Members: 449 of Chicago’s most high-ranking women in business.
Entry: Nomination by a member, seconded by two other members.
Annual membership fee: $700
Signature program: Annual census of women’s progress on boards, the C-suite and earnings in Chicago’s top 50 public companies. Women in the Forefront Luncheon, non-member ticket: $250.
Notable members: Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and CEO, Mondelez International; Julie Silverstein, president and chief operating officer, Eved.
Potential members must be very senior women who meet specific criteria for their position and industry. They also must have demonstrated a commitment to empowering women.
Chicago Network President and CEO Kate Bensen said 56 members, or 12.5 percent, are entrepreneurs or small business owners.
“One of our major pillars is to be a recognized voice on women’s leadership and to bring along that next generation of leaders,” she said.
Last fall, the group hosted a roundtable with seven female founders from 1871 who presented their businesses to nearly 60 Network members and guests. In June, the club will present a panel of its own member-entrepreneurs to entrepreneurs invited by the Women’s Business Development Center.
These events are free of charge and are seen “not as a route to membership, but a route to relationships,” Bensen said. “We want to be on their radar screens for when they are Network-ready.”
