On June 23rd, 2017, the LA Business Journal held its 25th Annual 2017 Women’s Summit and Awards at JW Marriot LA Live. Beginning with dynamic forum sessions featuring successful female executives, the Summit culminated in an awards luncheon ceremony, which honored outstanding businesswomen who have made significant achievements and contributions to their organizations, industries, and the Los Angeles community. We were delighted to be a part of this inspirational event, and were honored that our Founder and Principal Lindy Huang Werges had been nominated for two awards: Philanthropist of the Year and Business Owner / CEO of the Year.
Photo Credit: Tom Werges
Photo Credit: Tom Werges
LA Business Journal CEO and Publisher Anna Magzanyan said, “The celebration honored Los Angeles based women who lead by example, successfully blending effective business vision with a passionate commitment to positively making a difference, both in the world of business and in the communities they serve.”
We would like to extend our congratulations to our dear friend Diane Reichenberger, Vice President of Consumer Products Global Strategy at Mattel, who received the “Philanthropist of the Year” award. In addition, the LA Business Journal honored five distinguished individuals with the “Women Leading the Way” awards, to recognize the significant contributions they have made to their communities over the course of their career.
Source: LA Business Journal
Photo Credit: Chloe Liu
Women Leading the Way
- Caroline Nahas, Vice Chairman and Senior Client Partner, Board and Services, at Korn / Ferry International’s Los Angeles office
- Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire, CEO and Co-Founder of Berkhemer Clayton
- Jane Wurwand, Founder of Dermalogica
- Renee Fraser, CEO of Fraser Communications
- Yvette Chappell-Ingram, President and CEO of the African American Board Leadership Institute
Philanthropist of the Year: Diane Reichenberger
As Vice President of Consumer Products Global Strategy at Mattel, Diane is a seasoned retail and product development professional with over 30 years of corporate executive leadership experience. With her expertise in strategic global business development, brand building, and marketing sales across multiple industries and international markets, she has helped many organizations deliver profitable growth. Prior to joining Mattel, she served as President of LA Gear, CEO of Dualstar Entertainment Group, COO at Rock & Republic, and co-founded Giiv, Inc. an online platform that allows customers to give a collection of gifts from their favorite retailers in the US.
Source: LA Business Journal
Source: LA Business Journal
None is more deserving of this award than Diane, as her passion for mentorship, dedication to women’s empowerment, and commitment to advancing teen education are truly exceptional. Through being a board member of Women’s Leadership Council and a Founding Advisor of Tuesdaynights, she has provided guidance to many professional women; through her dedicated volunteerism at the Fulfillment Fund and Step Up Women’s Network (Los Angeles Chapter), she has mentored countless under-resourced teen girls; and out of her passion for women’s initiatives, she co-founded the Women’s Accelerator, a high-touch, management development program committed to developing high-potential women leaders. In addition, she has been an esteemed advocate for True Colors Fund, a non-profit founded by Cyndi Lauper to end homelessness among LGBTQ youth, as well as a supporter of Rescue Train, a no-kill organization dedicated to animal rescue and eliminating animal suffering.
“Diane Reichenberger is the epitome of a true leader,” said our Founder and Principal Lindy Huang Werges. “Her life has been focused on making the world a better place through giving back to her community in a myriad of ways, from providing mentoring opportunities to under-resourced teen girls, many of whom are first to attend college in their families; to mentoring and developing young professionals and future leaders; to ending LGBTQ youth homelessness; to animal rescue and finally to being a good steward of our environment.”
Women Leading the Way: Caroline Nahas
Recipient of the “Women Leading the Way” award, Caroline Nahas is the Vice Chairman and Senior Client Partner with Korn Ferry International’s board and CEO services practice. Lauded by the Huffington Post blogger Jane Pak as “the most powerful executive recruiter in the world,” Caroline specializes in recruiting C-Suite executives and board directors for a wide range of clients in a variety of industries.
Source: LA Business Journal
Source: LA Business Journal
In addition to her professional excellence, Caroline is committed to many civic groups. She has served on United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ corporate board of directors since the 1990s, chairing both its philanthropic Tocqueville Society and its nominating committee. She currently serves on the board of visitors and executive committee for the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, as well as the board of directors of DineEquity, Inc., one of the largest full-service dining companies in the world, with 3,700 Applebee’s and IHOP restaurants in 18 countries.
Recognized by her peers and community for her tireless philanthropic and civic efforts, Caroline was awarded the Eleanor H. Raynolds Award from the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) for her commitment to volunteerism and a career of excellence in executive search. She has also received the “Legacy Award” from The National Association of Women Business Owners, and the “Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles Visionary Award”, which honors an outstanding individual who provides significant resources to build girls of courage, confidence, and character.
For a recap of the forum sessions, please visit here.
For the complete event gallery, please visit here.