For the 14th consecutive year, She Runs It (formerly Advertising Women of New York), is hosting its annual awards event to celebrate 23 marketing and media leaders as Working Mothers of the Year. This year also marks the inaugural year of a new recognition: Outstanding Companies for Working Mothers.
The five 2018 corporate honorees are 72andSunny, Carmichael Lynch, Periscope, Starcom and T3. Winners were chosen for activating policies and practices to create a supportive environment for mothers who want to excel as parents and as corporate and community leaders. The selection criteria focused on the number of women in leadership and client-facing roles, the scope of paid/flexible leave that companies provide to new mothers, and overall benefits related to maternity and motherhood.
“In our 14 years of evaluating submissions for working mothers of the year, we have been profoundly inspired by the nominees, plus we gained a lot of visibility into corporate practices and programs, many of them initiated by the women who were being put forward,” said Lynn Branigan, President and CEO of She Runs It. “It became increasingly clear that the culture and environment a company fosters to support working parents is critical to individual success.'”
The 2018 Working Mothers of the Year were selected from a total of 250 nominations and are recognized in three categories: Trailblazer Moms are categorized as pioneers of working motherhood. They began combining work and family at least 18 years ago and have held leadership positions while raising their children. The Trailblazer winners are:
- Donna Bourke – Senior Sales Executive, Pandora
- Kim Kadlec – Global Marketing Platforms, VISA
- Madeline Park – Chief of Talent + Operations, Y&R
- Donnalyn Smith – President, North America, Momentum Worldwide
- Lisen Stromberg – COO + Partner, The 3% Movement
New-to-Motherhood Moms achieve balance in their lives and are strong role models for their associates at work and their children at home. Their children are 6 years or younger, and they seek innovative approaches to work/life balance. These winners include:
- Rebecca Grossman-Cohen – VP, Audience + Platforms, The New York Times
- Deborah Curtis – VP, Global Partnerships, American Express
- Michelle Freyre – President, U.S. Beauty, Johnson & Johnson
- Michele Prota – Global Chief Talent Officer, KBS
- Liz Ritzcovan – Chief Revenue Officer, Bazaarvoice
- Beth Superfin – SVP, Content Partnerships, Turner Portfolio Strategy & Solutions
Established Moms have an oldest child between the ages of 7 and 17. These women thrive on their busy lives and have positively impacted other working mothers with their skills at achieving work-life balance. The Established Mom winners are:
- Allison Aaron – Deputy Managing Director, Zeno Group
- Ilana Casser – SVP, Integrated Media, 360i
- Julie DeTraglia – Head of Ad Sales Research, Hulu
- Jean Freeman – Chief Executive Officer, Zambezi
- Kim Getty – President, Deutsch Los Angeles
- Karla Knecht – President + Chief Client Officer, Starcom USA
- Lorie McCarthy – SVP + General Sales Manager, Turner Sports
- Catherine Patterson – Director of Innovation, Y&R
- Deana Singleton – GM, Global Advertising, Microsoft
- Deidre Smalls-Landau – EVP + Global Chief Cross-Cultural Officer, UM
- Rachel Spiegelman – Chief Executive Officer, Pitch
- Michele Thornton Ghee – SVP, BET Networks, Viacom
The 2018 Working Mothers of the Year were honored on February 26th, during an awards luncheon at Cipriani on 42nd St., New York.
