A Powerhouse Gathering of Women Leaders
On July 24-25, West Monroe’s Chicago headquarters transformed into a hub for female empowerment as dozens of women from the utility industry converged for the ADVANCE Woman Leadership Program for Utilities. This intensive two-day event equips women with the tools and knowledge to excel in their leadership roles, navigate industry challenges, and drive their careers forward.
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The program delved into essential leadership skills, emphasizing communication, team building, mastering your career future, and asking for what you want. Attendees gained invaluable insights from experienced industry leaders and participated in interactive workshops designed to foster confidence and strategic thinking.
A primary focus was on empowering women to overcome obstacles and seize opportunities within the rapidly evolving utility sector. By the end of the program, participants left equipped and empowered with actionable plans to enhance their leadership capabilities and make a significant impact in their organizations.
Speakers included:
Jennifer Montague, President & Chief Operating Officer, Columbia Gas of Virginia, a subsidiary of NiSource, shared her professional experiences including the time she found herself at a career crossroads, and how some simple words of encouragement from an industry colleague planted a seed that led Jennifer to fulfill her aspirations to become an energy industry leader and executive.
Gladys Salazar CEO of Vision Utilities, a Cuban immigrant, began her career in the Citigroup mailroom when she was a teenager. Hear her story demonstrates an untraditional path to success as she climbed the corporate ladder in a male-dominated industry.
Without a formal education and despite personal challenges of living with Multiple Sclerosis, Gladys eventually retired a as a Wall Street veteran. She journeyed from Finance to Utility Construction in 2016, where she is now driving innovation once again.
Leslie Ellis CEO, Meaningful Change Consulting presented on Change Leadership: How to Manage Disruption (Are you suffering from Titanic Syndrome?) How well do you manage disruption?
Leslie shared how personal and business reinvention is no longer optional but imperative to thrive in today’s constantly changing world. Using a self-assessment in the workshop, participants could see where to improve at anticipating, managing and/or implementing change more effectively.
This was a highly relevant topic for business leaders right now given the level of disruption and CEO focus on reinvention.
Ashley Baptiste, CEO, Conferences Connect and Gus Calabrese, President of UtilityEvents.com shared how to Master the Art of Networking. Ashley and Gus (the event organizers) taught the room how to “Truly CONNECT” and how valuable your network can be to ADVANCE your career.
Lauren Montgomery, Head of Change Management, Janus Leadership, shared why Investing In Yourself is vital if you want to ADVANCE Your Career.
Janel Merritt, Chief Operating Officer, Public Sector Solutions Group (PS2G), presented on How to Embrace Risk to ADVANCE Your Career. Failure is scary. It preys on our sense of security and can keep us from trying something new. As humans, we are wired to survive and focus on what we know that works.
Ms. Amber Young, Vice President, Technical Services Group, Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI) shared ‘Don’t Quit: Reignite Your Resilience in Leadership.’ For participants feeling stuck or ready to throw in the towel, Amber’s powerful workshop showed how to reignite your inner fire.
Valencia Roner, General Manager & Midwest Regional Director, Energy Infrastructure Partners, presented ‘The Future of Utilities: How to Embrace Innovation and Change for Fulfilling Career Advancement.’
Attendees were given a workbook and each session was followed by a workshop with actionable items to help ADVANCE their careers.
Day one ended with a happy hour at West Monroe’s amazing lounge on the lower level.
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