Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Top 50 Women Leaders of New York City for 2024. New York City is one of the most diverse, vibrant cities on the planet. The industries that thrive in NYC are often solving complex world issues through innovative, technology-driven solutions. These industries include financial services, clean tech, life sciences, and health care. NYC is also home to a wide variety of creative companies, leading the way in digital media, fashion, and entertainment.
This year, we honor the top women leaders who are driving these industries forward in The City That Never Sleeps. These dynamic leaders include Jennifer Turner, an executive who’s been leading and managing divisions within large media companies, such as Disney, NBCUniversal, and Sony, for over 20 years. Turner is currently EVP and head of TriStar Television, the boutique label of Sony Pictures Television.
We also extend congratulations to entrepreneurial and purposeful global business leader, Sonali Chatterji. She is the Chief Growth Officer for Astreya, the leading IT solutions provider for some of the world's most recognizable and innovative organizations, focusing on growth and overall performance.
Finally, we honor the accomplishments of financial industry leader, Lisa Braun, the Managing Director of Partner Affairs for PwC. She has more than two decades of experience in providing tax and financial planning services to external and internal PwC clients.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Women Leaders of New York City for 2024.
1). Melanie Alvarez
Head of Advisory & Consulting, Tata Consultancy Services
Melanie Alvarez is a highly accomplished professional with over 20 years of experience across diverse industries, including communications, media, information services, banking and financial services, insurance, automotive, manufacturing, healthcare services, and pharmaceuticals. Alvarez is currently a Head of Advisory and Consulting, TCS Interactive at Tata Consultancy Services, bringing experience from previous roles at Tata Consultancy Services and Milestone Advisory. Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting,g and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world’s largest businesses in their transformation journeys for over 55 years.
In her current role, Alvarez built a multi-disciplinary, global team of innovation with CX expertise, focusing on providing world-class advisory to clients who want to be at the cutting edge of experience and design-led digital transformation. She specializes in solving business problems related to innovation, CX, and marketing strategy, bringing a diverse array of industry and technology-agnostic expertise. Her practice focuses on digital transformation strategy, creative design, and industry-leading technology.
Alvarez started her career in 2001 as an analyst at JPMorgan Chase. From there, she went on to BearingPoint, before eventually rising to vice president at Citigroup, her most recent position before joining Tata Consultancy Services. Alvarez graduated from Fordham University with an undergraduate degree in economics and international political economy.
3). Emma Andrews
VP, Patient Advocacy Lead, Pfizer
Emma Andrews is Pfizer’s Vice President of Global Patient Advocacy, leading the organization’s work to embed the patient perspective across all of Pfizer’s efforts – from bench to bedside, and beyond. A registered pharmacist, Emma is passionate about helping people live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. In her current role, Emma works with internal and external stakeholders to advance patient-focused programs across the enterprise and to deliver outcomes that matter to patients and those involved in their care.
Emma joined Pfizer in 1999 and has had multiple roles with increasing responsibility in Clinical Research, Operations, Strategic External Engagement, and Medical Affairs. Her focus areas have spanned infectious diseases, neglected tropical diseases, and malaria and she worked with multiple stakeholders to help improve HCP-Patient dialogue across multiple regions. Most recently, Emma was the Senior Director, US/Global Medical Affairs Team Lead for the Women’s Health Franchise.
Emma completed her Doctor of Pharmacy, as well as her undergraduate degree in pharmacy at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science. She is motivated by Pfizer’s common purpose: to bring breakthroughs to patients, regardless of where they are in the world. Her experience growing up in Uganda and Cote d'Ivoire has shaped her commitment to reducing healthcare disparities, improving health literacy, and advancing health equity in all she does.
5). Jenny Gilmore
Managing Director, Deloitte Consulting
Jenny Gilmore is a Deloitte Advisory Managing Director in Deloitte & Touche LLP's Controllership practice and leads the life sciences and healthcare industry for Controllership. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, commonly referred to as Deloitte, is a British multinational professional services network. Deloitte is the largest professional services network by revenue and number of employees in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with EY, KPMG, and PwC.
Gilmore has 20 years of experience in public accounting assisting companies in implementing record-to-report accounting processes utilizing technology and in the understanding and application of US GAAP and SEC rules and regulations, including initial public offerings, annual and quarterly SEC filings, carve-out financial statements, significant discontinued operations reporting requirements, transformation of segment reporting processes, application of purchase accounting, preparation of pro forma financial statements, SEC comment letter inquiries, other registration statement requirements, private placement offerings and other M&A transactions.
Gilmore has also assisted with finance integration, lease accounting consultations, conversions from local GAAP/IFRS to US GAAP, conversions of general ledger data from legacy systems into BPC, and Federal Reserve / Regulatory Reporting readiness assessments of the financial reporting function. She is also a speaker and trainer on accounting and SEC reporting. Gilmore graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio with an MS in Accounting and from Trinity University with an undergraduate degree in business administration, accounting, and management.
7). Mariels Almeda Winhoffer
VP, Business Development, Kyndryl
Mariels Almeda Winhoffer is a technologist, strategist, trusted client advisor, and API advocate. She has spent over 35 years in the global IT industry and held various technical, services, and sales senior leadership posts. Winhoffer’s role as a VP of Global Business Development is to bring the best of Kyndryl and its ecosystem partners to help customers leverage technologies and services in enabling and accelerating digital transformation. She focuses on building 360 relationships with clients to create differentiation in the industry.
Winhoffer comes to Kyndryl with significant experience in building strategic partnerships and co-creating with clients and partners to redefine an industry and/or market. In her prior role as president of IBM Philippines, she led and established a consortium of stakeholders in the private, public, academia, and industries to enable the Philippines as the destination for Analytics. As a global managing director for Walmart, Winhoffer co-led the establishment of the first operational blockchain-based network, which created a transparent and trusted food value chain. As GM for Channels in Asia-Pacific, she led the transformation of IBM channel partners to IBM’s new growth businesses for Cloud, software, and higher-value services.
Earlier in her career, Winhoffer enhanced her career as a systems engineer for distributed systems, networks, and operating systems. She transitioned to progressed in multiple posts in sales and services and senior executive roles. Winhoffer is married with four children and currently resides in Connecticut.
9). Antonella Bonanni
VP, Chief Marketing Officer, Americas, Cognizant
Antonella Bonanni is the Chief Marketing Officer for the Americas at Cognizant, a global leader in IT consulting and digital transformation. As one of the largest global professional services companies, Cognizant helps clients modernize technology, reimagine processes, and transform experiences. With over 20 years of experience in marketing, Bonanni leads the strategy, planning, and operations for a $14 billion business across seven industry verticals, covering the US, Canada, and Latin America.
Bonanni is a recognized expert in account-based marketing, having built and scaled a team that enables client-centric marketing for priority accounts around the globe. She also oversees brand awareness, digital marketing, and strategy for the Americas region, driving revenue, building relationships, and enhancing reputation. Bonanni is passionate about helping clients create value and improve everyday life through innovative solutions and services. She is also a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a sustainability advocate in her community.
Before joining Cognizant, Bonanni was a global head of marketing at Wipro Limited. Before that, she was a head of marketing at Tata Consultancy Services. Earlier in her career, she worked with Accenture as a marketing manager. Bonanni graduated from the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business with an MBA in Marketing and from the University of Pittsburgh with an undergraduate degree.
11). Nefferty Santiago
Head of Business Resiliency Management - Americas, Marsh McLennan
Nefferty Santiago is Head of Business Resiliency Management (BRM) for the Americas at Marsh McLennan. Based in New York, Marsh McLennan is the world’s leading professional services firm in the areas of risk, strategy, and people. The Company’s more than 85,000 colleagues advise clients in over 130 countries. As BRM Region Head for the Americas, Santiago has management and strategic responsibility acting as a second line of defense to identify, quantify, and recommend strategies to address crisis management, organizational, operational resiliency, business continuity, and technology risks for all lines of business. Santiago has within her remit the safeguarding of approximately 39,000 colleagues across 17 countries. Her primary goal is to create sustainable value by improving the resiliency within the organization including identifying risks and areas of opportunity and providing guidance on proposed strategic initiatives.
With over 20 years of experience, Santiago is recognized as an experienced leader in corporate governance, enterprise and organizational resiliency having successfully led global cross functional work streams within telecommunications, financial services and most recently, professional services. Santiago is known for being a pragmatic leader who is passionate about her work and delivering upon the company and client value add proposition while fostering a culture of awareness and continuous improvement among colleagues and stakeholders. Santiago leads a geographically dispersed team of talented subject matter experts dedicated to creating robust crisis management plans and viable recovery strategies, a pivotal undertaking in maintaining organizational and operational continuity while minimizing disruptions. With proven competencies in crisis management, organizational risk management and client relationship management, Santiago’s objective is enhancing resiliency capabilities and fostering a culture of preparedness. Collaborating with business leaders and corporate teams, she and her team focus on delivering a resilient framework that aligns with both corporate standards and local regulatory requirements, ensuring seamless service delivery to clients, ensuring colleague safety and supporting local communities.
Prior to joining Marsh McLennan, Santiago had the role of Business Continuity Officer for Prudential International Insurance. Santiago was responsible for strategic direction, oversight, and governance for business continuation (BC) planning of Prudential’s international subsidiaries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. She worked directly with leadership teams and business continuity coordinators within each business to provide direction and guidance to ensure plans were viable and in compliance with enterprise business continuation policy, standards, and local regulatory requirements. She collaborated with corporate support functions such as Global Health, Global Security, the Enterprise BC Management Team and Global Technology to provide the protocols, tools, and resources needed to address the needs of each operating company in maintaining robust preparedness and response plans.
Earlier in her career, Santiago worked as a Business Continuity Corporate Governance Manager for Verizon Wireless responsible for crisis management, business continuity, and disaster recovery planning. She developed training and awareness programs for natural and man-made disasters (e.g., hurricanes, tornados, pandemics, political special events, civil unrest, and workplace violence). She partnered with local, state, and federal agencies on simulation exercises within telecommunications and the private sector. Santiago coordinated the deployment of recovery assets nationally in response to significant disasters in support of colleagues, customers, and community outreach. Santiago successfully managed the operations readiness for numerous major events by working closely with leadership teams and public sector partners (e.g., Presidential Nominee Conventions 2008 & 2012, G20 Summit 2009, G8 Summit 2012, NATO 2012, Super Bowl, and other major sporting events). Santiago also worked for AT&T, and as a business continuity and technical team leader responsible for operations center recovery, network recovery, and risk management within the data services organization.
Santiago holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering and an M.S. in Engineering Management from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). She is a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) accredited through the Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI) International. Santiago is also a Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
Santiago lives in Pittstown, New Jersey with her husband and 2 daughters. In her spare time, Santiago enjoys hiking, running, traveling, and spending time with her family. She also volunteers as a driver for Meals on Wheels of Hunterdon County. Previously, Santiago served as a trustee for the Clinton Township Foundation for Educational Excellence and the North Hunterdon Education Foundation, non-profit organizations whose mission is to provide unique educational enrichment opportunities for all students in the Clinton Township school district and North Hunterdon High School.
14). Sandra Atkins-Sadler
VP, Practice General Management, Kyndryl
Sandra is a transformational IT and business leader with over 20 years experience in the IT industry; she has held various roles globally in Finance, IT Strategy and Transformation, Business Operations, and Business Development. She is currently the Practice Leader and Business Executive for Kyndryl’s Strategic Markets Network and Edge Practice.
Sandra’s mission is to align business imperatives with IT strategies and solutions to ensure our customers not only stay ahead of industry trends, innovation, and technology advancements but also create long-term value for their shareholders.Prior to joining Kyndryl, Sandra spent several years as a Finance leader, including her role as the CFO of IBM Southern Africa.
Sandra later embarked on a new career path to become a business leader, with a broader view and scope across the organization. She then became the Director of Strategy and Transformation for IBM Global Technology Services and Chief of Staff to the Senior Vice President. During this time Sandra was instrumental in partnering with the leadership team to drive growth and innovation in our portfolio and driving initiatives to optimize the sales execution for higher value outcomes.
Personal Background | Interests Outside of Work:
Sandra enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and extended family. She is also a Board Member of Ridgefield A Better Chance organization and a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.
View the complete list of awardees.
18). Jaime Bell
VP & Deputy General Counsel, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Legal Department
Jaime Bell is a Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), a global edge-to-cloud company dedicated to transforming businesses. In her role at HPE, Jaime leads the legal team supporting the company’s Global Business Groups, North America Geo, and Worldwide Channels & Ecosystem. She serves as the lead attorney for HPE’s Hybrid Cloud business and has successfully negotiated billion-dollar AI contracts for the company. Over the past eight years, Jaime has supported nearly every business portfolio at HPE.
As an executive, Jaime is known for her excellent leadership skills and strategic vision. She focuses on building strong internal and external relationships and continuously strives to create successful business outcomes for her clients. In her role as Deputy General Counsel, Jaime ensures HPE’s compliance with applicable laws and regulations, protection of intellectual property, negotiation of strategic relationships, assessment of litigation matters, and execution of mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures.
Before joining HPE, Jaime was Counsel at IBM, where she was involved in IBM Board-related matters, corporate governance, and routine corporate securities filings. She also designed and delivered ethics and integrity training to IBM employees worldwide and spent several years negotiating multimillion-dollar technology outsourcing and consulting agreements encompassing services, hardware, and software. Prior to IBM, Jaime was a corporate associate at Finn, Dixon & Herling LLP in Connecticut and Vinson & Elkins LLP in New York City.
Jaime received her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law and her B.A. from Syracuse University. She is admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut and is based in Connecticut. In 2020, Jaime obtained an Executive Women in Leadership Certificate from Cornell University. She is also a member of CHIEF, a private network designed for women executives to strengthen their leadership, magnify their influence, and pave the way for others. Jaime serves as a director on the board of The Good Dog Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that uses the human-dog bond to ease human suffering and support learning through Animal Assisted Intervention.
19). Elizabeth Kernion
Head of GCS and RSO Business Management, Google
Elizabeth Kernion began her professional career 15 years ago. Today, she is the Head of GCS and RSO Business Management at Google. Googlers build products that help create opportunities for everyone, whether down the street or across the globe.
Kernion manages a team at Google that is responsible for business management, change management, and employee satisfaction for SMB ads strategy and operations. Her team provides chief of staff support to execs, owns communication and knowledge transfer for sellers, and runs a customer experience center. Kernion started her career in 2009 as an economics lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic University in Singapore. From there, she went on to HealthScape Advisors LLC, before eventually rising to sales operations business partner at Adobe, her most recent role before joining the Google team.
Kernion graduated from UCLA Anderson School of Management with an MBA and from Penn State University with an undergraduate degree in economics.
21). Jessica Adelman
Senior VP & Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Mars Wrigley North America
Jessica serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for Mars Wrigley North America, while also leading cross-segment reputation efforts for Mars, Incorporated in the biggest market. In this role she sits on multiple global senior leadership teams, ensuring the global Corporate Affairs strategy leads the business strategy, the communications function is optimized and upskilled, and that Corporate PR, brand PR, Advocacy, and Industry efforts are best-in-class. She has direct responsibility for executive communications, corporate communications, media relations, corporate reputation, brand communications, crisis management, internal communications, issues management, social impact, and operations for the consumer care/call center. She is a Board member and Vice Chair of the Mars Wrigley Global Philanthropic Foundation. Jessica speaks both Russian and French and has lived and worked in-market during her career. Additionally, serving on the Board of Directors as Chair for the Budget, Audit, and Administrative Committee for the globally-oriented National Endowment for Democracy (NED) gives her access to expert-level insight around the world in the 90-plus countries where NED operates.
In her time with Mars, she has led the Corporate Affairs function to several award-winning moments for Mars, including global PR for the M&Ms brand purpose refresh in 2022 and the 25 Billion Impression, 7K earned media placements 2023 Super Bowl campaign that resulted in one of the most talked about campaigns of all time. Additionally, the 5 Gum revitalization has led to a category reinvention for one of Mars’ most profitable businesses. The brands and teams are receiving broad recognition for best-in-class work, including Mars’ first-ever Cannes Lions for PR, multiple Effies, SABRE awards, and Addys. Fortune’s Brands that Matter, and PR Week accolades. She also leads reputation building in North America for the Vet Health and pet nutrition business of Mars overall, working closely across a myriad of brands and go-to-market models.
Prior to Mars, she was at Kroger for five years as Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. The role encompassed the Chief Communications Officer and Chief Sustainability Officer. Jessica reported to the CEO, sat on the Executive Leadership Team, and was responsible for the Public Responsibilities Committee of the Kroger Board of Directors. She also served as President of both Kroger foundations – including creating a new Foundation devoted to crowdsourcing social impact, which was named to Fast Company’s “World Changing Ideas” of 2020. She is incredibly proud to be a part of the team that developed the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Plan, which sets out to end hunger in communities and eliminate waste by 2025. The effort won multiple accolades, including debuting at #6 on Fortune’s Change the World List in 2018. In addition to working with the Board of Directors to embed ESG into Kroger’s strategic business plan, Jessica co-led with the CHRO Kroger’s culture work including the evolution and branding of Kroger’s Our Purpose & Promise. She was also a co-executive Sponsor with the CMO for Kroger’s first-ever agency of record search, which culminated in Kroger’s new logo design and completely refreshed master brand efforts. Additionally, she was an integral part of the turnaround investor relations strategy and narrative - Restock Kroger. She is an expert in financial communications, activist investor strategies, litigation, and M&A communications.
Jessica has over 25 years of experience as a global executive in CPG, food, and retail, including running the Washington, DC office as Senior Vice President of Communications & Corporate Affairs for Swiss multinational Syngenta. She has run teams from six to approximately 120 professionals and budgets upwards of $90mm per year. She graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College as a Russian Area Studies major and lived in the Former Soviet Union for several years in the 1990s. Additionally, her time in Europe includes studying at Oxford, living in London, working out of Brussels, and studying at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD). After she graduated with an MBA from the Wharton School and a master’s in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania, she moved to Minneapolis and worked for Cargill for 7 years. She speaks both Russian and French.
Jessica has served in numerous leadership positions within the food, retail, and agriculture industries. PR News has named her a Top Leader in Corporate Communications multiple times and to the Top Women in PR list. In 2017 she was among the “Top Women in Grocery” and on Diversity Magazine’s “Most Powerful Women in America” list. In 2018 she was on the food industry’s “Women of Influence” list and a 2019 “Game Changer” in the retail space. She enjoys providing her experience in agriculture and the food supply chain as a member of the Nationwide Board Council since 2017.
22). Sahana Mukherjee
Head of HR - Global Wealth & Consumer Banking Technology & Production Management, Citi
Sahana Mukherjee is the Head of HR for Global Wealth and Consumer Banking Technology and Production Management at Citi. Citigroup Inc. or Citi (stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services corporation incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in New York City.
Mukherjee has 17 years of experience. She is a pioneering thought leader skilled in harnessing data to formulate strategic approaches that navigate the transformative impact of transitional technologies on the workforce. Her leadership approach extends beyond conventional technological integration, emphasizing the proactive navigation of evolving landscapes and equipping teams with the skills and adaptability required to thrive. By fostering innovation and collaboration, she positions organizations as trailblazers in the rapidly changing business landscape, achieving sustained growth and relevance.
Before joining Citi, Mukherjee was a global HR manager in consumer devices at TE Connectivity. Before that, she was a research assistant at Rutgers University. Earlier in her career, she worked with the Rutgers University Chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (RUSHRM) as a vice president of merit awards. Mukherjee graduated from Rutgers University with an MHRM in Human Resource Management and from West Bengal University of Technology, Kolkata, with an undergraduate degree in applied electronics and instrumentation engineering.
25). Heather Yurko
VP, Digital Talent, Mastercard
Heather Yurko is the VP of Digital Talent at Mastercard. Mastercard Inc. is an American multinational payment card services corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York. It offers a range of payment transaction processing and related payment services, such as travel-related payments and bookings.
Exceptional at building organizations from the ground up, Yurko also drives technical innovation and cultural change management in companies transforming. She is experienced in global organizational development and effectiveness, Agile and DevSecOps transformation, service design, strategic planning, and executive, management, and personal development consulting. Her specialization lies in continuous improvement through outcome-based design and collaborative, inclusive facilitation to help individuals, teams, and organizations achieve their goals through their strategies, technology, and people.
Before joining Mastercard, Yurko was a director of global channel engagement at Facebook. Before that, she was chief of staff and future of work lead for employee services at Cisco. Earlier in her career, she worked with Spherion, and partnered with the Cisco management team, as a performance and compliance manager. Yurko graduated from Teachers College, Columbia University with an MA in Organizational Psychology and from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania with an undergraduate degree in psychology.
28). Aditi Jain
VP & Head of Cloud Financial Services North America, Amdocs
Aditi is the Vice President and Head of Cloud Financial Services North America at Amdocs, a publicly traded company. She is an accomplished and innovative Digital Transformation leader with more than 20 years of technology consulting experience in public cloud computing, security and privacy, data analytics, artificial intelligence, risk, and regulatory reporting areas. In her current role, Aditi is responsible for expanding Amdocs’ well-known brand with Telecommunication services companies to the Financial Services domain, delivering high-end cloud consulting services to banks, broker-dealers, asset managers, and insurance companies. Acting as a trusted advisor, Aditi and her team are working on bringing Amdocs’ unique market offerings to enable clients to migrate and modernize workloads to public cloud (e.g., Amazon Web Services, Azure, Google Cloud), prototype and leverage Artificial Intelligence and data analytics to drive business growth, improve end-customer experience and increase revenue.
Prior to joining Amdocs, Aditi worked at Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a Professional Services leader helping Financial Services clients adopt and scale their use of AWS services. Working with top-tier banks, financial exchanges, and payment companies, she helped unblock security hurdles to accelerate the migration of workloads from on-premises to AWS. Streamlining the cloud governance process, empowering people to upskill on the AWS tech stack, and improving the product suite by incorporating client feedback into the roadmap, Aditi ensured that every client journey to the cloud resulted in tangible business outcomes. Working backward from the client’s business goals, Aditi helped her clients overcome many hurdles in their cloud journeys. She also co-founded a Women in Financial Services group and coached several women to navigate their path to promotion at AWS.
As a lifelong consultant, Aditi learned the art of storytelling and earning trust with Deloitte’s Risk Advisory practice where she helped many Financial Services clients improve their risk and control frameworks. In the wake of the 2009 Financial crisis, Aditi consulted the Commodities Future Trading Commission (CFTC) on how to effectively deploy the complex Dodd-Frank regulations to regulate the markets, and helped multiple clients in complying with the regulations, set up the technology and business controls, as well as implementing remediation plans in response to regulatory actions. Aditi’s career started working as a software product manager for a risk management financial tech company and as a business analyst with a European bank.
29). Monica Hanson
Head of Insurance Coverage Americas, BNP Paribas
Monica Hanson joined BNP Paribas in 2013 and is currently the Head of Insurance Coverage in the Americas. BNP Paribas (sometimes referred to as BNPP or BNP) is a multinational universal bank and financial services holding company headquartered in Paris.
Before joining BNP Paribas, Hanson worked at Barclays, where she was head of Latin America global finance, responsible for overseeing the firm’s fixed income and equity capital markets origination efforts. Before that role, she served as head of Barclays’ Americas Financial Institutions Debt Capital Markets Group, responsible for originating and structuring numerous capital markets financings for the firm’s agency, sovereign, and financial institutions clients who sought to access the US and European capital markets. From 2001 to 2008, Hanson worked at Lehman Brothers covering financial institution clients in a similar capacity, which also included structuring financings for the firm’s Latin American clients. From 1994 to 2001, she worked at JPMorgan, where she was responsible for structuring and marketing bond offerings and syndicated loan facilities for a wide variety of Latin American companies.
Alongside her role at BNP Paribas, Hanson is an active member of BNPP’s Global Markets Americas Business Committee and the Women in Global Markets Board. She is also part of BNPP’s Talent Board and serves as a career facilitation advisor. Hanson earned an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School and an undergraduate degree in economics and political science from the University of Michigan.
View the complete list of awardees.
32). Dr. Jennifer Elise Turner
EVP, TriStar Television, Sony Pictures Television/TriStar Television
Working on both the business and creative sides of television, Dr. Jennifer Turner has been leading and managing divisions within large media companies such as Disney, NBCUniversal, and Sony for over 20 years. Dr. Turner is currently EVP and head of TriStar Television, the boutique label of Sony Pictures Television. She is responsible for developing and producing bold, new stories from diverse perspectives, and championing underrepresented stories driving cultural conversations airing on premium cable and streaming platforms. In addition to creative oversight of the label, Dr. Turner is responsible for setting TriStar’s overall strategy and leading and managing TriStar’s operations. She is based in New York City.
Dr. Turner has been recognized for her achievements many times throughout her career including being featured in Variety’s Inclusion Impact Report 2019 and Variety’s New York Women’s Impact Report 2021. In 2022, she was a Multichannel News Wonder Women LA honoree. She was also the recipient of the 2023 African American Film Critics Association “Salute to Excellence” award, and the 2023 recipient of the Garden State Film Festival’s “Exceptional Women in Film” award.
Dr. Turner is an advocate for health empowerment in people, organizations, and communities, with a particular focus on women and girls. She is the founder and CEO of MAD COOL FITNESS, an inclusive, edutainment healthy lifestyle brand that uses behavioral science to facilitate health empowerment. She also founded the non-profit MAD COOL COMMUNITY which partners with local community organizations addressing the social determinants of health. MAD COOL COMMUNITY is initially focused on the health empowerment of youth in schools.
Dr. Turner is a self-proclaimed, “Fitness Activator”; it is her life’s mission to “activate” everyone’s innate ability to have a healthy lifestyle and achieve empowerment, the way she has, through good health. Dr. Turner leverages her media and entertainment background, and knowledge of health behavior change theoretical models, to design innovative wellness programs for individuals and communities. These programs are based not only on Dr. Turner’s professional and academic backgrounds but also on her personal experience as someone who formerly struggled with weight and health issues. Her health coaching programs are the nexus of health and leadership, helping both women and adolescent girls to be more empowered leaders in work/school and in their lives.
Dr. Turner holds a Doctor of Public Health, DrPH, specializing in health education and behavioral science from Rutgers School of Public Health where she is also an Adjunct Professor. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, a Bachelor of Finance from the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Japanese Language from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an avid runner and a classically trained violinist.
33). Reshema Kemps-Polanco
Executive VP & Chief Commercial Officer, Novartis
Reshema Kemps-Polanco is the Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Novartis US, the US operations of the global biopharmaceutical company Novartis AG. Novartis is an innovative medicines company. With 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, Kemps-Polanco has extensive healthcare business leadership knowledge sales and marketing expertise, and a demonstrated ability to oversee large commercial organizations across multiple therapeutic areas.
She began her career at Novartis in sales and held management positions of increasing responsibility, including leading the US commercial team’s marketing strategy for its leukemia franchise and as the US brand leader for its osteoporosis therapy. Before rejoining Novartis in 2021, Kemps-Polanco held several leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson from 2014 until 2021, most recently serving as president of Janssen US Cardiovascular & Metabolism and Janssen Pharmaceuticals Puerto Rico, where she was responsible for developing and delivering the business strategy and driving the growth initiatives for these businesses.
Kemps-Polanco is a board member of the Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC), a coalition of chief executives focused on policies that make quality healthcare accessible to all Americans. She is a member of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) Global Advisory Board and the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. Kemps-Polanco has been a board member since January 2024. Kemps-Polanco earned an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Rutgers Business School, an MA in Industrial and Organizational Behavior and Development from Louisiana Tech University, and an undergraduate degree in social work from the University of Louisiana Monroe.
34). Alice Ferreira
Senior VP, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, Webster Bank
Executive leader with more than 25 years of financial services and healthcare experience in strategic corporate communications and marketing. Recognized for engaging style and for cultivating high performance with national teams. A relationship builder and highly effective communicator who can influence and build consensus with key stakeholders and partners across organizations. A “system thinker” who has succeeded in leading and executing within complex, highly matrixed organizations. Advisor to multibillion company CEOs and C-suite executives on all aspects of company positioning, and strategic partnerships that delivered on impactful, measurable results that enhanced reputation, increased employee engagement, and drove company growth.
Before her current role, Ferreira was the vice president of communications at UnitedHealthcare. Previously, she worked at Health Net as the director of corporate communications. Before entering the corporate world, she gained experience in public relations as the assistant director of public relations at Sacred Heart University. She also worked as a marketing coordinator for The New York Times Magazine Group, where she supported promotional golf events in the Northeast region. Ferreira earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business and Managerial Economics and an MBA from Sacred Heart University.
Ferreira has won numerous awards for the company’s business and corporate responsibility efforts. Since joining Webster, the company has ranked in the top 10 for “Most Reputable Bank” by Rep Trak. Also, under her leadership, PR Week magazine named Webster the best in-house team in 2021.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Alice is the chair of the Fairfield County Alumni Association for Sacred Heart University and a member of its executive board. For over 20 years, she has been a board member of the American Red Cross of Connecticut and Rhode Island. In addition, she is the vice president of the Portuguese American Civic League and a member of the Portuguese American Leadership Council of the United States.
36). Lauren Coape-Arnold
Global Head of Citizenship, Apollo Global Management
Executive Director, Apollo Opportunity Foundation
Lauren Coape-Arnold is the Global Head of Citizenship at Apollo Global Management (“Apollo”) and the Executive Director of the Apollo Opportunity Foundation (“Foundation”). At Apollo, Lauren is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive Citizenship program, including philanthropy, volunteerism, and employee engagement across the entire firm. At the Foundation, Lauren is responsible for overseeing the launch, creation, and growth of a strategy to invest more than $100 million over the next decade to expand opportunities for all. Through both efforts, Lauren contributes to advancing Expanding Opportunity, the firm’s intentional, programmatic effort to broaden its pipeline and diversify the financial services ecosystem.
Prior to joining Apollo in 2019, she was a Managing Director and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (“CSR”) at Guggenheim Partners, a Foundation Officer at Two Sigma, and a Director of the Maverick Capital Foundation. Before transitioning into the social sector, Lauren was an associate in Maverick Capital's Investor Relations department and an investment banking analyst at Lehman Brothers.
Lauren was named a New York Business Journal “Woman of Influence” (2016) and a City & State “Responsible 100” (2017); she is a graduate of Echoing Green’s Direct Impact experiential leadership program.
Lauren received her BA magna cum laude in Psychology and French from Amherst College, where she was captain of the Women’s Varsity Squash team, and a member of the Women’s Varsity Soccer team. Lauren also received her MBA from the Yale School of Management. Lauren resides in Greenwich, CT with her husband and two children.
38). Christine Riordan
President, Adelphi University
Christine M. Riordan, PhD, was appointed in 2015 as the 10th president of Adelphi University in New York and the first woman to hold the role in the University’s 127-year history. Dr. Riordan is an established expert in leadership, team building, career success, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is also a seasoned and respected board member in the corporate and nonprofit sectors.
Dr. Riordan’s vision has transformed Adelphi into a nationally recognized modern metropolitan university. She spearheaded the development of the University’s strategic plan for 2022–2027, Momentum 2, with increasingly innovative goals and thoughtful input from more than 1,400 students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Under her leadership, the University community has grown more diverse than ever and launched more than 50 innovative new academic degree programs. For the sixth year in a row, U.S. News & World Report has named Adelphi a Best College among national universities and a Top Performer on Social Mobility. In 2023, Adelphi received the INSIGHT Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award for the sixth consecutive year.
Dr. Riordan is a respected and experienced board member. For more than eight years, she has served on the board of directors of RE/MAX Holdings Inc. (NYSE: RMAX)—a leading real estate and franchise company—for which she is currently chair of the nominating and governance committee and serves on the compensation committee. She previously served as chair of the board and a member of the executive committee for the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in New York, the association for the more than 100 private colleges and universities in the state. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she co-chaired the Higher Education Restart Task Force to develop reopening guidance for more than 230 New York higher education institutions. She is a trustee, serves on the steering committee, and is vice chair of the Long Island Regional Advisory Council on Higher Education board. She is a member of the Long Island Association (LIA) board of directors, a leading business organization on Long Island. Dr. Riordan is a National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Board Leadership Fellow and the Gold Standard Director Credential.
Her leadership is widely recognized. Dr. Riordan has published 70 academic and business press articles and is authoring a book titled Shift Happens: How to Adapt and Thrive in a Rapidly Changing World of Work. Her work can be viewed at christineriordan.com. Her honors include the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Chief Executive Leadership Award in 2021 and the ATHENA International Leadership Award in 2020. In 2019, Georgia State University honored her as a Distinguished Alumna. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine named her one of the 25 Top Women in Higher Education Who Are Making a Difference in 2018. She has been named Best College President in 2017, 2019, and 2020 by the Bethpage Best of Long Island Awards, and as one of the most influential people on Long Island every year since 2016 by the Long Island Press. Long Island Business News lists Dr. Riordan among its Long Island Business Influencers – Dynamic Women Leaders.
Dr. Riordan received her MBA and a PhD in Organizational Behavior from Georgia State University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in textile engineering (now called materials science engineering) from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
40). Adaora Udoji
VP, Programming & Operations, General Audiences, PBS
A seasoned media professional with a deep background in digital, journalism, and filmmaking, Udoji brings a wealth of knowledge to the role and has lead aspects of programming and business operations, production management, and content strategy around news, public affairs, and independent films across television, radio and digital platforms.
As VP of Programming & Operations, Udoji works with the General Audience Programming team to evolve PBS’s content strategy to extend reach, optimize investments across multiple platforms, and further enable PBS and member stations to compete in an increasingly crowded media environment. Most recently, Udoji led a corporate innovation and venture program team at RLab, which focused on emerging technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and related emerging technologies. Previously, she ran the media-tech startup News Deeply and worked in venture capital.
Udoji’s roots in journalism are deep, having covered some of the most impactful moments in modern history—from the Iraq War to Hurricane Katrina—for outlets such as ABC News and CNN. She previously served as the co-host of New York Public Radio and PRI’s “The Takeaway, ”and has produced several award-winning immersive experiences, short films, and documentaries including “Girl Talk” and “Yemi’s Wedding,” among others, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival and across Google Platforms.
Udoji’s reporting has been recognized by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Awards. She also contributed to a National Press Award, and Peabody Award, and was listed among the top 25 Most Influential African Americans by Essence magazine.
She is an adjunct professor at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program at the Tisch School of the Arts, and serves on the board of Sundance Institute’s IDP, Artizen Board of Directors, the Broadway Accelerator, and the New Museum Board of Advisors. She previously advised the Knight Foundation Journalism 360 Challenge, and SXSW Pitch program, and sat on the Guggenheim Museum Global Innovation Advisory Board and Montclair Film Festival Board.
Udoji holds a Bachelor of Literature, Science, and Art from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law.
41). Sonali Chatterji
Chief Growth Officer, Astreya
Sonali Chatterji, Astreya’s Chief Growth Officer, spearheads strategic growth across industries and services. Astreya is the leading IT solutions provider for some of the world's most recognizable and innovative organizations.
Sonali is an entrepreneurial and purposeful global business leader, focused on propelling top-line growth, strategic business development, and go-to-market strategies in technology organizations. She is experienced in enabling companies to achieve successful exits or go public. She has a proven record in operational delivery and P&L management. She is adept at setting up and optimizing sales forces and establishing robust sales operations to drive sales, expansion, and profitability in both turnaround and growth environments. She is a growth leader and consistent peak performer, distinguished by exceptional relationship management and an unwavering commitment to achieving transformative results.
With a 18-year career marked by profitable revenue growth through holistic digital transformations in IT services, Sonali drives tangible business outcomes for clients. Her expertise spans opening new markets, building robust businesses, leading diverse teams, and managing global operations effectively. Before joining Astreya, she served at Thoughtworks, Infosys, and Genpact, delivering multiple growth agendas across functions, including strategy, marketing, sales, and operations. She has a Master's in Business Administration and a Bachelor's in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Mumbai.
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43). Rabia Talib
Strategic Implementation Manager & VP, Wilmington Trust
Rabia Talib serves as Strategic Implementation Manager & Vice President at Wilmington Trust. Wilmington Trust is a leading provider of Wealth and Institutional services for M&T Bank, one of the 15 largest U.S.-owned, commercial bank holding companies. Talib collaborates with Strategy, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Operations, and Technology teams to execute projects that support the growth of the Global Capital Market business. Monitor business unit performance and provide reporting to Business Unit Management, Scenario Management, Stakeholders, and internal risk committees.
Prior to joining WT, Talib served as assistant vice president for Trust & Agency Services (TAS) at Deutsche Bank. Served as a trusted risk advisor and key point of contact for Trust & Agency Services (TAS) deal management system reconciliation to meet regulatory requirements. Analyzed anti-money laundering (AML) risk and operational issues associated with clients globally and made recommendations to improve the quality of the Know Your Client (KYC) process. Talib is known for strategically driving the solution while being willing to roll up her sleeves and execute to solve important problems. Through this approach, she has developed a deep network of global partners in over 60 countries.
Talib holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Pre-Law from Pace University, Corporate Compliance & Ethics Certification from Charlotte School of Law, Columbia Engineering FinTech Certification from Columbia University, and is a member of the Alpha Beta Gamma (ABT) International Business Honor Society.
44). Mona Dessouki
Chief Marketing Officer, Principal Asset Management
Mona is the Executive Director and chief marketing officer for Principal Asset Management. In this role, she is responsible for driving the development and execution of global marketing efforts across key market segments. Mona brings over 20 years of marketing experience and is a seasoned leader in the industry. Prior to joining Principal, Mona served as executive director of acquisition marketing and digital experience at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. She has also held marketing leadership roles across various industries including technology, retail, and consumer banking. Mona earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from James Madison University and holds an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
45). Tyra Orange
VP, Inclusion & Diversity, TD Securities
Tyra L. Orange, Vice President of Inclusion and Diversity at TD Securities, is a leading force in transforming the financial sector through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). She brings over 15 years of experience working and consulting with C-suite leaders across small, midsize, and large financial services organizations. Her pioneering spirit and strategic vision have fostered inclusive workplaces and driven measurable results.
Tyra played a pivotal role as an inaugural member of the DEI team at Cowen Inc. before its acquisition by TD Securities in 2023. The impact of her early work on inclusivity is undeniable; she co-founded Cowen's first Business Resource Group (BRG), which served as a model for other employee-led communities. Under her leadership, the group flourished, emphasizing professional development, mentorship, and empowerment, inspiring similar initiatives across the company.
Her experience there laid the foundation for her impactful leadership at TD Securities, where she implements a global, data-driven approach to DEI. She collaborates cross-functionally to align organizational strategy and cultivate an inclusive culture firm-wide. Her responsibilities include advising on DEI governance, guiding strategic DEI priorities, managing external partnerships and branding efforts, and actively expanding Business Resource Groups (BRGs). Through these efforts, she creates environments where diverse voices are heard and valued.
Tyra understands the power of a diverse workforce for driving innovation and achieving long-term success. She has pioneered innovative business development and recruiting collaborations aimed at attracting, retaining, and advancing talent.
Her passion for equity and inclusion extends beyond the corporate sphere. As a volunteer DEI advisor at the Sorkin Center, she provided strategic planning guidance to nonprofit executives, empowering them to build more inclusive organizations. This dedication underscores her unwavering commitment to creating a more equitable world.
Holding a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from The City College of New York with a concentration in History, Politics, and Society, Tyra brings a well-rounded perspective to her work. Her love for learning, reading, and travel further fuels her innovative approach to building inclusive workplaces.
Tyra L. Orange is a true leader in the field of DEI, and her dedication and achievements are a testament to her impact on the financial sector and beyond.
47). Stacy Shoemaker Rauen
Editor in Chief & Senior VP, Design Group, Emerald
Stacy Shoemaker Rauen is the Senior Vice President of the Design Group at Emerald, a leading events and media company. At Emerald, she oversees the content for the hospitality portfolio, including Hospitality Design magazine and HD Expo + Conference, Boutique Design magazine, and BDNY, as well as the brands’ regional networking events, forums, and thinktanks, and awards programs. A well-respected and talented editor and writer, Shoemaker Rauen is also the Editor-in-Chief of Hospitality Design magazine, the leading publication for the industry, a position she has held since 2014.
Shoemaker Rauen—who has been with the company for 22 years—is a noted speaker at industry events, and an avid tracker of trends, places, projects, and people. She has been quoted in various respected media outlets including CNBC and the Washington Post. Rauen holds two degrees from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, including a master's in magazine journalism.
View the complete list of awardees.