Beacon Point Advisors CEO Shannon Eusey kicked off the 28th annual Women in Business Awards by sharing her journey from working at a Fashion Island bakery to her current role as the head of one of the largest independent registered investment advisory firms in the country.
Eusey, who noted that her grad school business plan for the financial firm she wanted to start only earned a B grade, shared five crucial lessons during that journey: know your no; grab your seat at the table; find balance; always be learning; and give back.
North of 700 local business executives attended the Business Journal event at the Irvine Marriott, which celebrates outstanding professional women who have made significant contributions to their organizations, their professions and the Orange County community.
Eusey was one such winner at the 2017 awards.
5 Honorees
This year’s five honorees, selected from nearly 200 nominees, were:
• Allyson Brooks, a senior physician executive of Hoag and the Ginny Ueberroth Executive Medical Director Endowed Chair of the Hoag Women’s Health Institute.
• Tammy Cooper, CEO, CFO and chairman of Irvine-based Technologent, an information technology solutions company for Fortune 1000 companies.
• Idit Ferder, co-founder and chief operating officer of luxury brand Lugano Diamonds.
• Jessica Word, chief executive of the Word & Brown General Agency, an Orange-based provider of insurance and health benefit brokers.
• Shirin Behzadi, the former CEO of Home Franchise Concepts with brands including Budget Blinds, Tailored Living and Concrete Craft.
The winners will be profiled in the Oct. 31 print edition of the Business Journal.
In addition, JP Morgan Chase presented its “Women on the Move” award to Breann Shook, founder of Grandma Lucy’s, a family-owned small-batch pet food company based in Rancho Santa Margarita.
Upcoming Event
The Business Journal’s next and final event of the year is the General Counsel Awards on Nov. 10.
Arnie Pinkston, corporate vice president of general counsel at Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (NYSE: EW), is that event’s keynote speaker.
