Women founders, entrepreneurs and C-suite executives have a new networking group where creative and finance can meet up and share knowledge.
Factoring firm Rosenthal & Rosenthal worked alongside the Accessories Council and the LHB Group to form women’s networking group BABE. Members include a C-level executive at a shipping company that supplies to many major retailers to the founder of a crowdsourcing platform that funds only women-run start-ups.
The name BABE is an acronym for “Bad Ass Business Executives.” The group had its first meeting last week, just in time for Women’s History Month. It’s a growing group of nearly 100 women business leaders from a cross-section of various industries that include fashion, accessories, beauty, wellness and financial services, among others. The group’s aim is to help facilitate connections, alliances and unique collaborations that can create unexpected partnerships through intimate gatherings, workshops and events.
“I wanted to actively do something to help move women-run businesses forward,” Cassie Rosenthal, senior vice president at Rosenthal and co-founder of BABE, said, noting that women lead only 14 percent of major brands and only 4.8 percent of Fortune 500 firms.
The first event was an intimate dinner of 40 female executives co-hosted by designer Rebecca Minkoff. Following the inaugural dinner, BABE has a series of invitation-only events planned for the spring and summer, both in New York and in Los Angeles. A wellness-themed breakfast is planned for May 8 in New York, followed by a dinner in Los Angeles, and the final event–a panel discussion–for the year will be on Dec. 5 at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
“In my year helping to champion businesses at the Accessories Council, I’ve seen first-hand how connecting women in business with each other always leads to meaningful dialogues and creative collaborations,” Karen Giberson, chief executive officer of the Accessories Councel, said.
Lynette Harrison Brubaker, found of consulting firm LHB Group, said, “BABE perfectly captures what already comes naturally to so many of us–making meaningful connections that have an impact on our businesses, our customers and clients and our communities.”