The Women’s Summit Celebrates One Year Anniversary
in Orange County

Irvine, Calif., January 1, 2008 – Kristen Leduc at McDermott & Bull, a premiere executive search firm, and Alexandra Wilcox at Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, LLP, an international law firm, established The Women’s Summit in January 2007 to provide women leaders with the opportunity to connect with people from a varied cross-section of industries.  The goal is to regionalize the concept of the Women’s Summit when Leduc, co-Founder of the Women’s Summit and Principal Consultant at McDermott & Bull opens the Colorado office in January 2008. Alexandra will continue to lead operations in Southern California.

The Women’s Summit was designed to be informative, educational, and practical and is comprised of two components of equal importance. Summit Gatherings are evening events with a structured networking format which provides members with an environment to interact with many other industry leaders.  The other component is the Summit Breakfasts, which is an intimate roundtable where women leaders can openly discuss personal and essential topics effecting women in the workplace.

After the July, 2007 event, Leduc and Wilcox sat down with Kim Shepherd, one of their newest members, to gain her perspective on the group. As CEO of Decision Toolbox, Kim represents one of the most innovative recruitment firms in the country, and whose clients include some of Orange County’s most prominent employers.  Here are excerpts from that interview:

“I think the concept of The Women’s Summit definitely fills a need,” commented Wilcox, Attorney for Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold.  “We wanted a forum for women to engage with each other – in a non-threatening and safe environment to address women’s issues in business. The opportunity is to really discuss women’s issues, and have the energy of a women-only room in order to build relationships, wherever they lead.”

Kim Shepherd, CEO of Irvine, Calif. based Decision Toolbox (www.dtoolbox.com), is a good example of someone who embodies work-life balance.  "There is no separation between the two for me. I am the same person in my personal as well as my professional life.  I love my people and the challenge of creating the coolest place to work in the world."

Decision Toolbox is a virtual company whose employees are scattered throughout the U.S. and even in New Zealand. Shepherd represents one of the most innovative recruitment firms in the country, and whose clients include some of Orange County's most prominent employers. These include Black and Decker and Freedom Communications, the owner of the OC Register.

According to Leduc, Principal Consultant with McDermott & Bull, “The Women’s Summit personally satisfies my desire to spend time with great female leaders.  Although I originally started this group for business reasons, I think I get more from the social element that comes from hosting a women-only event.  Networking has always been a part of what I do.  However, I remember the people in that room because it is personal.”

About McDermott & Bull
McDermott & Bull, Inc. (www.mbsearch.net) is a retained executive search firm headquartered in Irvine, California with offices throughout Southern California in Los Angeles, Glendora, the Inland Empire, and Denver.  The firm serves both public and privately held clients in a variety of industries and functional areas. McDermott & Bull has developed expertise in fields including Technology, Financial Services, Manufacturing, Bio-tech and Life Science, Retail, the Building Industry, Professional Services, and others. Founded by Christopher Bull and Rodney McDermott, the firm specializes in recruiting difficult-to-find and critical senior talent for its clients. McDermott & Bull works with a large number of prestigious clients in many industries.  Some notable clients include Allergan, Advanced Medial Optics, Aramark, Cisco Systems, Western Digital, Conexant, Google, Invitrogen, Bausch & Lomb, Black & Decker, Boeing, Meggitt PLC, J.F. Shea and Union Bank.

About Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, LLP
Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, LLP (www.sdma.com) is an international trial and litigation law firm headquartered in San Francisco, California with offices in Austin, Bermuda, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, Newark, Orange County, Paris, and Zurich.  The firm excels in the defense of difficult matters involving significant potential exposure, sensitive public relations issues or industry-wide policies.  Sedgwick is also committed to their Women’s Forum, where the ultimate goal is the retention and advancement of women attorneys.  The firm recognizes that strong women leaders are a business imperative and are appreciative and highly value the unique insight, talents and skills Sedgwick’s women lawyers bring to the roles at the firm.  Established in 2004, the Sedgwick Women’s Forum provided a platform for the firm’s female attorneys to voice their professional development needs, recommend programs to enhance the role of women in the firm and the profession, and develop programs that foster professional growth and networking opportunities for women attorneys.