Photograph by Chichi Ubiña.
Nearly 300 gathered Feb. 29 at the Delamar Greenwich Harbor’s L’escale restaurant for Girls With Impact’s fourth annual gala, celebrating Connecticut’s trailblazers and emerging leaders and anticipating Women’s History Month.
Among them were Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo Inc. in Purchase, named GWI’s 2024 Business Honoree, and Juanita James, a member of Connecticut’s Board of Regents, named the 2024 Advancing Equity in Philanthropy honoree – both of whom overcame challenges to succeed in business.
In her conversation with GWI CEO Jennifer Openshaw, Nooyi called on executives to “focus on young people.”
“We have such a rich pool of potential CEOs,” said Nooyi, a Greenwich resident. “Here’s the issue: We have to make sure we don’t put barriers in their way. We have an extraordinary talent base in women. They’re hungry and want to leave a mark on the world. But we still haven’t learned how to grease the skids for them. We still make it so hard for them to be anybody.
“I know from experience that early education and encouragement can change the course of a young woman’s life,” she added. “That’s the power of Girls With Impact.”
James – a Stamford resident who broke ground at Time Inc. and then Pitney Bowes before becoming president and CEO of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, a position she held for 11 years – was named the 2024 Advancing Equity in Philanthropy Honoree for her early support in securing GWI’s initial seed money.
“I didn’t have a GWI when I grew up,” said James, noting she had to “fight” for roles traditionally held by men.
“Girls With Impact provides the technical skills and confidence these young women need. The system can’t do it. They don’t have the budget or resources. That’s why this organization is so important.”
“These trailblazers demonstrate the power of investing early in young women to unleash their potential and benefit us all,” added Courtney Fandrick, principal and chief compliance officer of Stamford-based Eagle Point Credit, the gala’s presenter. “Eagle Point is proud to partner with an organization that is deeply committed to creating equal opportunity for women in business like GWI.”
The gala raised more than $300,000 to help GWI ensure young women are “ready on day one” for the business world, said Openshaw. Among those young women is Fernanda Giron, 21, a GWI graduate and student at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in Manhattan, who immigrated from El Salvador at 16 to pursue the “American Dream.”
“I wanted to start a business, but when I asked my professor how to get started, he said ‘create a business plan’,” she recalled. “I didn’t know how to create one, and then I found Girls With Impact. It changed my life. I got into FIT and secured $10,000 in scholarships by leveraging my GWI experience – and I’m on my way in building my company, Tiali.”
Girls With Impact operates the nation’s only live, online business program for young women, ages 14 to 24, as a supplemental program or in-school class. Guided by business instructors, students bring real ideas to life and, along the way, learn business fundamentals – from problem solving and critical thinking to technology, finances and public speaking. Many graduates have gone on to receive large college scholarships.
Other business supporters of the nonprofit include Henkel, Lugano Diamonds, Strategic Value Partners, JP Morgan Chase, OakTree Capital, Deloitte, Philip Morris International, Mariner Wealth and Simon Pearce.
For more, visit girlswithimpact.org.
