Building A Network

Rosenthal & Rosenthal Inc., the Accessories Council, and the LHB Group have launched a networking group for women executives, business owners and entrepreneurs, called BABE.

That's short for “Bad Ass Business Executives.” So far, the group has nearly 100 women business leaders from the food, fashion, accessories, beauty, wellness and financial services sectors. The group is geared to facilitate connections and foster collaborations through gatherings, workshops and other events.

“Women lead only 14 percent of major brands and only 4.8 percent of Fortune

500 companies,” said Cassie Rosenthal, senior vice president of Rosenthal & Rosenthal, a factoring, asset-based lending and purchase order financing firm. “I wanted to actively do something to help move womenrun businesses forward. The motivation behind BABE is to create a different kind of collaborative platform that unites women across multiple industries and generations, and gives them access to real resources to help them succeed. BABE is about fostering leadership at a high level.”

The group kicked off on March 13 with 40 female executives at the Beatrice Inn in Manhattan and will host a series of invitation-only events through the summer in New York and

Los Angeles, culminating with a panel discussion at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

“In my years helping to champion businesses at the Accessories Council, I've seen firsthand how connecting women in business with each other always leads to meaningful dialogues and creative collaborations,” said Karen Giberson, ceo of the Accessories Council trade organization.

“Women are naturalborn collaborators and communicators,” said Lynette Harrison Brubaker, founder of the LHB Group consulting firm.

— DAVID MOIN