Inspire Them To Be Their Best
by Cindy Solomon
Most of us think of inspiration as the “I Have A Dream” kind of inspiration – someone changing the world for the better or overcoming difficult odds. But really, inspiration isn’t reserved for the special few. Every one of us has the ability to inspire and be inspired. But it takes a catalyst to awaken those reserves and apply them to a greater goal.
That catalyst is you.
Inspiring Woman Leader Spotlight: Maria Tedesco, Citizens Financial Group
Maria Tedesco is Group Executive Vice President & Director of Retail and Business Banking at Citizens Financial Group, Inc., one of the 10 largest commercial banking holding companies in the US ranked by assets. We had the opportunity to meet her at the 2011 MA Conference for Women Small Business Boot Camp when she spoke on behalf of the event’s sponsor, Citizens Bank. Tedesco is responsible for the performance of the retail and business banking businesses. She oversees more than 1,450 traditional and in-store branches and over 500 Business Banking colleagues across the 12-state Citizens Bank/Charter One footprint. We’ve asked her to weigh in on a few questions about being an inspiring woman leader.
Walk Like an Egyptian…In Heels
by Shama Kabani
I never imagined that I would be showing a vivacious young Egyptian woman in a hijab how to stand in heels when making a pitch to investors. (Don’t sway, and walk strategically in the area given.) But, that’s exactly what happened on the last day of the NexGen IT Bootcamp in Egypt, the first event of its kind, sponsored by the U.S. State Department’s Global Entrepreneurship Program, USAID, and the governments of Denmark and Egypt. When Scott Gerber, Founder of the Young Entrepreneur Council (Y.E.C.), first told me that I was the only woman representative from the U.S., I was delighted at the honor. Little did I know that my lesson on how to walk in heels would be just as mesmerizing as my entrepreneurial advice. What followed was a life-changing experience.
Music is Universal, Education Should Be Too
Girls around the world endlessly fascinate me. Although I’m 25, I’m able to develop a bond, and an awareness of their dreams, through social media. I’m focused on girls in my day job, where I tweet for a teen magazine, and after hours, when I’m burning the midnight oil working on She’s the First, a not-for-profit supporting girls’ education, and its benefit concert, GIRLS WHO ROCK.