FWA 2005 Public Sector Woman of the Year
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Maria Otero
Founder and
President
Women's Venture Fund, Inc.
"Enabling New York's Neighborhood Businesses"
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Maria Otero is the founder and president of Women’s Venture Fund, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting women, with limited resources and business track records, to succeed as entrepreneurs. WVF began its work with a special focus on economically distressed communities in the Bronx and Brooklyn, and now has rolled out its various programs throughout New York City and parts of New Jersey. Ms. Otero began the organization in 1994 with the deeply rooted beliefs that “success changes people” and that micro-enterprise development has the potential to alleviate poverty among women living in economically disadvantaged communities.
WVF offers a variety of entrepreneurial training courses ranging from helping a woman prepare to launch a company to offering advanced courses enabling her to develop the skills to expand her firm. Micro-loans are available to those businesses unable to qualify for a conventional bank loan to help them develop. Women’s Venture Fund, through its unique combination of training, micro loans, mentoring and peer support, has become the non-profit leader in providing women in the NY metro area with both the capital and capabilities they need to grow successful small businesses. In the process, the organization has benefited the lives of over 12,000 women and their neighborhoods.
In 2002 the Mayor of New York City appointed Ms. Otero to the Commission on Women’s Issues. Ms. Otero is a member of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation Loan committee, and she serves on the Community Council for Washington Mutual. Recently, Ms. Otero sat as a judge on the NAWBO Signature Awards, and she has served as a judge for the Baruch Entrepreneur's Competition for the past four years.
As the Financial Women’s Association proudly honors Maria Otero this year as our Public Sector Woman of the Year, 2005, the Women’s Chamber of Commerce awards her with the "Excellence Award" for women's economic development.
Ms. Otero received a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a B.A. from Queens College. |
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FWA 2005 Private Sector Woman of the Year
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Marge Magner
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Global Consumer Group Citigroup
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As Chairman and CEO of the Global Consumer Group (GCG), Marge Magner leads Citigroup’s efforts to serve customers through credit cards, retail banking and consumer finance. These businesses, which consistently generate more than 50% of Citigroup’s total profits, serve more than 200 million customer accounts worldwide.
Named to her current role in August 2003, Ms. Magner has assumed increasing responsibility with Citigroup since she joined CitiFinancial, a predecessor company, in 1987. Under her leadership, net income for the GCG for the full year 2004 was $11.8 billion, up from $9.5 billion, a 24% increase, in 2003. Ms. Magner, who has been instrumental in many of Citigroup’s consumer acquisitions and their subsequent integrations, has helped develop a strong, transferable business model that places GCG in an attractive position to grow its market share and customer base around the world.
Ms. Magner is a member of Citigroup’s Management Committee and chairs the Global Consumer Planning Group. She is also Chairman of the Citigroup Foundation and is a tireless advocate on behalf of women’s initiatives, financial education, diversity and community involvement.
For the last four years, Ms. Magner has been named to the Fortune magazine list of Most Powerful Women in Business; in 2004, she was ranked #5. Her influence is felt not only in the financial services industry, but also throughout the business world; being recognized by The Wall Street Journal (50 Women to Watch), Forbes magazine (#19 on the list of World’s Most Powerful Women) and U.S. Banker (#1 Most Powerful Women in Banking).
She currently serves as a Trustee for the Brooklyn College Foundation and as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University. Ms. Magner is a member of the Board of Overseers of Weill Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University.
Ms. Magner holds a BS in psychology from Brooklyn College and an MSIA from the Krannert School of Management, Purdue University, where she has been recognized with an honorary doctorate. |
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