W.Net Welcomes its First Members
    A ground breaking and ground shaking event was held prior to the 2005 ETA Meeting and Expo in Las Vegas this past March. The first W.net (Women Networking in Electronic Transactions) Summit witnessed an unprecedented gathering of female leaders from all arenas of the payment processing industry. Its purpose—to “provide a networking forum for women in our industry to share ideas, inspiration and career building opportunities.”
    Over 100 of the movers and shakers among the outstanding women in the acquiring business were invited to join the inaugural event. The goal of creating a forum of communication for women in positions of influence was certainly realized as one of the most extraordinary groups of payment professionals came together on March 15, 2005 to network, forge liaisons and share strategies.
    W.net is the vision of its four founders—Holli Hart Targan, Mary Gertz, Diane Vogt and Linda Perry—each an outstanding role model in her respective career. Each spoke passionately at the event and set the standard for promoting women in the bankcard business. They called upon each other to further opportunities as well as mentor the younger generation of women that are coming into the industry.
    The meeting boasted no set agenda but rather an environment where people had the opportunity to meet and greet individuals they had read and/or heard about but never had the pleasure of talking to. At the core of this amazing gathering was the overall commitment to afford women in the industry a place to share ideas, solidify professional and personal relationships and promote the contributions that are being made by women in all aspects of the marketplace.
    “We saw a need and acted upon it,” said Co-founder Holli Hart Targan. “This year we hope to crystallize the idea and figure out what will best serve the women in our industry. We plan on using these initial meetings as a launching pad for what the organization will become in the future. From the first emails to the actual inaugural event, the feedback was incredible and that was very gratifying.”
    W.net will be highlighted in depth in next month’s issue of Transaction World. Congratulations to all the women who made the inaugural event so successful. It is the realization of a concept long overdue in coming to the forefront of the electronic transaction industry.