WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT
By: Arzo Yusuf
The women in the photo are 7 of the most inspiring women in Century City and are the Women of Achievement of 2022. On October 19th the community came together to celebrate them for their talents, successes and contributions to their community was incredibly motivating. Sexy Boss Babe moved to Century City in 2021 and joined the Century City Chamber of Commerce, which is considered to be the leaders in business in Los Angeles. Century City is home to top global law firms like Latham & Watkins and Milbank; media companies such as Fox Corporation and Creative Artists Agency; real estate companies like CBRE and many more.
As a female founder of an indie beauty brand, being surrounded by the level of power and success in Century City is nothing short of incredible. Joining the chamber’s Women’s Business Council has been such a great experience in meeting like minded women who are intelligent, hard working and thriving in their careers. The WBC really invests in women who are executives, attorneys, entrepreneurs or just looking to learn and grow. For over 39 years, they’ve hosted the annual Women of Achievement Awards celebrating women who are at the height of their careers.
This year, we had a chance to host the awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel with Kimi Culp, host of the All The Wiser podcast as the keynote speaker. The event was a group effort led by the Chamber President, Nancy Wood, the Chair of the WBC and former award recipient, Tammie McQuain and all the council members. After months of meetings about location, event details and possible nominees, we all looked around to Century City and nominated some incredible women. The nominees were women doing great work in their jobs or businesses and helping women in their community through various philanthropic endeavors. These women are the strong, healthy role models that our society needs. It was difficult reviewing the list of 15 nominees (all amazing,) the council voted on their top picks and 7 women were selected to be celebrated on October 19th in front of a room of their colleagues, peers and community.
Each woman was surprised at her office by the Chamber President and the council member that nominated her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. A videographer then films each of the women showcasing their lives and career paths. Then the community comes together to celebrate these women on stage as we enjoy a delicious dinner, drinks and watch their videos together to get to know them better. They are called to the stage and handed their award and we get to listen to them give an acceptance speech where we are further moved.
These women are not only career women, they were bee keepers, musicians and women empowerment leaders. They are the type of women that don’t give up, that want more for themselves that don’t allow limits to stop them. They are relentless and keep going until they achieve their goals. They are the kind of women that prove that women can do and be anything and look great while doing it.
One thing that really stood out to me, was a theme I noticed on the Sexy Boss Babe podcast while interviewing successful people. Every one of these women mentioned how they couldn’t have made it this far in their life and career if it weren’t for the love and support of their families. Every time I hear that, it really hits home how important family, love and community is in terms of career and life success.
These women are now part of an alumni network of past award recipients who are some of the most powerful women in Los Angeles. This group and experience is a testament to what can happen when women who are fierce, bold and empowered come together. Changing and impacting the world is a real possibility.
Congratulations again to all the Women of Achievement for your relentless pursuit of greatness while giving back to your community! Here’s a list of this year’s award recipients and the charities they support and advocate for:
Vicki Curry, V.P. Community Affairs Officer at Fox Corporation - West LA Homeless
Kameelah Hakeem, Director of Administration at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP - New Friends Homeless Center
Yesenia Gallegos, Litigation Partner at McDermott Will & Emery - Hispanic National Bar Association
Daniela Judah-Ormani, Clinical Therapist & Restauranteur - Teen Line
Leslie Mayer, Executive Managing Director at Cushman & Wakefield - Habitat for Humanity
Sandra Lee Montgomery, Law Partner at Proskauer Rose LLP - Posse
Niloofar Shepherd, Deputy General Counsel at Creative Artist Agency - The Molly Steinsapir Foundation
Special Thanks to all the ladies that made the Women of Achievement Awards possible: Lorraine Jackson, Joanna Sells, Rachel Love, Kelsey Rustigian, Karen Millar, Andrea Best, Anne Kim, Riv Haltom, Taunee English and Mary Williams
