The Business Journal celebrated dozens of women leaders at the publication’s 31st Women in Business Awards ceremony, held Oct. 15 at the Irvine Marriott.
Annette Walker, president of City of Hope Orange County, gave an uplifting keynote speech about defining moments of her life, including a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. She called the scenic and long distance journey a metaphor for life, which is full of “surprises and lessons.”
On the trail, she told the captivated crowd of over 600 attendees how she noticed a crow jumping on the back of an eagle.
“The eagle does not waste any energy fighting back. Instead, it starts to fly, it starts to rise, and it rises higher and higher in the sky. Eventually, the crow cannot handle the altitude, and it falls off,” she said.
“The lesson—rise and keep rising.”
Don’t let “blame, regret, resentment” weigh you down like a heavy backpack, she added.
Leave it on the trail. “If you want to walk well, walk light.”
The Winners
During the ceremony, five women were honored for their exceptional work serving the Orange County business community, including:
• Kelly Blair, chief financial officer, Mark IV Capital Inc.
• Hagan Kappler, co-founder and chief executive, Daisy
• Anna Ricardo, chief financial officer, MeriCal
• Annette Morgan, chief operating officer, City of Hope Orange County
• Rebecca Hall, president and chief executive, Idea Hall
The JPMorgan Chase “Women on the Move” award went to Katie Webb Brundige and Meghan Clem of Intertwined Inc. and RAD Camp.
Read our Oct. 27 issue for profile stories on the 2025 winners.
What’s Next: The Business Journal’s General Counsel Awards will be held Nov. 6 at the Irvine Marriott. Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, will be the master of ceremonies.
