When the credit crisis hit, many of the women on Wall Street felt the effects. Jane Newton found herself counseling clients, but it was still the most unnerving time of her career, reports CNN Money.
“It was particularly disconcerting for women to see so many high profile females leave the Street,” says Newton, who co-founded the independent, fee-only wealth management firm RegentAtlantic.
One need look no further than the high profile firings of Erin Callan at Lehman Brothers and Zoe Cruz at Morgan Stanley (MS) to understand why women were feeling particularly exposed.
Out of this anxiety and chaos, Newton’s idea for the Wall Street Women Forum was born. There are many other networking groups for women in business, including well known groups like 85Broads, which began as a club for women who worked at Goldman Sachs (GS) and expanded to include women in many professions around the globe. These groups provide women ways to connect and expand their lists of friends and business contacts.
But there are few groups dedicated to teaching women how to survive, and thrive; and as Wall Street underwent an historic dislocation Newton decided the time was right to start an organization that focused on career skills. Last May she kicked off the Wall Street Women Forum with a conference titled: “Reinventing Your Career for the New Wall Street.” The day-long event focused on specific steps women could take to reinvent themselves for new roles at their workplaces, or even entirely different careers.
“It’s not meant to be a touchy-feely, inspirational day,” says Newton. “The mission is to provide pragmatic content that women can act on. I want people to walk away with a plan to try something new that will help them advance their careers.”
Photo by Michael Daddino