LOS ANGELES, September 9, 2020 – Jane Wells, CNBC special correspondent, moderated a virtual panel of c-suite female executives, “Celebrating 100 Years of Women’s Voices Being Counted,” presented by Vaco, a leading talent and solutions firm that provides consulting, contract and direct hire solutions. In honor of 100 years since the 19th amendment was ratified, nearly 150 attended a diverse online panel of speakers including Cecilia Owens, chief financial officer at APM Music; Sue Collyns, president and chief financial officer at Beachbody; Maura Mizuguchi, chief accounting officer at Cetera Financial Group; and Frances Moreno, co-founder and managing partner of Vaco’s Los Angeles office. The panel discussed closing the pay gap, supporting workplace diversity and inclusion initiatives, and the challenges faced by women in the workplace, and guests represented women executives in industries spanning financial services, entertainment, nonprofit organizations, high tech, real estate, healthcare, e-commerce retailers, staffing and consulting.
The speakers emphasized that negotiating compensation for pay equity requires a data-driven approach to quantify accomplishments as well as the willingness to ask for a raise. All agreed when values are clear, decisions become easy, and therefore, it’s important to align oneself with the right value ecosystem. Other advice to women professionals included:
- Support, empower and mentor others.
- Join a board to utilize your expertise, assist in corporate governance, and expand skills.
- Engage in intellectual curiosity and stay relevant.
- Stop apologizing. Replace “I’m sorry” with a positive phrase like “Thank you for…”
- Follow your passion and don’t set limits for yourself. Special guest, Janie Thomas, Controller of Chow Now, demonstrated the sky is the limit, when she shared her hobby of flying airplanes and being a certified flight instructor.
Vaco Managing Partner Frances Moreno said, “This commemoration of 100 years was a wonderful reflection of a key historic milestone for our country. At Vaco, we are fortunate to serve clients, consultants and candidates who have a shared commitment to advancing women in business. This event was a celebration of that priority.”
Watch the highlight video from the event here.
About Vaco
Vaco provides boutique level service with global reach in the areas of consulting, consultative project resources, executive search, direct hire placement, and strategic staffing. Areas of expertise include c-suite search, accounting, finance, technology, healthcare IT, operations, administration and international managed services. Since its founding in 2002, Vaco has grown to serve over 40 markets across the globe, 1,250 employees, 5,500 consultants and $700M in revenue. Vaco has been named to Inc. magazine’s list of the fastest-growing private companies for the past 14 years and was named to Forbes’ 2018 & 2019 Lists of America’s Best Recruiting Firms. Vaco Los Angeles has been named the #1 Best Place to Work in Los Angeles four times and has received Gold Stevie Awards for Best Employer and Company of the Year. For more information, visit vacodev.wpengine.com.
Contact:
Deborah Jones | deborah@strategiesadpr.com | (714) 957-8880, ext. 113
