New England’s Largest Women’s Network: Cultivating Community Impact
March 14, 2025 Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Women’s History Month is a dedicated time to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements and contributions of women throughout history. For women professionals and allies in Greater Boston, it’s also an opportunity to reflect and look inwards on our own successes, while exploring new ways to enrich our careers and community.
For over 30 years, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Network has connected, advanced, and celebrated women professionals in Greater Boston and beyond. Bringing together more than 3,000 professionals from all career levels, backgrounds, and industries, it is the largest network of women professionals in New England.
Growing extensively by the year, the Women’s Network’s wealth of resources, networking events, and professional development opportunities continue to be a contributing factor in the success of many influential women leaders. Advisory Board member, Carol Ruiz of Point32Health, gives a glimpse of what it’s means to be part of the network: “You get to connect and meet other amazing leaders, expand your network, and really learn about emerging trends that are happening in the community and topics that you can bring back to your workplace and your personal life.”
In this blog, we’ll delve into the core pillars that make the Chamber’s Women’s Network the most impactful of New England, exploring how each contributes to the growth and empowerment its members.
Speaker Series: Expanding Networks
Through our speaker series, members hear from influential women in Greater Boston, as they discuss their professional journeys, relevant issues, and industry trends involving working women and the business community. In addition, these events offer the chance to network with like-minded professionals and build lasting connections.
Speaker Series prioritize bridging together diverse audiences, ranging in size from intimate gatherings to large-scale forums. Whether you’re an emerging leader, a seasoned professional, or someone seeking inspiration in your own professional journey, these events offer something valuable for everyone.
Check out our event calendar for upcoming Speaker Series events.
The Pinnacle Awards: Celebrating Leadership
Each year, the Chamber’s annual Pinnacle Awards convenes more than 1,200 business professionals to celebrate the achievements of nine dynamic women leaders and their contributions to the community. The event draws attendees from all industries, including elected officials, business innovators, and next-gen leaders.
Experiencing Pinnacle, celebrating, and drawing inspiration from the honorees’ speeches emphasizes the Women’s Network’s mission to acknowledge women professionals while cultivating opportunities for connection, advancement, and celebration. Susan Esper, Board Chair of Women’s Network from 2017 through 2019, expressed how the network and events like Pinnacle often inspired her through shared stories of “commitment, courage, passion and aspirations for the impact they wanted to make not only in their workplace, but also our community.”
Pinnacle continues to be an unparalleled event, driven by its inspiring attendees who, as Susan noted, strive to enrich their workplaces as well as the community.
Take a look at the photo album from this year’s Pinnacle Awards!
WLP: Advancing Professional Development
As part of Women’s Network, Women’s Leadership Program (WLP) is a leading professional development opportunity with over 1,400 alumni in the last 15 years. WLP empowers women professionals to propel their careers to the next level, while working to create conditions for other women to thrive. Participants learn directly from expert faculty at the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership and receive a comprehensive leadership toolkit. This toolkit combines academic knowledge, practical skills, and valuable connections, preparing graduates to excel as leaders in their industries.
WLP graduates report leaving the program with increased confidence in the workplace and noticeable growth in fundamental areas of leadership, including advocating for themselves and others, leading teams and networking, and public speaking. 2023 Women’s Leadership Program graduate, Kaitlyn Kirkaldy of Zipcar, shared how it’s important to “break out of your day to day at work, to talk to new people and to get exposed to other women doing really cool, interesting things.”
If you or someone you know identifies as self-motivated, high performing, and committed to contributing to gender equality in the workplace, early nominations are now open!
The New England Board Ready Women Program: Strengthening Professional Ties
The New England Board Ready Women Program, co-sponsored with Deloitte, is an educational networking program created for senior female executives interested in public company boards or directorship. Members of the program learn through interactive workshops focusing on topics such as shareholder activism and legal considerations of board membership.
With a variety of events and programs, the Women’s Network provides an interconnected space for women professionals and male allies to uplift and connect with one another. It’s the go-to community to gain inspiration and grow your professional network in the Greater Boston area. Become a part of the community today and begin collaborating, conversing, and celebrating each other’s success together — making Greater Boston the best place for professional women to thrive!
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