Thursday, February 17, 2000

Power to the women


In a city of Queens, Princesses and Duchesses, the new media industry in the UK has a few notable noble Ladies of its own. Thursday evening, February 17, two American women co-hosted a cocktail reception for one of London's newest imports from Silicon Alley. Susan Boster of News Network and Katie Walker of eVentures welcomed Hillary Graves to the London cyber scene with a cocktail reception in Katie's Architectural Digest-ready flat. Hillary has come to London as president of iVillage International and the evening was filled with bubbly conversation as Madame Veuve Cliquot (another great Lady) was poured in our champagne flutes. I also had the opportunity to meet Anne Farlow, director of Electra Partners Europe and Sonia Lo, CEO of Ezoka.com, whose first Internet venture is going public shortly and whose second is in its second round of funding. Julie Meyer, of FirstTuesday's fame stopped by between flights in and out of town. I got to meet an analyst from Morgan Stanley, an organizer of events and networking meetings for women and a former Disney Marketeer-turned future new media digerati. The handful of women gathered in the elegant flat in the posh neighborhood were all dynamic and driven in their own ways. Conversations ranged from talk of the industry to strengths of women in the workplace. There are plans for more of these special soirees, and as I headed out into the drizzly London night, the street lamps lit the way as I reflected on the special unity that neither country borders nor oceans could divide from simple female shared experiences.