NEW YORK, March 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Women's Bond Club, the first organization in New York to focus on the advancement of women in finance, today announced that IBM Financial Services Managing Partner, Sarah Diamond, and Center for Work-Life Policy Founding President, Sylvia Ann Hewlett, will receive the organization's two most prestigious awards at a dinner event on May 5th at New York's Pier 60.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110321/NY68816LOGO )

Ms. Sarah Diamond will receive the Merit Award, presented to a senior woman leader for her career accomplishments in financial services. Ms. Diamond leads the IBM Global Business Services practice across the Insurance, Financial Markets, and Banking Industries. She is responsible for the market development, sales, engagement delivery and overall execution of the Financial Services practice on a worldwide basis as well as within the Americas.

Ms. Diamond joined IBM in 2005 as the Global Business Services' Americas Financial Markets Leader and successively became the Banking Leader and then Vice President, Strategy and Global Industries. She has worked with most major banks and Wall Street firms, exchanges and regulators over the course of a 20 plus year career in financial services. She has led consulting engagements related to risk and regulatory driven initiatives, business strategy and operating model transformation and merger integration, as well as guided the development and management of very significant global client relationships.

Ms. Diamond is also a sponsor of IBM's Technical Women Program, which focuses on ensuring that IBM has a vibrant talent pool of qualified women in technical professions.

Dr. Hewlett will receive the Isabel Benham Award, presented to a woman who has made a significant contribution to the greater community of women. This recognition spotlights Dr.. Hewlett's work as the founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy (CWLP), a nonprofit think tank, where she leads the "Hidden Brain Drain," a task force of 64 global companies and organizations committed to fully realizing female and multicultural talent. In addition, she directs the Gender and Policy Program at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. She is a member of the World Economic Forum Council on Women's Empowerment.

Dr. Hewlett, a noted author whose critically acclaimed books include Off-Ramps and On-Ramps (Harvard Business School Press, named as one of the best business books of 2007 by Amazon.com), and Winning the War for Talent in Emerging Markets: Why Women Are the Solution (Harvard Business Press, forthcoming 2011), was the first woman to lead the Economic Policy Council, a think tank composed of 125 business and labor leaders.

James P. Gorman, President and CEO of Morgan Stanley, will serve as keynote speaker for the event, which also will celebrate the future of women in finance with the presentation of the Women's Bond Club Rising Stars Awards to 29 talented women leaders in financial services who have demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities. "Through their varied accomplishments, these honorees have contributed greatly to our industry and serve as role models for women looking to establish successful careers in finance," said Mr. Gorman.

    These women and their firms are:
                  Firm Name                            Rising Star
    Accenture                             Laleh Baheri
    AXA-Equitable                         Cynthia Bodison
    Bank of America                       Maureen O'Connor
    Barclay's Capital                     Victoria Miller
    Bloomberg, Inc.                       Lauren Kerr
    BNY Mellon                            Monika Arora
    Broadridge Financial Solutions        Deborah Phelps
    Capco                                 Vivian Wong
    Citigroup                             Eleonora Menaker
    Commerzbank                           Karen Chung
    Credit Suisse                         Katherine Murphy
    Deloitte Consulting                   Anna Cherubin
    Deutsche Bank                         Michelle Cheng
    Ernst and Young LLP                   Tera Hatler
    FINRA                                 Katie Madison
    Goldman Sachs                         Michelle Barone
    IBM                                   Meghan Faughnan
    Invesco                               Emilie Sumera
    J.P. Morgan                           Holly Huffman
    Microsoft                             Katherine Ross
    Morgan Stanley                        Emily Johnson
    MphasiS                               Sonu Pathak
    NYSE Euronext                         Tara Dziedzic
    Pricewaterhouse Coopers               Elizabeth Savino
    RBS Securities, Inc                   Sarah Kanes
    Standard & Poor's                     Robin Prunty
    SunGard Data Systems                  Mandy Ho
    Thomson Reuters                       Jennifer Ablan
    ---------------                       --------------
    The Women's Bond Club                 Eleanor Weille
    ---------------------                 --------------

Established in 1921, the Women's Bond is a non-profit organization dedicated to the professional development and networking of women in financial services. The Women's Bond Club provides education, mentoring, leadership and networking opportunities for experienced women in finance and finance-related industries. We accomplish these goals by sponsoring events and community service activities and by developing relationships with corporate sponsors and other not-for-profit institutions that support women. Key to our mission is our scholarship program for young women enrolled in undergraduate university programs focused on business. Our membership reflects buy-side and sell-side across financial services, and a cross-section of executive management, consulting and technology functions. For more information on the Women's Bond Club, please visit www.womensbondclub.com.

Proceeds from the annual Merit Award Dinner go to the Women's Bond Club and its many charitable giving programs which focus on assisting in college preparedness for girls interested in careers in business and finance and the WBC College Scholarship Program.

For additional information on the Women's Bond Club May 5 Merit Award Dinner, please contact Lizz Torgovnick, 212-677-3173, ext. 225; lizz.torgovnick@global-events.com.

SOURCE IBM