Happy Friday to our readers in the UK and the rest of the world.

We do have exciting news to tell you about what we are up to here at The Glass Hammer. Later this month you will be able to join our community group online. Watch this space.

The Glass Hammer job section has some great jobs from the best employers in the business. Bookmark the url www.theglasshammer.com/jobs or access it from the home page via the Jobs tab.

Robin Barone is an occasional contributor and regular reader of The Glass Hammer and when she asked me to publish her invitation to go sailing this summer I hesitated. We always talk about networking and about being a community, so I decided to publish the invitation on her behalf. Incidentally, I met Robin while skiing in Whistler and when I told her about The Glass Hammer she instantly became a reader. Friends, clients, vendors and mentors can be found in such situations, living proof that The Glass Hammer facilitates a natural community and that we are all connected with common interests, work related and otherwise.

We also want to hear from you in the trenches as guest bloggers.

The trip- Sailing around Croatian Islands hosted by Robin Barone

For the week of August 31st our home will be the Oceanis 473, a 47 foot sailboat based out of Dubrovnik. Our sail boat is a part of a flotilla leaving Dubrovnik the week of August 31st. (Essentially our boat is a part of a group of boats with a leader!) I have hired a captain to taking care of the trip. Assistance is voluntary. We are able to board our new home by 6pm on Sunday. On Monday morning we awake for orientation, safety discussions, and then head out until Saturday evening. Our current itinerary includes visiting the island of Sipan, Mijiet, Korcula, and Kobas. Mornings are spent sailing. Afternoons are spent lounging and exploring. Evenings are for dining in the local tavernas and socializing with other flotilla members (optional).

The current shipmates are a group of fun loving, adventuresome women between the ages of 28 to 36 years. Coincidentally we are all avid travelers, skiers, and life lovers! Everyone is connected through me and their interest in this trip. It wasn’t intended to be all women but two of the men fell overboard when it was time to commit. As for myself – I am a Philadelphia turned NY’er, the ever doer, thinker, and creator. I currently work in real estate finance.

We are currently searching for 2 more shipmates to complement our group. There is a cost and I would be happy to talk directly with you about that. The four of us have booked tickets to arrive in Dubrovnik on August 29th.

If you are interested in joining please contact me at curlyrobin@yahoo.com and I can send you full details.

Disclaimer: this is an offer made by a reader of theglasshammer.com. The Glass Hammer does not endorse this trip and is not liable for it in any way. This is merely notification that it is taking place.

The National Women’s Business Council announced President George W. Bush intends to appoint Carole Jean Jordan as chair.

“I look forward to continuing to work with the other members of the Council to advance the state of women’s business ownership in this country,” says Jordan in a June 17 news release. “I hope to build upon the valuable contributions to female business owners.”

(more…)

“Our Brokering Change program is a pivotal element of the Goldman Sachs Multicultural Women’s Initiative, which aims to enhance workplace experience, promote career development and advancement, and facilitate relationship building among Asian, Black, Hispanic and Native American women. As a firm, we are excited about being able to champion and support opportunities that promote broader inclusion on Wall Street.”

(more…)

We are working to create a consistent, professional and effective response for all survivors of domestic violence and in particular those at high risk. We do this through delivering services directly to advocacy projects, their local multi-agency partners and also through our work with funders, policy advisers and government.

Please join us for drinks as we celebrate three years of helping victims
of domestic abuse find a way out.

For more information on CAADA

To Register

Or, if you would like to Donate

Should your job search strategy be different in a tough economy?  Is a career change unthinkable right now?  Should you focus on hanging on at your current company or start looking just in case?   

Join this free* 45-minute teleclass to explore your job search options in a difficult market.   

Hear from Caroline Ceniza-Levine, co-founder of SixFigureStart and former executive search and corporate recruiter.  Learn how the hiring process really works. 

Space is limited.  Email info@sixfigurestart.com to register and get the call-in details.

 *For free teleclasses there is no charge for the class, but you are responsible for any long-distance phone charges incurred to access the conference phone line. 

Caroline Ceniza-Levine

212-372-0277

Life Coach  www.thinkasinc.com

Career Coach  www.sixfigurestart.com

The same week that Lisa Ditlefsen turned 30, she collected her prize at the BlackBerry Women & Technology Awards for the best use of technology by a woman under 30. She received the award for the work she has done creating an SEO (search engine optimization) department at Base One. Not bad for someone who three years ago admitted she knew nothing about online marketing.

Lisa came to London from Norway in 1999 on a gap year and fell into B2B marketing more or less by chance, after a stint working on a travel magazine. After a break to have her daughter, she returned to Base One and was offered the chance to do something the company had never done before – search engine marketing.
(more…)

Speaker: Erin Callan, Chief Financial Officer, Lehman Brothers

Networking and cocktails following session.

To Register 

(more…)

Deadline to Register: June 16

For more information and to register

Women are on the move in May and June into the executive suites of top industries.

Biotech

Pamela Cohen was hired as senior vice president and chief medical officer of Kosan Biosciences Inc. She was formerly the global oncology therapeutic head for GE Healthcare Medical Diagnostics. Jane Moffitt became vice president of Nile Therapeutics Inc. in San Francisco. She formerly was the West Coast director of operations for SciLucent before joining the cardiovascular therapy biopharma. Mary Bolton was hired as vice president, clinical development of Sunesis Pharmaceuticals Inc. Judith Fox was promoted to vice president, product and preclinical development of the oncology therapeutics biopharma.

(more…)

For more information and how to register: http://www.wbenc.org/wib2008/

The event will include a brief overview of the Legal Department and Global Compliance Division followed by a panel of speakers who will share their experiences, career choices and development here at the firm. The program will conclude with a reception for attendees to network with Goldman Sachs employees.

Financial services expertise is not required. If you or anyone you know has an interest in legal and compliance areas and has relevant knowledge or experience - we encourage you to submit your resume to EHRTdiversity@gs.com  by June 24, 2008.  Qualified referrals will be contacted via email with further details about the event.

For additional information, please contact Monica Marquez at: monica.marquez@gs.com

Ever wondered if you should use your corporate-honed skills for the benefit of the wider community? Diana Barran moved from a successful career in fund management to found and run CAADA (Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse ), a charity that has improved the safety of over 40,000 victims of domestic violence. The Glass Hammer met Diana to find out how she made the move.

Career path with a conscience

One of the few female fund managers who took part in the investment exuberance of the 80s, Diana looked beyond her personal bonus. In 1992 she was managing a long-only fund, one of the top five performers in its sector. Seeing that returns were no more than those delivered by high street savings accounts she decided her investors would be better served by a fund focusing on absolute returns. Her chairman supported her and she set up The Magus European Fund, only the second hedge fund to be launched in Europe. This time the fee structure ensured that ‘if clients got rich, we got rich, if they didn’t we didn’t’.

In late 1999 she sold her stake in the business and with the luxury of financial success chose to do something different. Fellow financiers asked her to join New Philanthropy Capital, a charity that advises donors on how to give more effectively. She was already a trustee of The Henry Smith Charity and an employee of NPC which provided a great way to work out which sector she’d like to explore further.
(more…)

The article opened by reporting that, in New York City, more than a half million businesses are owned by women, and these businesses employ 533,437 people. The article quoted a study by the Center for Women’s Business Research which found that these businesses have brought in $93 million so far in 2008.

I read on, hoping to find some inspiring stories about women who had branched out to start their own financial services firms, law firms, and businesses in growing sectors like energy, technology, communications and health care. I was hoping to learn a thing or two about the new female movers and shakers running companies in New York City.

However, upon closer inspection, I realized that most of the “successful women business leaders” described in this article clearly fell into the dreaded “pink ghetto” of decidedly women’s work. They were from industries that are universally acknowledged to be the province of women, and the kind of jobs that high achieving men would more than willingly cede entirely to the other gender.
(more…)

This year’s nominees will be honored and winners will be announced and awarded ‘oscar-style’ at the dinner and ceremony on June 25th at the majestic Cipriani Wall Street.

This gala awards dinner, held in conjunction with Institutional Investor Conferences’ Hedge Fund Investor Symposium, will host more than 400 leaders from across the hedge fund industry and is an event not to be missed!

Evening Agenda:
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.: Cocktail Reception
7:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.: Dinner and Awards Ceremony
10:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.: Awards ‘After-Party’ Sponsored by: Fraser Yachts

Dress Code:
Black-tie preferred
To Reserve a Seat / Table

Imagine the start of a cocktail party: the setting is a terrace of a midtown office building with an impeccable view of Bryant Park. The bar is full stacked with a selection of good wine and attended by two attractive bar tenders. Tables and chairs scatter the balcony with a selection of antipasta, crudite, and cheese to dine on. God held up his promise of good weather and you can feel good karma spreading in the air through the beats of background music.

As the event progressed, I noticed a trend. As each woman arrived, they would enter the terrace, look around, grab a glass of wine, find their friends, sit down, and get comfortable for the remainder of the evening. I will admit the chairs were really comfortable and the food was really good. But in the back of my head I kept thinking, “Aren’t they here to meet other women in our field?”

(more…)

What is the best answer to the strength and weakness interview question?

I got this exact question after a workshop I recently led. Other than his name and industry background, I had no other information. Yet, he fully expected me to come up with answers to very personal interview questions.

Actually, I am asked this question so much I almost expect it after every workshop I give. It seems that many jobseekers out there are looking for the magic bullet answers that will get them past the interview to the offer stage.

(more…)

Goldman Sachs cordially invites you to save the date for the Brokering Change: A Wall Street Multicultural Women’s Exchange Interbank Conference. The half-day conference will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Bayard’s in New York City, immediately followed by a cocktail reception.

11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Registration
12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Conference
6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception

Please contact for more information

No lifestyle options are easy and while being single, living alone, certainly has its perks, the single lifestyle—as with every lifestyle choice—does have its challenges. There is an incredible amount of freedom in fending for oneself and not having to answer to anyone but, is being solitary all it’s cracked up to be?

Generally, unless one lives the single life, it is difficult to understand that being single is not all “Sex and the City” and impossibly high heels. Often, there are higher expectations for those without spouses and children. Working in corporate America, I have been told that putting in extra hours would be expected during a crunch, not a problem. I think everyone has heard that request at one time or another. It is what often follows that is insulting: “After-all, you’re single. You have no responsibilities.” Being single somehow allows my free time to become someone else’s asset.

(more…)