Stacy Cowan founded Urban Legal Recruitment (ULR) in 2005 because of her own experiences in the executive recruitment industry and her determination to do better, both in the service she provides clients and the workplace she helps to create for employees. Stacy highly values integrity, trust, relationships and connection; is exceptionally knowledgeable about the industry and all the players; and possesses a strong work ethic. Her authenticity and understanding of herself and others are foundational to building the trusting relationships she establishes with her clients, candidates, and team members. Stacy’s company was awarded “Most Trusted Legal Recruitment Specialists in 2022” by Canadian Business Awards.

We work with partners, associates in-house legal counsel and legal support. We ensure that each and every employment search is handled with confidentiality and discretion. We build long term, lasting relationships with our clients.

As a woman leader with a passion for mentoring, Stacy strives to always have an open door for other female business owners and makes herself available to aspiring ones. “I believe in the power of “sisterhood,” and I think it’s important that we immerse ourselves in a community of women to share ideas and experiences, support each other and co-create new opportunities and experiences together,” she explains. “Women supporting women has a domino effect; by actively and visibly supporting other women we inspire those around us to follow suit. The Sisterhood is a dynamic and powerful force; one that is readily available for us all to tap into.”

Stacy believes everyone brings their distinctive work styles, independent approaches to life, and savviness in bridging networks and building community connections. She thinks the key to inspiring other women is authenticity and vulnerability. She seeks to empower and inspire other women through telling her story and allowing her authenticity and vulnerability to shine through by openly sharing the challenges, tribulations, and successes she has experienced along the way.

Sharing experiences can lead to success and Stacy feels she found success the minute she started believing in herself and in the power of her potential. “Success doesn’t happen without a rooted belief in the core of one’s heart and soul that you can achieve your dreams. Success is defined differently for everyone, and I believe it’s important to celebrate the little successes and the BIG ones as they have a cumulative effect,” elucidates Stacy. “My best piece of advice would be to eliminate those thoughts of anything other than success. When those self-deprecating, negative thoughts come in, replace them with positive ones and take notice of how much better you feel. Sometimes we forget that we get to choose our thoughts, just the same way we get to choose what we have for breakfast in the morning.”

According to this steadfast leader, expanding on the term leader is important. Leadership is more than a role – it’s a responsibility and it happens at all levels regardless of title. While formal leaders within an organization are clearly visible and have defined accountabilities, informal leaders often emerge organically and can significantly impact the organization. “As women, we need to recognize and support women who are both informal and formal leaders. As businesswomen, when we stand together in solidarity and take the time to support the growth and success of other women through sharing resources, wisdom, and building trusting relationships. It is through these valuable connections that we evolve the workplace for all women (and men),” adds Stacy. Armed with such a brilliant ideology, Stacy has been leading the company and the executive legal recruitment industry to new heights.

Urban Legal Recruitment is continuing to evolve the way they serve clients by taking a more mindful and holistic approach. They work with top professionals in the legal industry and are making a more conscious effort to move beyond a simple transactional approach to taking a ‘body, mind, and soul’ one. “We want to elevate the experience for our clients and team members to honour everything they are and help them achieve their purpose,” says Stacy. “Our ultimate goal is to create, and model, a soulful workplace where purpose, joy, passion and community are the norm.”

Outside of owning and operating Urban Legal Recruitment, Stacy has a passion for studying epigenetics, health & wellness and healing by utilizing alternative medicines and modalities. Eventually, Urban Legal Recruitment would like to continue expanding its mission by creating an executive retreat center that merges business with wellness and is inclusive of non-traditional personal and spiritual learning experiences, in a confidential and nurturing space. Their vision is to give professionals who want to align their mind, body and spirit a safe haven to do the deep work and uncover more of their gifts while feeling deeply supported in a protected and welcoming space. WL

Martin Mellor ACMA, Senior Finance Management Specialist,

Nottingham Trent University

When your business is first starting out, accounting tasks may initially be conducted by your core staff, with managers or even general office staff taking the reins of your day-to-day financial responsibilities. However, as your business grows and your accounts get more complicated, you’ll soon find that you need to employ skilled staff to deal with these matters – but where do you start?

I’ve put together a general guide for building an internal finance department, helping you to decide what roles you may need to advertise and fill in order to keep on top of the growing pressures of your financial management, and stay focused on what you set out to do – running the business.

Basic accounting roles
The first job that you may need to assign to a specific member of staff is bookkeeping. This role consists of the everyday recording of basic accounting data, such as raising sales invoices and recording purchase invoices and cash receipts/payments into your accounting software system, and keeping accurate, reconciled totals for monthly/quarterly and annual figures. They may also take care of petty cash, and the figures they collate can then be used for your VAT returns and to maintain an overview of your financial performance. Most good bookkeepers don’t cost the earth and they can be worth their weight in gold!

Perhaps one of the most important jobs in any business is to take care of accounts payable/accounts receivable – ensuring that you get money in from customers and that suppliers or contractors get paid on time.

Last but by no means least is payroll staff – a person or persons responsible for managing employee wages, and ensuring that their tax, pensions, National Insurance contributions, holiday pay and accrued overtime are all accounted for and included in their salary calculations. Payroll staff are also responsible for managing the actual payment of employee wages, but with payroll software this can probably done in addition to the tasks above – at least initially

Higher level accounting roles
Once you’ve got the basics covered off, you may find that you need to employ further skilled staff to manage other financial functions within your growing SME, such as:

1.Accounting manager – someone who oversees the core accounting staff (as above) and takes care of managing processes and establishing internal accounting and auditing policies and controls to avert fraud, protect the business and make sure you stay in line with statutory and compliance requirements.

2.Credit controller – this is a step up from the role of accounts payable/receivable, and involves making decisions regarding customer credit, managing creditor debts, checking credit ratings, arranging terms and conditions of credit contracts, negotiating payments of overdue debts and starting recovery proceedings where necessary.

3.Procurement/purchasing manager – while not a ‘pure’ finance function per se, a procurement specialist can help to support the finance team by identifying, comparing and liaising and negotiating with suppliers in order to secure goods or services at the best price, helping you manage your expenditures and budgets.

4.Treasury manager – not all businesses require a treasury manager, but they can be a real asset to the team if you need support with investment opportunities, banking relationships, maximising credit facilities and minimising costs and fees associated with financing.

5.Financial controller – once your business reaches a certain level of growth, it could pay to bring in a financial controller to join the team. They deal with immediate financial management issues, and also manage deeper-level accounting tasks, such as reporting and analysis, budgeting and project management, working with other senior personal to streamline your operations.

6.Finance Director perhaps the final piece of the jigsaw is to take on a full time FD (see below, outsourcing is a great stepping stone). The FD can become a valuable member of the management team helping to set the strategy and identify opportunities for growth, acquisitions and investments.

Outsourced services to support your accounts department
Depending on your current and changing requirements, you may, at some stage, need to bring in the services of financial manager or director who can pull together the information provided by the various roles outlined above for a more strategic level of support.

Karen Youger’s ability to problem solve is one of her greatest assets. She can look at the big picture and the desired result, analyze the workflow steps that need to be altered, and get down into the details, so the new processes are setting us up for the future. In her role, she develops workflow solutions to solve business issues in our sales pipeline. These changes vary from simple adjustments to meet client needs to new process integrations or system changes. She is also constantly watching for the next project or industry changes to prepare the workflow and the team for the challenges ahead. Karen has been in the broadcast industry for 31 years and has a background in Marketing, News, Traffic, Research, and Programming. She built her first centralized hub in 2003 and has built two since that time. She graduated with an MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from Northern Kentucky University in 2003.

“Gray Television (NYSE: GTN and GTN.A) is a leading digital media and broadcasting company, owning and operating top ranking local news stations, digital and mobile platforms in 102 markets across the United States.”

Karen is very dialed into the needs of women in today’s workplace. She can identify talent early and create regular dialogue about the path. She is always tapping into many different points of view to draw from. “Remember if you are doing your best, communicating clearly your objectives, successes and challenges; you are being noticed, and more importantly, be a great partner for those around you. As a leader you win when the team wins,” advises Karen. “I have been very lucky to work with and for some of the most amazing leaders in broadcasting including here at Gray Television. The best example I can give you of a servant leader is Pam Taylor. I didn’t work directly for Pam but I spent a great deal of time with her in meetings and around our offices. Pam was the COO of Local TV LLC and ran her department, from my experience, with humility and care for her staff and the company. She treated everyone around her with respect and always remembered to thank everyone for their efforts. I always felt an important part of her team and I strive to do that in my own life both professionally and personally.”

Currently, Karen is working with another amazing leader here at Gray, Sandy Breland, one of our Senior Vice Presidents of Local Media. Sandy is a great example of strong leadership and is respected by everyone who works with and for her. Armed with such strong qualities, Karen has been leading the company towards great heights.

Since Karen joined the company, Gray has undergone massive growth, more than doubling in size. Karen has created systems that work for the ever-expanding network but stayed true to the individualism Gray affords its local affiliates, “the national sales in house is the biggest differentiator and by representing ourselves in the national marketplace has made us stronger as a company. It is important to make efficiencies of the routine so there is room to individualize the points important to our clients and partners,” she adds. “Assessing the workflow objectively isn’t always easy but is crucial to the success of the project. At the end of the day, we care about the communities we work and live in across the country. We take our responsibility seriously and work to make a difference through our work and coverage every day. That attitude and work ethic can be felt across our company in the way we do business.”

Karen, along with partners Becky Meyer, SVP National Sales, and Mike Jones, VP Political, worked to move Gray away from the national rep services model prevalent in our industry and established a more direct customer service-focused national sales workflow in our markets. After six years, our national business is healthy, and we have great relationships with our partners in that space. Great customer service is very important within Gray.

Whether it is an internal or external customer, getting things right and meeting their needs in a timely fashion is paramount to our success. IEWL

Marketing with AI: the next leap into the future

I work with millennials. Call them what you will, but in my experience, the millennials I work with are some of the most brave, creative and intelligent people I know. Recently, while in a text conversation…

Engrail Therapeutics has a precision neuroscience focus to develop new treatments for psychiatric and neurological disorders. As Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Kimberly Vanover’s role is paramount to the company’s success. She leads the team by drawing on decades of scientific, clinical development, and regulatory experience. While her scientific drive and rigor are critical to Engrail’s programs’ success, underscoring the pipeline’s quality, she must lead with creativity and mental skill to navigate challenging developmental situations. Kim has an open, honest, and straightforward engagement style that includes diverse viewpoints. This sets the tone for robust debate and informed decision-making. An optimist at heart, she drives programs forward with a plan-for-success mentality. Her passion for science, clarity around development strategy, and vision for a product profile have transformed Engrail into a high-performing development organization pursuing the unified goal of making patient lives better.

At Engrail Therapeutics, Kim regularly meets with female scientists to provide mentorship. Moreover, She is a Fellow in one of the leading professional organizations of brain scientists and the Chair of its Liaison Committee. In this role, she fosters research, education, and advocacy for mental illness and treatment. She has been working to increase diversity, including increasing participation by women in mental health research.

On a personal level, Kim supports women-owned businesses as much as possible. “I make a particular effort to do the research and put my purchasing dollars into women-owned small businesses, particularly Black, Brown, Indigenous, Melanated People (BBIMP)-owned businesses,” she says.

We are a neuroscience company forging a new direction to reduce the enormous burden of diseases that impact the nervous system. At our core, we unite biological insights with clinically meaningful solutions to build and catalyze a diversified portfolio of transformative medicines. Harnessing our rigorous scientific approach to identify the most promising therapies, we leverage our flexible transaction model to advance assets with validated mechanisms and efficiently move them through development to commercialization.

Kim starts encouraging her team by asking the Why question. “My father was a construction superintendent. He told me that if you want to have your team dig a ditch, that they will dig harder and faster if they know why they are digging. Rather than say, ‘I need you to dig a ditch 5 feet deep and 3 feet wide, starting here and I’ll tell you when to stop.’ Tell them, ‘We are building a house. A family will live here. They need to have plumbing that will start here; this will be the kitchen, and go to here and the sooner you get the ditch finished, the sooner we can put in the pipes, and the sooner the family can move in.’ My father’s jobs were completed quickly, he was promoted, and eventually ran his own company.”

In drug development, Kim and her team’s ‘why’ is the individual who may benefit from their drug therapy. “No matter how challenging my day may seem, it is nothing compared to the challenges of individuals living with serious mental illness or neurological disorders. I work to overcome the hurdles and progress the programs, knowing that the treatments I help develop may improve the lives of others. This is what I try to instill in my team.”

The company’s core approach to drug development at Engrail is to leverage the clinical and regulatory probability of success for programs that have a deep neurobiological validation together with attractive commercial potential for addressing unmet needs for the treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders.

Their biggest achievement thus far was bringing in their very first drug in development, which they call ENX-101. This drug was originally discovered years back but, for various reasons, didn’t progress in development at the pace it could have. “We acquired the rights to this drug and immediately invested millions of dollars and time to generate data to get it back in clinical development. You could say we rescued it. Most importantly, we are developing it now as rapidly as possible so that it can benefit patients.”

Engrail was founded with the intent of becoming a leading neuroscience company. To that end, they are working hard to advance their drugs through the development process to ultimately help millions of patients suffering from epilepsy, anxiety, depression, and other diseases. Founded recently in 2019, they are currently in high-growth mode and Kim believes that will continue for several more years. “Our team is incredibly diverse at 50:50 male:female and representing multiple cultures and countries. Seventy percent of the team has a doctoral degree and more than eighty-five percent have a strong background in the neurosciences,” explains Kim. “I think that the mix we have of great drugs in development, our growth mindset, and talented team will ultimately lead us to our long-term aspiration.” WL

Meet a centenarian – not our featured businesswoman, but the company she works for. Renfro Brands boasts a 100-year history and has demonstrated a remarkable capacity to pivot with market changes. The company is one of the oldest and largest sock companies in the world with over 22 brands. Kelly DeMeester is the Vice President of Global Business Strategy. Kelly and her team focus on Renfro’s future expansion to include acquisitions, new licenses, brand portfolio management, market intelligence, and new products.

Diversification, consumer connectivity, and velocity to achieve financial goals are driving objectives for the next 100 years. Diversification in a robust sock brand portfolio and branching into non-sock categories are company goals. The company intends to add new brands – licensed, acquired, and created – in socks and other categories. Notably, Renfro has garnered success as a gold-standard partner for sock design, manufacture, and sales. After many years of wholesaling, Renfro Brands is determined to directly connect with consumers. This is important as Renfro develops its own brands, and serves as a seamless extension of license partners. Velocity, or directed speed, is imperative to these goals. The company’s CEO has urged and empowered faster decision-making and trials.

“Renfro’s socks and adjacent products are silent partners that accompany consumers throughout the day for almost any activity: a daily jog, a job interview, trekking Kilimanjaro, recuperating from an injury, and adding an extra spark of personal accessorizing. Renfro’s products genuinely contribute to people’s delight, health, and well-being.”

When it comes to manufacturing and design, Kelly and her group influence innovation. A recent example is Renfro’s response to the onset of covid-19. Renfro’s operations, innovation, and design teams joined Wake Forest Baptist Health in partnership to create a unique face mask. The differentiated design accommodates the contours of people’s faces, has convertible ties, and mitigates glasses from fogging. Renfro reconfigured knitting equipment in two of its domestic manufacturing facilities to make face masks. Within three days of finalizing design, Renfro began the production of millions of masks. The company was an integral part of Winston-Salem’s “Mask the City” campaign and also worked with various universities and businesses to provide face masks.

Renfro is innovative beyond new yarn and fiber technology, sock construction, software, and machinery. Renfro has made a foray into developing new brands. It founded a health-forward lifestyle brand, Nightingale, that focuses on antimicrobial products. The products feature a fiber technology that has continuously active copper ions embedded in the fabric. The first generation of Nightingale products feature antimicrobial fabric sleeves for a consumer’s most-touched everyday items like cell phones. The ionic technology disables the energy-producing capacity of microbes on the antimicrobial sleeve fabric.

One thing that enables Kelly to initiate and finish huge projects is her ability to work across different groups. She works with a lean team and often engages people outside her group for projects. This entails both diplomacy and persuading colleagues of the project’s importance, and sharing objectives and timelines. Kelly attests that a key component of effectively completing major projects is assembling and collaborating with a strong team. She takes pleasure in getting to know colleagues. This quality drives her interest in understanding the mind of the consumer. Another imperative for her is project planning – decision frameworks, work flows, stage-gating, and resource management. It allows her to juggle multiple big projects.

Kelly emphasizes that she is lucky to have many strong female role models. Her circle of inspiring female friends and family members all live full, 360-degree lives. They are a source of encouragement, and their goodness and success motivate her.

A broad experience base and a solid education have been invaluable. An Economics degree from University of Virginia and an MBA from Duke provided a solid foundation for business. Paired with professional experience in finance, business start-ups, and consumer goods, Kelly is able to traverse a variety of business needs.

Kelly’s resiliency, ability to strategize and problem-solve, and creativity in using innovation to enhance business have made her one of Industry Era’s 10 Most Admired Women leaders. IEWL

When Banner Health recruited Naomi Cramer, they were looking for someone to bring a fresh perspective to the organization. Naomi was coming from the retail industry, and admits she had a great deal to learn about the health care sector. But always open to new ideas, a quick learner, and someone that genuinely cares for people, are all traits that Naomi has used to propel Banner Health to become an employer of the future and stay a step ahead of the competition.

Working her way from middle management to senior leadership positions in her retail career wasn’t without its challenges for Naomi, her husband and their children. As she was being promoted, Naomi was relocated to five different cities and her positions required extensive travel. “I had the courage to say that I wasn’t willing to give up my family to achieve my career and I’m grateful that I had a mentor and boss that could help me do both,” she said.

Naomi said her mantra has always been to be your best self and your true self. “I tell those that I’m mentoring to focus not on their weaknesses but on their strengths, and to love their teams,” she said. “That’s a shift for me because I grew up with a great mother who was a perfectionist. It wasn’t until after I had my first daughter, who has a disability, that I realized how ’perfect‘ really is imperfect. I’ve come to realize that you need to be your best self and rejoice in the perfection of imperfection.”

Naomi’s inspiration is her paternal grandmother who grew up with little means in a home with 15 siblings and no running water. Despite having a difficult life, Naomi said her grandmother was grateful for everything, and full of optimism and joy. Her example taught Naomi important lessons about family, love, and hard work that have helped her develop into the leader she is today.

Naomi also learned a lot as she advanced in her career. “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my career is when a woman is direct, it’s looked upon differently than when a man is direct,” she said. “I’ve also learned if you soften a message too much, it can lose its meaning. So, I cultivate relationships first, so people know you’ve got their best interest at heart. Then when you’re clear and direct, they know it’s with good intentions.”

Naomi’s team helps Banner Health grow by focusing on its internal customers. “Our team wins Banner’s Customer Obsessed Award every year and I’m very proud of that,” she said. It shows that we can serve our team so that they can, in turn, serve our patients. My team is very engaged and that’s really quite a statement given the volume of work and customers they serve.”

Naomi is also very proud of the innovative programs they are implementing, including a transparent approach to career planning, a career development model, and flexible work schedules.

The mission of Banner Health is to make health care easier, so life can be better. Over the years, Banner Health has become a trusted name in the communities it serves. The company is focused on growing its reach and impact by providing care to customers when and how they need it. Throughout the pandemic, Banner Health saved more than 42,000 lives and administered more than 400,000 vaccines and, at the same time, still managed to grow its business.

Today’s patients want convenience in health care and will select more efficient options to meet their needs when given a choice. Banner Health is committed to offering greater accessibility and comfort, whether in person or online. “Our newer facilities are open extended hours to accommodate the busy lifestyles of our customers and we’re offering a wider variety of medical services, all under one roof,” Naoimi said. “It’s all about creating a great customer experience with a ’yes’ mindset. As we emerge from the pandemic, we believe we are well-positioned for continued growth. We are truly becoming one of the nation’s leaders in health care.” IEWL

Banner Health

Management

Naomi Cramer
Senior Human Resources Executive of Banner Health

Description

Headquartered in Arizona, Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the country. The system owns and operates 28 acute-care hospitals, Banner Health Network, Banner – University Medicine, academic and employed physician groups, long-term care centers, outpatient surgery centers and an array of other services; including Banner Urgent Care, family clinics, home care and hospice services, pharmacies and a nursing registry. Banner Health is in six states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada and Wyoming.

Dorothy Di Stefano, Global Thought Leader, Immersive Art’s approach is always to put the artist, their work, and the experience first and foremost at the center of any project. In that sense, the focus is not on the brand promotion of an individual (artist, project, or organization) but on the experience and meaning for people to actively contribute to their imagination.

Dorothy has continually drawn inspiration from the artists she works with, who dedicate their time, money, and livelihoods to their vocations. According to her, the artists see the world from outside society. Generally, they see beauty, hurt, and wonder, and they try to capture it; to share the wonder, awe and imagination. “I see my role as helping to not only raise the profile of art globally, making it accessible to everyone but importantly, to highlight the creators of these moments of pure magic,” says Dorothy, who, armed with such unique ideology, has been taking the company to new heights.

The steadfast leader says that working at the intersection of art and technology, having a vision for future trends and markets is very important. Originally, Molten Immersive Art was an animation and video projection studio focused on creating for the arts industry. As with any industry diluted by global expansion, Dorothy was looking for the ‘next step,’ which came from a keynote speaker talking about the power of experiences. “I think it was the idea of experiences rather than just content creation that sparked the shift. So now we work with researchers, institutions, governments, and corporations worldwide to create narrative-based ground-breaking concepts. Along the way, we have curated an incredible and extensive network of the world’s best artists with which we collaborate to make concepts a reality.”

Apart from obviously being extremely passionate about lifting the profile of art and artists, Dorothy became aware of cultures around the world where art is not separated as a commodity but just a part of everyday life. In fact, it is so infused in people’s lives they don’t even have a word for ‘art,’ and that captured her. For Dorothy, the ‘strategy’ has always shifted the paradigm. “My job is to argue for the intangible value of experiences and the importance of art and how it resonates with a target audience,” says Dorothy. “In a globalized world where there is no shortage of content available, what becomes precious is authenticity. I am driven by my desire to make art accessible to everyone, to promote and highlight the incredible projects of my talented friends, colleagues, and artist communities – the people who inspire me.”

As a keen observer, Dorothy is extremely happy with how the integrated communities of art, technology, and business are coming together to make things bigger than themselves. Moving from production to concept design has been a significant shift here, and she gets such a buzz from connecting with amazing talent from all over the world. “It’s not about my profile, but I am proud of accomplishing a voice that can speak loudly for others, and that is resonating with people.”

It is pertinent to mention that in the end, Dorothy doesn’t think art or meaning or human expression should be sprinkled on top of everything else in life that’s ‘important.’ It is essential in its own right. Great art makes meaning for those who make it and those who absorb it. “I choose to make it vital in as much as I can for as many people as possible. My aim is to change the conversation so that art is not only accessible to everyone but an integral part of everyday life,” adds Dorothy.IEWL

Immersive Art

Management

Dorothy Di Stefano
Global Thought Leader at Immersive Art

Description

It straddles the boundaries of multi-discipline artistic experiences across ALL the senses. MOLTEN are the node, the nexus and the connecting point of artists from across the globe creating awe-inspiring world-class experiences.

Caroline Wilson is altruistic, and her driving force for a clear vision and business model mirrors the achievements of the world-famous chocolate-maker and philanthropist George Cadbury and his gift of houses in Bournville, Birmingham.

Contrary to popular belief, Bournville was conceived for people from a wide range of backgrounds and not just workers of the chocolate factory.

George Cadbury found people were buying up arts and crafts homes in the early development of Bournville to sell on for huge profits, so he started building homes for rent at a fair amount.

Caroline Wilson is the modern-day George Cadbury and is a formidable force in a male-dominated industry, balancing her passion with a clear business strategy to build high-quality properties, providing homes for local families with secure tenancies at fair rents constructed in-house a local direct-employed workforce.

Current trends within the UK housebuilding market are moving towards cheaper modern construction methods whereby houses are mostly timber frame and made in kit form, off-site in giant factories. Caroline is determined to remain true to her vision for quality and only builds in a traditional style with bricks and mortar.

Not only concerned with the quality of the finished product, but Caroline has also strived to create developments with green credentials, producing biodiversity net gains and homes which are energy efficient and low cost to run.

Discussing her challenges, Caroline says male dominance in the construction industry. From contractors, site trades, and industry leaders, male dominance is hard to ignore. “I’m Taiwanese and an Accountant by training. Establishing a team who bought into my vision of building high quality and design led developments was a challenge,” she explains. “I was determined to establish a workforce who respected me for my vision, construction knowledge and business drive, but also shared the enjoyment of training young local people and could take pride in their work.”

Working within a male-dominated environment has taught her always to be her authentic self, be kind and be mindful not just to adopt the styles of what a leader should look like or mirror other successful male peers. “I’m straight talking, lead with compassion and a strong resolve, while always being open minded to learn daily from others,” adds Caroline. “I’ll always ensure promotions within my businesses are based on merit. As part of this commitment, we offer flexible working environments and part-time options to afford the same opportunities for working parents.”

Caroline personally mentors female members of the management team. They subscribe to female peer-to-peer organizations, such as Women in Planning, to support fellow female business owners and critical female personnel within other organizations. She has recently teamed up with Gordan Moody to help fund the world’s first women’s residential gambling addiction treatment centre. “It was a great privilege to facilitate the project and an amazing day when I attended the graduation of a cohort of women with gambling addictions.”

With the benefit of over a decade of mindfulness training and research, Caroline has created her mindfulness leadership training program, which includes training in the art of meditation. The program is based around a cascade mentoring process that inspires and empowers team members throughout the business at every level.

Caroline is clear in her vision for Ruskin. She empowers her team by building relationships with a strong group identity but fully understanding the needs and perspectives of both staff and tenants.

She allows all staff to reach their full potential by fostering an environment where creativity and new ideas are welcomed, but she also seeks to understand the motivations and obstacles of others to understand their needs better whilst always balancing empathy with honesty.

A reverse mentoring system allows feedback and ideas to be shared throughout the business.

Caroline’s philanthropic work seeks specific causes to support rather than organizations. Having identified children and education as a cause to support, Caroline has recognized that supporting a range of organizations will cover more needs. A peer-to-peer mentoring system is in place for all groups and organizations which the Foundation supports.

“Although we have won a number of industry awards for design, planning and regeneration, the biggest achievement for Ruskin is the impact to local people – both young staff and our tenants through our social enterprise model,” she elucidates. WL

For most people, hiring a lawyer is something they never expect to do. But when circumstances require hiring legal counsel, you want a lawyer who will listen to your concerns and help you navigate the complexities of civil litigation.

Meet Erika Bornstein, law firm partner and legal advocate extraordinaire. The steadfast leader has an impressive career; before launching Bornstein & Bornstein Law Group with her partner, she was an insurance defense attorney for one of the largest insurance companies in California. Erika amassed years of experience defending the insurance company and their policy holders. She has litigated hundreds of cases and represented her clients in mediations, arbitrations, and jury trials. Erika brought her wealth of experience and proficiency to her practice, where she represents clients involved in personal injury and real estate claims. She brings her expertise and dedication to every case she litigates, and she has garnered significant settlement awards as well as trial verdicts in favor of her clients. “It’s simple. Every day I work to be better. A better human being, a better lawyer for my clients, a better leader for my firm, a better citizen for my community,” she says.

Erika is also proud to be a staunch feminist and a hierophant for women’s rights. Erika supports gender equality and has committed herself to advocating for representation. Erika believes women must unapologetically occupy and own their professional space. Erika is dedicated to supporting women-owned businesses, hiring and promoting women in her practice, mentoring women who are finding their footing and encouraging others to do the same.

As a principal in her firm, Erika believes it is essential to cultivate an environment at Bornstein & Bornstein Law Group where ideas are appreciated and valued, and everyone takes accountability for successes and failures. Above all, she knows that a good leader is one who leads by example. The pioneering leader fosters a workplace where transparency, openness, and communication are crucial by ensuring her team is focused on growth, development and success for Borstein & Bornstein Law Group’s clients.

“When people ask me what I do, I say, “Whatever it takes.” It’s that mindset that brought about the launch of Bornstein & Bornstein Law Group. We work hard, and we don’t stop until we win for our clients. There is us, and then there is everybody else,” says Erika. “Integrity is my compass. Doing the right thing isn’t about being a female or a male leader, but simply about being a leader. I worked in sales prior to coming to the law, and I remember how difficult it was to get noticed or promoted because my field was a perpetual “Boy’s Club.” Like most successful women, I had to work twice as hard to get half the recognition of my male colleagues.” She remembers interviewing for an internal promotion, and at the end of her interview, Erika asked the sales director when he planned to make his decision. “He looked me square in the face and dismissively said ‘I’m not going to hire you.’” A few months later, he was accused of sexual harassment by a female colleague,” adds Erika. “The lesson? Sometimes a no is better than a yes. Every open door isn’t always an opportunity. Sometimes the doors that close are the ones that give you the path to advance.”

Being passionate about the law and armed with her commitment to never stop improving, Erika makes it a point to keep her finger on the pulse of the legal sector. “The Law is a moving target, and at Bornstein & Bornstein Law Group we are always doing our research. Our practice caters to the Bay Area, and covers over nine counties. We are always on the job. Trends come and go but at Bornstein & Bornstein Law Group we don’t get ready because we stay ready,” elucidates Erika.

Bornstein & Bornstein Law Group is the culmination of erudition and experience. They remain receptive to new ideas and are flexible and highly adaptable. But at the end of the day, Erika and her team know there are no shortcuts, their clients win because they put in the work. Bornstein & Bornstein Law Group is growing exponentially. “Our clients love us because we respect them, honor their trust in our work, and we get them great results! We plan to continue to grow and expand so that we can provide excellent advocacy for our clients and future clients. Our firm believes in justice, and we work hard to build a practice that honors the rule of law, and implements fairness and equity for all,” she says. WL