By EDGE Women Speaker Allie Pleiter
“We help move each other forward.”
It’s a phrase that gets a lot of use among the EDGE women. And that’s a good thing. Women aren’t always the best at acknowledging themselves. But here at EDGE, we make a point of helping each other thrive. It’s something every woman in every business can learn, isn’t it?
This past week several of the EDGE Women Speakers joined me in a chance to do just that as we gathered at the North Shore Women in Business Awards to honor one of our own, Jennifer J. Fondrevay. 22nd Century Media hosts these awards each year to honor great women who deserve exposure for making a difference in a variety of business and civic categories. Jennifer received her award in the “Entrepreneur” category.
“Winning was a welcome shock,” said Jennifer, who was lauded for her Day1Ready™ consultancy helping companies manage the all-too-often ignored human aspect of mergers and acquisitions. “I’m pleased that the award brought exposure and visibility to an issue that affects millions of people’s lives annually.
Entrepreneurship wasn’t in Fondrevay’s original career plan, but surviving three multi-billion-dollar acquisitions fueled her passion to bring humanity to an often brutal process. She launched a consultancy that offers insightful solutions designed to prepare an organization for what’s to come with M&A, while crafting a framework to manage and support the people involved. “The process doesn’t have to compromise how people are treated,” Jennifer declares. “I wanted to let my experience help others thrive. The needle is slowly moving in the M&A space to embrace the human element. I wanted to accelerate that needle moving forward.”
In 2017, Jennifer took the leap to launch her consultancy. “Entrepreneurship is a new landscape for me, and many people I met at the beginning of my journey were surprisingly encouraging and supportive,” she shares. Many of those colleagues were gathered at the awards event, as well as friends and associates from a vast array of professions. Looking around the tables, I was struck again by the truth EDGE continually champions: diversity brings power. “It was a collection of amazing people, all of whom I admire for striving to make a difference,” Jennifer relates. “For me, it was a reminder that it’s always a big enough pie to share.”
At EDGE Women Speakers, we know there is a big enough podium to share. Audiences respond when they see themselves reflected on the stage—something that doesn’t happen nearly enough. Women bring power, creativity, resilience, compassion, and a host of other qualities to the podium. EDGE Women strive to provide that, and do, because they are speakers who excel at their craft and can take any event to a new level.
If you’d like to know more about Day1Ready™, and Jennifer’s work leading organizations through transition, click here to visit Jennifer’s website. If you’d like to know more about the other dynamic EDGE speakers and what they can bring to your event, click here.
It won’t be too long before you’re given an opportunity to shine the spotlight on an exceptional woman in your field. It may be nominating her for an award, recommending her to a colleague, or something as simple as offering a compliment or encouraging word. However the opportunity presents itself, take it.
Because every great idea deserves a little more exposure, and you can make it happen.