MICROFINANCE EVENT: Women in Microfinance Career Panel, July 23, 2009 in New York, NY, Organized by WAM-NY

Event Name: Women in Microfinance Career Panel

Date: July 23, 2009

Location: The Carlton Hotel on Madison Avenue, New York, NY

See Our Comprehensive Event Calendar Here: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events

Costs: Free for paying WAM members; $10 for non-members of WAM.

Summary of event: This event features a panel discussion on careers within the microfinance industry. Local women professionals share insights on how to transition to a career in microfinance and explain what opportunities are available for women interested in working in the sector. After the panel, there will be an opportunity to mingle with the speakers and other professionals in the industry.

Panelists:

Michelle Blatt, Human Resources Manager, Women’s World Banking

Michele Blatt joined Women’s World Banking in 2008 as the Human Resources Manager. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Human Resources Management for the WWB Staff and Consultants and ensuring that all HR policies and procedures are compliant with State and Federal Laws. Prior to joining WWB, Ms. Blatt spent the past 12 years working in Human Resources and Recruitment positions with extensive responsibilities in International Recruitment, Employee Relations, Campus Recruitment, Policies and Procedures, Benefits and Compensation. Most recently she was a Manager of Recruitment at a Public Accounting and Consulting firm and has also worked in Human Resources and Recruitment for Louis Vuitton, ABC, Wenner Media, Richard Eisner and Company and Deloitte Consulting. Ms. Blatt holds a B.S. from Binghamton University , SUNY.

Karla Brom, Risk Management Specialist, Independent Consultant

Karla Brom is an international banking and finance expert with over 20 years of experience and a specialization in risk management and corporate governance. She has been advising and training on the topic of microfinance and risk management since 2001, working with Citigroup’s business initiatives in microfinance, the EBRD, the Microfinance Management Institute, Women’s World Banking, Mercy Corps, the Pakistan Microfinance Network, and Banyan Global. She was formerly a Senior VP at Citigroup, where she has seven years of experience as a risk manager, including oversight of Citi treasuries in Central and Latin America . Ms. Brom is an independent consultant and has delivered trainings on financial risk management to over 100 MFIs around the world, including at the Boulder Microfinance training program in Turin. Most recently, she has worked with EFSE to conduct financial risk management assessments and implementation in five transforming MFIs in Bosnia & Herzegovina . Ms. Brom has a BA from Wellesley College and an MA from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Gloriana Guillen, Communications & Marketing Manager, Pro Mujer

Gloriana Guillen has held leadership roles in communications and international development over the last 13 years. She leads Pro Mujer’s communications strategy and oversees marketing, public relations and internal communications. Previous to Pro Mujer, Ms. Guillen worked for Oxfam Great Britain , where responsibilities included launching a communications strategy to engage youth with Oxfam’s work and leading Oxfam’s volunteer program. Prior to this, Ms. Guillen was the Latin America Regional Manager of Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership. During her earlier career, she worked as an anchor and research journalist for Channel 4 News, Channel 15 and Radio Universidad, in Costa Rica. Ms. Guillen holds a Master’s degree in Non-Governmental Organizations and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she was awarded the Chevening Scholarship, a master’s in Film and Electronic Media from American University in Washington , D.C. where she was a Fulbright Scholar, and a bachelor’s in Journalism from the University of Costa Rica .

Moderator:

Jarna Parikh is a dedicated wife and mother, Yoga Teacher for Kids and Social Entrepreneur. After the birth of her child and working over 13 years as a Global Project Manager (teaching and leading) within the corporate world for several prestigious organizations she decided to embrace her dream. She decided to revisit her lifelong passion of yoga. As she devoted more time to the practice of yoga and being a mom it became apparent that she needed to transition out of the corporate environment to a world that is more fulfilling, loving and nurturing. This resulted in the birth of the “Yoga Cubs”. She is driven with a life purpose to connect her passions. Ms. Parikh’s passion is teaching yoga to kids and microfinance. She is currently in the process of creating kids programs throughout the tri-state area. For every child who will enroll in the Yoga Cubs program, a percent will go to an entrepreneur listed on Kiva.org. Her goal is to lead as many yoga programs teaching the young ones and to give to as many entrepreneurs on Kiva.org. She has a deep-seeded passion for Karma Yoga (selfless dedication) which has lead her to pursue a Certificate in Non-Profit Leadership from Manhattanville College . To obtain a better understanding of the non-profit sector, she worked for global organizations such as Seeds of Peace and Friendship Ambassadors Foundation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Economics from Queens College (CUNY).

Background on organizers: The event is organized by Women and Microfinance (WAM-New York), a membership organization whose mission is to support women in the microfinance industry by promoting their professional growth, providing leadership opportunities, expanding professional networks, and inspiring them to achieve and share their successes while maintaining a work/life balance.

Registration: Please RSVP with name, company name, e-mail and phone number to wamnewyork@yahoo.com by close of business on July 22, 2009. Registrations will also be accepted at the door. No direct phone number was provided.

Submit Your Event: http://microfinanceassociation.ning.com/events

By Uyen Tran, Research Assistant

Additional resources:

WAM-NY: home

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