Women Of Influence

CARA KLEINHAUT HILARY LENTINI KARYN GROSSMAN KIKI RAMOS GINDLER LAUREL BERMAN LEISA AUSTIN RACHEL ROSENBERG ROSEMARY LOW SUZAN LEE PAEK TAMI HALTON PARDEE

The notion that women rock, that they make the world go round, that they make businesses thrive, that they make families whole, and that they generally make anything they put their minds to and anything they darn well please is, to put it succinctly, proven science. Remove women from the societal equation and you would probably need a Hazmat suit to clean up what was left. Remove our “Women of Influence” from the Los Angeles business, social and philanthropic landscape and you have a distaff Calexit too terrifying to ponder. These inspiring and admired boundary breakers are accomplished and just plain awesome in every way. They love L.A. and L.A. loves them back. Having them grace our pages is both a privilege and an honor. Here’s to you, and to all of your countless contributions!

CARA KLEINHAUT CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AGENC

Making dead space come alive is no easy feat, yet as an event producer Cara Kleinhaut became an expert at it. But she didn’t stop there. Over the past 15 years she has led the transformation of AGENC Experiential & Digital Marketing into an internationally recognized, 360 integrated marketing marvel that creates live experiences, strategy and dynamic campaigns for some of the world’s top brands. She is also a sought-after speaker at industry conferences and has been honored often for her work.

When/where are you happiest?

When exploring and roaming with my camera -- a luxury I don’t get to do often enough, discovering a new city or area of the world. My happy place is the beach.

Salt, sand, sea -- any beach, any day!

Who do you admire the most?

Everyone out there working hard for their success. As Estée Lauder once said, “I never dreamed of success, I worked for it.”

What is your guilty pleasure?

The Explore section on Instagram - for hours! Or spending waaay too much time and money at the L.A. Flower mart.

What would you do with 15 minutes of fame (or 15 more minutes!)?

Use it to thank someone who has helped me.

If you had a time machine, where would you go?

To 18th century Versailles. The dinner parties in particular! Would have loved to style out that tabletop! Though standing on a chair to get that overhead shot might be a problem.

What is the inspiration behind your business or career path?

I’ve always been inspired by creating experiences and connecting people. Even when I’m off, I throw events and parties. It’s what I thrive on. If you truly love what you do and would be doing it even if you didn’t get paid— you know you’re in the right field.