limited opportunities for women creates the perception of the workplace as a zero-sum game with relative few spots available at the top.
About the Council of Urban Professionals
The mission of the Council of Urban Professionals is to develop diverse business and civic leaders, empowering them to exert their influence, achieve their individual goals and create collective impact. For more information, please visit nycup.org.