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IT is with great pride that the Irish Voice presents the first ever 50 Most Influential Women in this week’s issue.
The Irish Voice and its sister publication Irish America magazine have become known for compilations of the best and the brightest in Irish America for many years. The Top 100 Irish Americans, the Wall Street 50 the Business 100 and, this year, the Silicon Valley Leaders, are just some of the annual listings put together by the publications.
There have been many imitators, but the lists retain an integrity and prominence that make entry into them much sought after.
Now we have extended the franchise a little further with the Women of Influence list. Later this year we will also unveil the Top 100 Lawyers, which already is heavily oversubscribed in terms of those seeking to gain entrance.
There is a specific method to the madness of all these compilations. We have created powerful networks throughout Irish America by these lists, allowing powerful business leaders, community leaders, artistic and accomplished leaders to come together in a common setting and set up networks themselves which will greatly benefit the community.
Just a small example of this was evident last week when the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform held a very successful fundraiser attended and supported by many of the business leaders who first came to prominence through our lists.
The Irish government has acknowledged the power of these lists. The government’s Economic Advisory Board, made up of leading Irish American businessmen and women, was initially drawn heavily from our Wall Street and Business 100 lists.
In another important sign, the new Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen will make his first American trip to address the Wall Street 50 dinner of our sister publication later this month. Also speaking at the dinner will be Brendan McDonagh, head of HSBC North America, whose parent is the world’s largest bank.
It is overdue that we would publish the first ever Women of Influence list, and there is certainly the hope and desire that from this list a new network will be created in our community by the women themselves.
There is certainly no shortage of talent, from women high up in the power houses of Wall Street to the director of one of the world’s most famous museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to the large number of women who work in voluntary organizations committed to serving the community, to those who own small businesses which are the very lifeblood of our community.
We will, of course, be making this an annual event and newspaper feature, and we look forward to seeing many new faces every year as we seek to highlight the unique role and the accomplishments that women have in the community.
We are hopeful also that a new self-generating network will arise from this unique group of talented achievers, in the same way as has happened with many of our other business lists. The absence of a women’s group in the community is very noticeable, and we hope this first ever list may cause such a group to be created.
Certainly, there is no shortage of talent and we are delighted to open a new window on a group that has contributed so much to America and their common heritage. We congratulate each and every one of them and look forward to working with them in the future.
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