General Business

The NJ Women Business Leaders Forum Celebrates 10 Years of Empowerment

On Sep 3, 2024

The New Jersey Women Business Leaders Forum, powered by NJBIA, has achieved many milestones over the past decade in its evolution to becoming the largest, most impactful professional women’s conference in New Jersey. As we look forward to commemorating the 10th year of the WBLF on Sept. 25-26 in Atlantic City, we also celebrate the people, programming, and highlights from previous WBLF events that have inspired thousands of women to break barriers, build businesses, launch dynamic careers, and make New Jersey’s C-suites and boardrooms more diverse.

2015

Former Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno opened our very first Women Business Leaders Forum – a one-day conference at the Parsippany Hilton attended by 235 people. Investment bankers Barbara Byrne and Candace Straight appeared via video from the set of the film “Equity,” starring actor Anna Gunn in Hollywood’s first female-driven Wall Street film.

Byrne, a Princeton resident who was then vice chair of Investment Banking at Barclay’s and the most powerful woman in finance, also gave the keynote address. This was the same year Byrne launched the Women in Leadership Index – comprised then of 85 companies that had female CEOs or boards that were at least 25% female – to create social pressure on more companies to be inclusive and supportive of women’s careers.

2016

The 2nd annual WBLF was held at the Hanover Marriott in Whippany and featured two separate keynotes by Barry Ostrowsky, then president & CEO of RWJBarnabas Health, and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. A business leaders panel discussion, moderated by NJTV news anchor Mary Alice Williams, featured CEOs and executives from a wide range of industries sharing their inspiring journeys to the C-suite. Engaging breakout sessions and speed networking kept attendees moving throughout the day. This event was the first to introduce awards honoring students and inspiring professional women leaders.

2017

The 3rd annual WBLF drew approximately 300 people to the Double Tree Hotel by Hilton in Somerset. Morning keynote Sally Glick, then a principal at the accounting firm Sobel & Company (later acquired by CLA), shared her sage advice about effective communication and leadership styles. In the afternoon, award winning chef and bestselling author Jeff Henderson inspired the crowd with his “If You See It, You Can Be It” keynote. Panel discussions explored nonprofit boards, closing business deals, and communicating with style, and other topics.

Anne Evans Estabrook, chair of the Elberon Development Group, was recognized with NJBIA’s inaugural Caren Franzini Leadership Award honoring the legacy of the late New Jersey Economic Development Authority leader and NJBIA board member, who had passed away earlier that year. Each year since 2017, the Franzini award has honored its namesake by recognizing exemplary New Jersey leaders who inspire, encourage, and empower others to achieve excellence, just as Franzini did during her remarkable career.

2018

WBLF event attendance records were shattered at the Newark Liberty Airport Marriott, where nearly 500 people came to learn, network, and be inspired at the 4th annual conference. Beauty industry titan and bestselling author and entrepreneur Bobbi Brown was the keynote speaker that day, which was also packed with business panels, five breakout sessions and a new coaches’ corner that provided attendees with one-on-one career coaching opportunities with the experts.

2019

Due to its growing popularity, the 5th annual WBLF was expanded into a two-day event at the Ocean Place Resort and Spa in Long Branch. Business innovator Jenny Fleiss, co-founder of the e-commerce platform Rent the Runway and the personal shopping service Jetblack, spoke during a TED-style talk about her two rules for successful entrepreneurship: Always test your product with consumers early to see if they embrace your idea and hold yourself accountable to a timeline. The 2019 forum was the first to introduce breakout sessions geared toward different career stages so that the participants gleaned valuable information no matter where they were on their career journey.

2020

Not even a global COVID pandemic could derail the 6th annual WBLF, which pivoted to become an online conference held over four days in 2020. About 450 virtual attendees tuned in for dynamic keynotes from nationally renowned business leaders and expert panelists, eight breakout sessions, executive TED-style talks, and online networking rooms. The keynote speakers were Emily Chang, a Bloomberg technology journalist, TV anchor and author of “Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys Club of Silicon Valley;” and Cynthia (Cynt) Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and the first Black woman to lead an NBA team.

2021

The 7th annual WBLF was hybrid, with opportunities for in-person networking at an outdoor cocktail reception on the first evening at the Palace at Somerset Park, followed by two days of virtual sessions due to the COVID pandemic. Virtual attendees joined NJBIA online for a live keynote by Joanna Coles, the former chief content officer for Hearst Magazines (now Chief Creative and Content Officer for the Daily Beast), a board member of the technology company SNAP, as well as a TV producer and author. The event featured TED-style talks, eight breakout sessions, one-on-one coaching, résumé building, LinkedIn makeovers and virtual networking.

2022

With the pandemic behind us, the 8th annual WBLF returned as a live event in Atlantic City, featuring exciting live TED-style talk presentations from retired state Supreme Court Justice and McCarter & English partner Jaynee LaVecchia; Marjorie Perry, president & CEO, of MZM Construction & Management Company; and LGPA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan, whose trailblazing career also included being the first female director of athletics at Princeton University.

2023

The 9th annual WBLF was back in North Jersey at the Newark Liberty International Airport Marriott with TED-style talks featuring two successful business leaders: Kim Brennan, the managing director of the Cushman & Wakefield Brokerage; and Joanne Spears, then senior vice president of financial planning at Newport Capital Group. The conference featured 12 breakout sessions over two days, one-on-one coaching, and plenty of networking opportunities including the new “Close the Deal in Heals” cocktail reception and the “Smashing the Glass Ceiling” after-party.

2024

For those who have participated in this event previously, thank you for accompanying us on this remarkable journey. For those contemplating joining us, we hope to see you Sept. 25 and 26! Together, let’s all continue to embrace the next decade filled with empowerment, inspiration, and progress.

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