By Michelle Moskowitz
Sentinel Correspondent
While 2018 has been marked as the year for women – Moffly Media, a next generation publishing conglomerate for publications such as Greenwich Magazine, Westport Magazine and Fairfield Living Magazine, has been recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments of local women for the past decade.
Last’s week dreary rainfall had little impact on the stellar turnout of 250 at the 10th Annual Women in Business conference, “Women, Wealth & Wisdom,” held at the Greenwich Country Club.
The all-day forum consisted of networking opportunities and informative, interactive sponsor sessions, geared to optimizing professional and personal wellness, but was marked by its prestigious Women of Influence award ceremony, honoring notable leaders in the community who have had a tremendous impact in their fields.
After a welcome “grab & go” breakfast, guests had access to two seminars: “Spotlighting Your Brand With Authentic Messaging,” hosted by First County Bank’s Sara Tucker and Sandra Greer, along with Suzanne Stillwell from Jade Marketing Solutions, and, “How to Have Healthy and Radiant Skin at Any Age,” presented by Dr. Kim Nichols, dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon at NicholsMD of Greenwich. Both created much buzz among an enthusiastic crowd.
Dr. Nichols shared the latest in her personalized cosmetic services, including injectables, skin-tightening therapy, and her newly launched vitamin therapy infusions for optimal health.
After a brief respite, guests continued to mingle and swap their professional insights in the spacious living room of the club.
And, following, were two additional mini-conferences.
The first, “Atria’s Whole Person Approach to Greater Well-Being” featured Melanie Bedell of Atria’s Senior Living, an assisted, supportive living community with more than 200 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada, with nearby locations in Stamford and Darien.
Bedell discussed their robust programs and services available for aging seniors, centered around a holistic wellness approach, particularly as the average life expectancy is higher than ever before.
“70% of aging well is 100% within your control and includes connection, nutrition and setting goals,” said Bedell. “People who are part of a caring community live longer and have less stress than those who are isolated and lonely.”
Other sponsor sessions included Darby Fox, child and family therapist whose workshop, “Shifting the Parenting Perspective: How to Bridge the Gap With Your Adolescent and Enjoy Raising Your Teenager,” drew a large group of attentive and note-taking mothers.
“We need to shift our thinking from just getting our kids into a great college and think about building a foundation in order to raise a responsible individual who will flourish,” said Fox.
Lastly, there was a session titled, “Legal Boot Camp for Entrepreneurs,” provided by attorneys, Nancy A.D. Hancock, Karen Jeffers and Megan Carannante, at Pullman & Comply, LLC with offices in Stamford, Westport and Bridgeport.
Before guests took their seats in the main dining room for the anticipated awards luncheon, participants were welcomed at the Whispering Angel wine reception on the club’s terrace. Luckily, the rainfall took a brief respite for guests to enjoy the view.
After welcome remarks from Gabriella Mays, publisher of Westport Magazine, former News 12 Connecticut’s Emmy-award winning anchor, Rebecca Surran, event host for the fifth consecutive year, kicked off the ceremony by telling the crowd how thrilled she was to be part of such a great event that celebrates “smart, motivated women.”
Surran then introduced this year’s charitable beneficiary, granted to Yonni Wattenmaker, executive director of the Breast Cancer Alliance, a national charity based in Greenwich.
Since 2011, Wattenmaker, together with only one other staff member on her team, has been a tireless leader for the organization, whose mission is to improve survival rates and the quality of care for those affected by the disease through better prevention, early detection, treatment and ultimately, a cure.
Since its inception in 1996, the BCA has raised over $25 million, allocated for innovative research, breast surgery fellowships, regional education and screening and support for the underserved.
Wattenmaker, who always dons a splash of pink and a bright smile, also serves on the Community Advisory Board of Greenwich Hospital and is a consultant for an addiction recovery center based in Los Angeles.
A portion of the event’s ticket proceeds were donated to the BCA.
This year’s Women of Influence awards, nominated by community members, were as follows: Corporate Leader, Entrepreneurs of the Year, and Women’s Business Advocate.
The first honoree award for Corporate Leader was given to Greenwich resident, Dr. Alisa H. Bahl, Senior VP of Clinical Solutions for OptumHealth, a division of UnitedHealth Group, where she has spearheaded the company’s clinical business growth and innovation for the past 26 years.
Bahl has worked with Fortune 100 clients committed to enhancing the emotional well-being of their workforce.
She also serves on the advisory board of the company’s Group Opioid Task force, collaborating with pharmacists, governments, and community organizations to fight substance misuse through prevention, treatment and support programs.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 115 people die every day in the U.S. after overdosing on opioids.
“After the fourth day of opioid use, you are at risk,” said Bahl, who also serves on the scientific board of Shatterproof, a national, non-profit dedicated to ending the devastating effects that addiction has on so many families.
Bahl said she was honored to be in the company of such great women and thanked her husband for nominating her for the award without her knowledge.
In her acceptance speech, she reflected on her long tenure at the company, the importance of finding a great mentor, and how “passion, a strong work ethic, and a collaborative work style have served her well.”
Next, the “Entrepreneurs of the Year” were awarded to Flavia Cattan-Naslausky and Camilla Gazal, co-owners of Zaniac, which is an inspiring, after-school learning program designed for students in K-8 encompassing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) enrichment programs.
In 2003, the Riverside-based moms, who both have extensive backgrounds in financial markets, opened their first location in Greenwich at 644 West Putnam Ave., and their second learning center in Westport just two years later.
They have plans to expand their learning center with eight more campuses over the next five years.
“Zaniac was born from necessity and from passion,” said Cattan-Naslausky. “Our community has been a huge supporter of women entrepreneurship – including the WBDC, the Chamber of Commerce and the PTA’s across all of our schools, and others.”
Utilizing 21st century technology centered around peer-to-peer learning, the Zaniac environment is designed to instill a life-long love of learning and curiosity in kids.
Perhaps a huge contributor to their success is derived from their instructors, primarily high school and college students from the area, who provide young, energetic role models for kids to be inspired by.
“We are social entrepreneurs; we enjoy every second of the hard work, and recognize when things should be done differently,” said Gazal. “Be bold, go for it and take risks.”
And, finally, the “Women’s Business Advocate’ award of the year was given to Tracy Chadwell, founding partner of 1843 Capital, an early stage venture capital firm headquartered in Greenwich.
1843 Capital invests in technology and consumer product companies that have at least one female founder.
Their mission is to achieve above-market returns in high-performing companies, while simultaneously working to solve the funding gap for women, which is a win-win for both investors and for female entrepreneurs.
“The fact that this award exists is meaningful because it means that Moffly has an understanding of the hurdles women continue to face, and the more people stand together, the more effective we will be,” said Chadwell, who recently testified before the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Chadwell is a trailblazer, shedding light on the obstacles women face when trying to obtain funding.
In 2017, women received just 2.19 % of venture capital dollars raised, despite the proven research showing that they outperform, including Chadwell’s portfolio which has generated a combined enterprise value of over $1 billion.
In the U.S. alone, there are 11.3 million female-owned businesses generating $1.6 trillion in revenue, paving the way for Chadwell and her stellar team of experts to move the needle for women entrepreneurs and next-generation CEOs.
When asked what makes female investors unique, of which only 7% of VC funds are comprised, Chadwell answered, “Women investors are highly effective at due diligence and have empathy for the founders they invest in.” She added, “As a result, they can have a symbiotic relationship with the founders allowing them to grow exponentially.”
After the award ceremony, keynote speaker Emilie Rubinfeld, President of the iconic brand, Carolina Herrera, gave an inspiring talk about her rise to the top of a fashion empire. She then introduced a runway fashion show of Herrera’s latest spring collection of gowns.
As the informative and celebratory day of local leaders came to a close, it was evident that 250 women united in order to share their paths of wisdom, inspiration, tenacity and mistakes in order to collectively pave the way for an even stronger and exciting future for women in business.
As the anthropologist Jane Goodall once said, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
