On the Board Fellows 2013

We are pleased to announce the inaugural class of On the Board Fellows. We received an overwhelming number of submissions from a diverse and impressive pool of applicants. Out of this highly qualified group, our International Selection Committee selected the following 15 women leaders on the basis of their leadership achievement and potential to rise to serve as effective board directors.

• Caryl Athanasiu (USA)

  Caryl Athanasiu (USA)

  Executive Vice President
  Chief Operational Risk Officer
  Wells Fargo & Company

  In her current position at Wells Fargo & Company, Caryl Athanasiu provides enterprise leadership and oversight for operational risks, including regulatory compliance and financial crimes. A 25-year veteran of the company, she also chairs the Enterprise Risk Management Committee. She most recently served as the chief risk officer of wholesale banking. She previously managed strategic planning, and served as finance officer to the chief of operations.

  Athanasiu serves on the board of directors of both the ORX Association and the Redwood City Education Foundation, and is a member of RMA Regulatory Council, the RMA Operational Risk Council, and the Office of Financial Research's Financial Research Advisory Committee.

  Athanasiu is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Northwestern University, and has a master's in management from Stanford University. In 2012, Athanasiu was ranked ninth on American Banker's "25 Women to Watch" section of its annual "Most Powerful Women in Banking" list. She also was named one of the "150 Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business" by the San Francisco Business Times in 2011.

• Shelley Bird (USA)

  Shelley Bird (USA)

  Executive Vice President of Public Affairs
  Cardinal Health

  As executive vice president of public affairs at Cardinal Health, Shelley Bird is responsible for corporate marketing, public relations, government and community relations, internal and crisis communications, and global branding. She serves on the company's 10-person executive committee and as chief of staff to Cardinal's chairman and CEO. Bird also chairs the Cardinal Health Foundation board of trustees and the company's Asian Pacific American employee resource group.

  During her 25-year career in marketing, strategy and communications, Bird held key executive positions with NCR Corporation, Phillips Consumer Communications, Hill and Knowlton, Motorola Electronics, and J. Walter Thompson. Her resume includes postings in Asia, Europe and North America. Bird's expertise and achievements have been recognized by the International Association of Business Communications, the Public Relations Society of America, and PR News, which named her "Corporate PR Professional of the Year" in 2004.

  Bird earned a master's in communication management and a doctorate in communication from the University of South Australia. She has taught in college-level retail management programs, and serves on the board of the Wexner Center for the Arts and The Ohio State University's multidisciplinary, international laboratory for the exploration and advancement of contemporary art.

• Barbara Byrne (USA)

  Barbara Byrne (USA)

  Vice Chairman
  Investment Banking Division
  Barclays

  Barbara Byrne is vice chairman of Barclays Investment Banking Division, responsible for leading the firm's relationships with a diverse group of corporate clients, including GE, IBM, Altria, EMC, HP, US Steel, Microsoft, Williams, and Loews. Byrne has been in the forefront of developing longstanding partnerships with the firm's key corporate clients and has served as the primary architect of several marquee transactions.

  Byrne was previously with Lehman Brothers, where in 2005, she became the first women in the firm's history to be named a vice chairman. During her more than 30-year career in financial services, Byrne has held a variety of senior management positions in energy and technology investment banking groups. Most recently she led the team advising GE on capital structure, raising over $20 billion in debt and preferred securities in 2012.

  Byrne frequently participates in industry conferences as a forum leader on strategic issues and trends facing the financial services industry. She has been invited to attend Fortune's Most Powerful Women's Summit for over 10 years, served as a company delegate to the Clinton Global Initiative for six years, and is an associate member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Byrne was named one of the "25 Most Powerful Women in Finance" by the American Banker in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and one of the five "Most Powerful Women Changing the Business World" by Forbes in 2012. A magna cum laude graduate of Mount Holyoke College, Byrne provides financial market commentary for leading news organizations, including Forbes, Fortune, CNBC and Bloomberg.

• Lauri Fitz-Pegado (USA)

  Lauri Fitz-Pegado (USA)

  Partner
  The Livingston Group

  A senior executive with experience managing issues, resources and people Lauri Fitz-Pegado is currently a partner at the Livingston Group, the government relations/public affairs firm. She heads the group's international and education non-profit practices, providing strategic government relations, public affairs and communications counsel for domestic and international clients.

  Fitz-Pegado served as assistant secretary of commerce during the Clinton administration. During her tenure, she fundamentally transformed the way the Commerce Department serves U.S. business at home and abroad by stressing client-driven service and corporate-style management. She also held diplomatic postings in the Dominican Republican and Mexico as a Foreign Service information officer, and executive positions with Global Gateway Management, and Hill and Knowlton.

  A champion for career advancement for women, Fitz-Pegado is a member of the Women's Foreign Policy Group and provides mentoring services to several educational organizations. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Washington Government Relations Group. Fitz-Pagado did her undergraduate work at Vassar College and earned a master's in international studies from Johns Hopkins University.

• Laura Hwang (Singapore)

  Laura Hwang (Singapore)

  President
  Singapore Council of Women's Organizations

  Laura Hwang currently serves as president of the Singapore Council of Women's Organizations and as a director on the ASEAN Council of Women's Organizations. Hwang is also the founder of an organization that promotes awareness of Southeast Asian culture, as well as a social enterprise devoted to assisting homebound and disabled women.

  Hwang has extensive experience in the financial services sector, where she had responsibility for international merchant banking, corporate banking, foreign exchange and asset management. She has held key executive positions at the Royal Trust Merchant Bank, Chartered Merchant Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank. In 1984, she became the first Singaporean and first women to be appointed managing director of an international merchant bank when she assumed that role at Arbuthnot Latham Asia Ltd.

  An honors graduate of the University of Singapore, Hwang also earned a diploma from the Institute of Bankers in the United Kingdom.

• Deborah Lentz (USA)

  Deborah Lentz (USA)

  Senior Vice President
  Customer Service & Logistics
  Kraft Foods

  An expert in operations management and business logistics, Deborah Lentz is currently senior vice president for customer service and logistics for Kraft Foods, with responsibility for product supply, logistics operations and customer service throughout North America. From 2008 through 2011, she held an equivalent position with Kraft Foods Europe, in Zurich, Switzerland.

  Lentz began her career with Nabisco, holding a series of key positions in the company's field operations before moving to corporate headquarters where she held various leadership posts managing logistics administration, warehouse operations and customer logistics. In 2001 when Kraft acquired Nabisco, she moved to Kraft's corporate headquarters in Chicago.

  After graduating Penn State University with a BS in business logistics, Lentz went on to earn an MBA in operations management and personnel and labor relations from the University of Scranton. Lentz has received several awards for excellence in supply chain management. She is a past-president of the Illinois Chapter of the International Women's Forum, and sits on board of directors of the IWF's Leadership Foundation.

• Isabel Linares (Spain)

  Isabel Linares (Spain)

  Senior Counselor
  PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC Spain)

  Prior to joining PricewaterhouseCoopers Spain, Isabel Linares held key executive and legal positions IBM, the Sanitas Group and served as CEO of Telemadrid, a public broadcasting corporation. She has chaired or served on a number of corporate boards, and was the Spanish representative to the European Insurance Committee and president of Forta, the Spanish Federation of Public TV and Radio Broadcasting. She has also served on the advisory board of IESE Business School, Navarra University, and as a trustee for Teatro Real, and the Madrid Olimpico Foundation.

  Active in a number of health and social NGOs, including the Cancer Association, the Sanitas Foundation and the Integra Foundation, Linares frequently participates in seminars and delivers presentations at corporations, universities and business schools. Most recently she presented the report, "Women Executives in Spain, March 2012."

  A graduate of Complutense Madrid University, where she also earned her master's in legal practice, Linares holds advanced degrees from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and the University of Navarra's IESE Business School. She was a finalist in the 2002 European Women of Achievement Awards and was named Women Executive of the Year in 2003 by Spanish Women in Business. In 2012 Linares was named one of the top-ten women executives and one of the 100 most influential women in Spain.

• Penny McIntyre (USA)

  Penny McIntyre (USA)

  President
  Newell Consumer Group

  Penny McIntyre is president of Newell Consumer Group where she applies her consumer insight and expertise in international marketing to drive innovation and business success. Her portfolio at Newell includes leading brands Rubbermaid, Sharpie, Calphalon, Levolor, PaperMate, and Parker. She is also board chairman of the Newell-Rubbermaid Foundation and executive chairman of the Newell-Rubbermaid Black Employee Resource Group.

  Before coming to Newell, McIntyre worked at the Coca-Cola Co., where she held a variety of international marketing and management positions, and executive assignments in Moscow, Johannesburg, and London. McIntyre began her career with S.C. Johnson, where she held several key marketing assignments in the U.S., Canada and Japan.

  A much sought-after speaker, McIntyre is frequently invited to serve on panels or deliver keynote addresses. She is a member of the Committee of 200 and serves on the board of trustees of Oglethorpe University, and the board of councilors of the Carter Center. An honors graduate of the University of Western Ontario, McIntyre is actively involved in the United Way, the Georgia Board Network, and the South East Executive Women's Group.

• Gail McKee (USA)

  Gail McKee (USA)

  Chief Human Resources Officer
  Towers Watson

  Gail McKee is the chief human resources officer for Towers Watson, a leading global consulting firm that helps large employers manage their human capital, risk, and benefit programs. McKee has been with Towers Watson, and its predecessor company, Watson Wyatt, for nearly 20 years.

  McKee has held a variety of client- and market-facing roles with the firm, serving as a market leader in the both the Southern California and Pacific Northwest regions. In addition to developing teams, expanding client relationships and merger integration activities, she enhanced the company's connections with the marketplace through active engagement with regional and national business leaders. As part of this outreach effort, McKee served a three-year term on the advisory board of the College of Business at Central Washington University; served as founding president and board member of the HR Strategic Forum, a newly created affiliate of the global HR Planning Society; and served a four-year term on the board of trustees of the Council on Employee Benefits, a national organization of senior benefits professional from large public employers.

  A member of the Human Resources Planning Association and the National Association of Corporate Directors, McKee is a graduate of the University of Washington.

• Nancy Philippart (USA)

  Nancy Philippart (USA)

  Executive in Residence
  Engineering Ventures Program
  Wayne State University

  An engineer and business executive with 30 years of experience in the automotive industry, Nancy Philippart held several executive positions with General Motors before leaving in 2007 to start her own consulting practice. She currently serves as the Executive in Residence for the Engineering Ventures Program at Wayne State University, where she teaches at the College of Engineering and works with student and faculty entrepreneurs on research commercialization. A member of the advisory boards of several start-up companies in southeastern Michigan, Philippart is also a general partner and member of the investment committee of Belle Michigan, an angel investment fund serving women-owned, -led and -managed start-up companies.

  Philippart is very active in her community. She currently chairs the board of directors of the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan and is president of the Troy Board of Education. Philippart also chairs the Oakland County Schools legislative committee and is active in the Women's Officials' Network, an organization that supports and mentors women running for public office. The Automotive News ("100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry) and the YWCA (Corporate Women of Achievement Award) have recognized Philippart for her career achievements. She is one of a handful of women ever inducted into Wayne State University's College of Engineering Hall of Fame.

  Philippart has taught as an adjunct faculty member at Wayne State, the College for Creative Studies, and Lawrence Tech University. She has a BS in industrial economics and an MA in economics, both from Wayne State, and an MS in biomedical/civil engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Philippart is currently a doctoral candidate in global executive management at Wayne State.

• Shoba Purushothaman (India)

  Shoba Purushothaman (India)

  Founder
  Training Ventures

  Shoba Purushothaman is an entrepreneur with a successful record of building fast-growing, profitable, innovative companies in the U.S., Europe and Asia. She is currently focused on her third start-up, Training Ventures, which is building a portfolio of global training and education brands based out of India.

  After a nine-year career as a business journalist with the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, Purushothaman joined Bulletin International, a London-based broadcast media consultancy. Working with Bulletin International's Anthony Hayward, she launched The NewsMarket, a digital video distribution platform. Purushothaman raised over $20 million in venture capital to build NewsMarket's global footprint and customer base. Her outstanding success with NewsMarket earned numerous awards and accolades from industry publications and organizations, including the Software & Information Industry Association, the Asian American Business Association, the Deloitte Fast 50 and Entrepreneur magazine.

  Sharing her knowledge and experience, Purushothaman advises several start-ups in the U.S. and India. She is a participant in the U.S. State Department's Global Entrepreneurship Program initiative that seeks to promote entrepreneurship in developing markets. Purushothaman is a regular speaker internationally on entrepreneurship, raising capital, innovation, and the media industry. A graduate of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, she holds a master's in economic communications from American University, and is also a graduate of the Owner-President Management program at Harvard Business School.

• Sandra Sanchez y Oldenhage (Mexico)

  Sandra Sanchez y Oldenhage (Mexico)

  President and CEO
  Amgen Mexico

  Sandra Sanchez y Oldenhage has 25 years of executive-level experience with top-ranked pharmaceutical firms, including Pfizer, Merck Sharp & Dohme, and Pharmacia. Compiling an outstanding record across multiple functional areas, including general management, marketing and sales, strategic planning, business development, and operations (and with a strong emphasis on international business), Sanchez y Oldenhage was appointed president and CEO of Amgen Mexico, the world's leading biotechnology company, in 2009.

  Widely recognized for her leadership in the industry, Sanchez y Oldenhagen has been named one of the top 50 most powerful businesswomen in Mexico by the leading business journal, CNN Expansion. She was also one of 21 global executives selected by the International Women's Forum to participate in its elite fellows program.

  Sanchez y Oldenhage is currently president of the Mexican Association of Pharmaceutical R&D Industries and a board member of several business chambers and industry associations, including the American Chamber of Commerce and the National Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry. She is also an active mentor for the Endeavor Organization and the Young Presidents Organization, among others. Sanchez y Oldenhage earned a BA in business administration from the Intercontinental University, an MBA from the Instituto Techologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, and a certificate from Harvard's Executive Leadership Development Program.

• Anita M. Sands (USA)

  Anita M. Sands (USA)

  Group Managing Director and Head of Change Leadership
  UBS Wealth Management Americas

  A global business leader, public speaker and advocate for the advancement of women, Anita M. Sands has compiled a brilliant career in the financial service sector. The youngest-ever senior vice president at the Royal Bank of Canada, Sands went on to serve as managing director and head of transformational management at Citigroup. She is currently head of change leadership at UBS Wealth Management Americas, where she is charged with developing and executing the organization's transformational strategy, though the introduction of innovative processes and industry-leading platforms.

  Widely recognized for her expertise and leadership, Sands was named one of the "Elite 8" by Bank Systems and Technology and one of "The TEN to Watch for in 2012" by Registered Rep. In 2011, she was honored as one of the "Top Forty Under Forty" and a "Woman of Influence" within the Irish-American community. A coveted speaker, Sands is a frequent commentator on innovation and has presented at major technology and financial services events.

  Sands is a mentor for W.O.M.E.N in America, a previous board member for Women in Capital Markets, and the executive sponsor for UBS's Women's Employee Network. She also has been involved with numerous non-profit efforts, serving on the boards of the Ireland Fund of Canada, Ireland Park Foundation, The Ireland Canada Chamber of Commerce, and CareerEdge (Canada's leading internship organization). Sands holds a PhD in atomic and molecular physics and a first class honors degree in physics and applied mathematics from Queen's University of Belfast, and attended Carnegie Mellon University where she earned a master's in public policy and management.

• Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz (USA)

  Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz (USA)

  President
  Charles Schwab Foundation
  
  Senior Vice President
  Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

  Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz is president of Charles Schwab Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization funded by The Charles Schwab Corporation, whose mission is to help individuals and families achieve lifelong financial well-being through education, volunteerism, and advocacy. In addition, Schwab-Pomerantz serves as director and chairman of Schwab Charitable, one of the country's largest donor-advised funds. In 2010 Schwab-Pomerantz was appointed to the President's Advisory Council on Financial Capability. As chair of the partnership committee, she leads the Council's efforts to strengthen and enhance coordination between public and private sector education programs. In addition, she sits on the youth committee, which promotes financial capability for the country's youth and young adults.

  With her father, Charles R. Schwab, Schwab-Pomerantz co-authored It Pays to Talk: How to Have the Essential Conversations with Your Family about Money and Investing, She speaks and writes extensively about personal finance issues, offering guidance and advice for consumers. Her public appearances have included the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia and the San Francisco Commonwealth Club, in addition to appearances on Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNBC and NPR. For eight consecutive years (2003-2011), The San Francisco Business Times named her one of the San Francisco Bay Area's "100 Most Influential Women in Business."

  Schwab-Pomerantz serves on the national board of governors of Boys & Girls Clubs of America and is also the chair of the board of trustees for the Pacific region. Additionally, Schwab-Pomerantz is on the board of directors of Decker Communications and the board of directors of the International Women's Forum Leadership Foundation, a global organization dedicated to promoting women leaders. Schwab-Pomerantz earned a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from George Washington University.

• Sandra M. Stash (Canada)

  Sandra M. Stash (Canada)

  Global Senior Vice President for Health, Safety, Security, Environment, and Operational Assurance
  Talisman Energy

  Sandy M. Stash, Talisman Energy's global senior vice president for health, safety, security, environment and operational assurance, has more than 30 years of experience in the oil and gas, and hard rock and coal mining industries. She has extensive global experience in operations and engineering, risk and crisis management, external affairs and communications, corporate social responsibility, litigation, and leading change in organizational transformations and start-ups. Stash spent many years representing business internationally on controversial natural resource, public health and environmental issues with the general public, national and local media, and local, state and national governments.

  In her current role at Talisman Energy, Stash has oversight of assuring operational integrity across Talisman's ever expanding global business. She is introducing a holistic operational management framework that will govern risk management across Talisman's global businesses.

  A petroleum engineer by training, Stash spent her early career as one of the first women to work as a drilling engineer and drilling rig foreman at ARCO locations across North America. She is a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines and holds PE licenses in both Colorado and Montana, and a P. Eng. license in Canada.