| | CAREER OUTLOOK
Sheena Wright
President and CEO Abyssinian Development Corp.
Wright’s education in finance began as she worked on business law and private equity issues at, respectively, two of New York City’s leading law firms. Later, at a black-owned software company, the Columbia College and Columbia Univer- sity School of Law graduate saw firsthand the difficulty that minority organizations
have raising capital. Such experience attracts attention. In 2002, Abyssinian Development Corp. (ADC) hired Wright as chief operating officer of the non-profit community and economic development organization “dedicated to building the human, social and physical capital” in Harlem, New York. Reverend Calvin O. Butts, the leader of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church, founded ADC in 1989. Wright, a native New Yorker, is guided by the corporation’s motto: “Believe, Build, Empower.” During her tenure, ADC built Harlem’s first high school in 50 years, the Thurgood Marshall Academy for Learning and Social Change, and has worked with commu- nity leaders to slow the displacement of low- to moderate- income families. Looking ahead, ADC plans to develop about 200 residential units for homeowners and is planning an additional 33,000 square feet of community use space. The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. sister is also a volunteer at Housing First!, Citizens Union and Bank of America’s National Community Advisory Committee.
Company, CIBA Vision Corporation, Bausch + Lomb’s Oral Care division and Procter & Gamble’s Cosmetics & Fragrance division. Her initial job in marketing was at General Mills. Matthews received a Bachelor of Science degree in metallur- gical engineering and administrative and management science from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Master of Business Administration from the Stanford University Gradu- ate School of Business. Matthews is a member of the Executive Leadership Council.
Midori Kitazawa
Assistant Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, Finance Division Chartis Far East Holdings, American International Group
The hipness quotient of accounting attracted Kitizawa to finance. When she was working as an accounting clerk, Kitazawa saw employees from a CPA firm. “There were several female auditors and they looked so professional and so cool. I became determined to be a CPA,” she says. Fast-forward two decades, and
Candace Matthews
Chief Marketing Officer Amway
Direct selling may not be retail, but the success of Amway makes many retailers jealous. That’s fine with Matthews; she’ll just keep pushing the global marketing team strategy out to the more than 80 countries where Amway operates with its 14,000 employees and three million salespeople. The Amway product line
includes more than 450 nutrition, beauty, home care and personal care products. The areas Matthews oversees in the company are comprised of beauty, wellness and home care, global Amway brand, and consumer and market insights. The former president of the consumer products division of SoftSheen-Carson, which is owned by L’OREAL USA, also manages Amway’s corporate citizenship and corporate communications. She joined the company four years ago. Prior to that, she had held senior-level posts at the Coca-Cola
34 WOMENOFCOLOR | SPRING 2011
Kitazawa is in her element. She ensures that all reporting companies in the Far East region comply with AIG policy and U.S. general accepted accounting principles and that all financial data sent to New York for Chartis and AIG financial statements are prepared properly. Fluent in English and Japanese, she coordinates among the reporting offices so that all work is done accurately and completely. The pinnacle of such skill is Kitazawa’s proudest professional achievement. She ran a successful audit in New York City for non-Japanese clients with non-Japanese team members. Prior joining AIG, she used her noteworthy experience in positions of increas- ing responsibility in Japan and the United States at compa- nies including a subsidiary of KPMG, Arthur Anderson LLP and Mitsubishi Trust & Banking Corp.
Ann Nanda
Senior Regional Vice President AXA Distributors LLC AXA Equitable
As a leader in AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company’s (AXA) wholesale Third-Party Distribution Channel, Nanda has a keen eye on the bottom line. She is responsible for raising awareness about the firm’s life insurance product portfolio to independent life insurance agents, banks and financial planners; so that
www.womenofcolor.net
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56