Women's Venture Fund honorees at the 2012 Defining Moments Gala

Oct. 25, 2012 - PRLog -- Women’s Venture Fund Honors Exceptional Women  For Their Leadership and Business Accomplishments    

NEW YORK, NY — The Women’s Venture Fund, Inc. (WVF) has announced the recipients of its
16th Annual “Defining Moments” Award that celebrates the success and empowerment of women entrepreneurs.

This annual award recognizes exceptional women business executives who can point to the defining moments in their lives that helped them to forge their paths to positions of leadership. The 2012 honorees are (see bios at end):

Linda Alvarado, President and CEO, Alvarado Construction, Inc.
Gina Boswell, Executive Vice President, Personal Care North America, Unilever
Mary Giuliani, Founder, Mary Giuliani Catering + Events
Maureen Sullivan, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Women’s Content & Lifestyles, AOL

“These exceptional women serve as role models for our clients who are encouraged to reach their own business goals,” said Maria Otero, WVF’s Founder and President. The organization supports women entrepreneurs through training, coaching and micro loans. "In addition to their daily responsibilities, our honorees continue to mentor and pave the way for future leaders. The Women’s Venture Fund is proud to recognize these inspiring women.”

The 2012 “Defining Moments” corporate sponsors are:  AOL, Goldman Sachs, Alvarado Construction Inc., DirectEdge, Mary Giuliani Catering + Events, Nielsen, NYSE Euronext, Latham & Watkins,
RBC Capital Markets and Unilever.

About the Women’s Venture Fund

Founded in 1994, The Women's Venture Fund (WVF) is a nonprofit organization that offers courses, business consultations and micro loans to help women establish thriving businesses in urban communities. By troubleshooting specific challenges and encouraging women to share their experiences with other entrepreneurs, WVF is able to expedite the growth of businesses participating in our programs. To date, Women’s Venture Fund has impacted the lives of more than 13,000 women. To learn more about Women’s Venture Fund, visit: http://www.wvf-ny.org/.

(See next page for bios of honorees)

2012 “Defining Moments Honorees”

Linda Alvarado, President and CEO, Alvarado Construction, Inc.

Armed with her mother’s philosophy of “start small, but think big,” Linda Alvarado began her career as a laborer for a groundskeeper in college, moved into construction management, and formed her own company, Alvarado Construction. She started out pouring concrete for sidewalks and erecting small bus shelters. Now, with more than 35 years of experience in the construction industry, she builds high-rises, hotels, sports arenas, and convention centers as a commercial general contractor, construction manager, developer, designer/builder, and is property manager for multi-million dollar projects across America and internationally. Alvarado’s co-ownership of the Colorado Rockies makes her the first woman and first Hispanic owner in the history of Major League Baseball.

Gina Boswell, Executive Vice President, Personal Care North America, Unilever

Gina Boswell was recently named Unilever’s Executive Vice President, Personal Care of North America.  She is responsible for all brand and marketing activities for the $4.5 billion Personal Care portfolio, which is made up of hair care, deodorant, skin cleansing and skin care categories. Formerly Gina was President, Global Brands for Alberto Culver, which was acquired by Unilever in May 2011, and, prior to that, she was Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Avon North America. Gina serves on the Board of Directors for Manpower Inc. She was named a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute in 2005 and has been honored by a number of leading industry organizations.

Mary Giuliani, Founder, Mary Giuliani Catering + Events

Mary Giuliani and her husband Ryan launched Mary Giuliani Catering + Events in 2005, based on a shared love of entertaining, food and hospitality. Her clients look to her to break traditional entertaining norms and instead bring to life party ideas that are one of a kind, out of the box, playful experiences.  She is the exclusive caterer for J.Crew, Madewell, Christies and Tribeca Film Festival.  Her client roster include The Rolling Stones, Sephora, QVC, Conde Nast, Hearst, Time Inc., Stella McCartney, Fendi, Versace, Warner Brothers, HBO, Universal Pictures and many more.  Her company produces over 600 events a year and Biz Bash honored her as the 2011 “Caterer of the Year.”  

Maureen Sullivan, Senior Vice president & General Manager of Women’s Content & Lifestyles, AOL

As Senior Vice President and General Manager of Women’s Content and Lifestyle Brands, Maureen Sullivan is one of the key leaders at AOL, developing and launching brands that serve women by delivering captivating experiences across style, food, shelter, and lifestyle categories. In this role, Maureen is engaged in building out a portfolio of women’s properties, including Stylelist, Stylelist Home and KitchenDaily. She also launched and oversees MAKERS, an unprecedented digital video and broadcast initiative that bring the stories of exceptional women to life for people everywhere. Prior to AOL, she served as Chief of Staff for Tim Armstrong at Google, where she managed partnership development and business planning.

Contact:
Jessie McNair
jmcnair@wvf-ny.org
212 563-0499