Leading Through Crisis Requires More Than Business Acumen

Leading Through Crisis Requires More Than Business Acumen

By Amber Brookman | Brookhill Associates | C200 Member since 1997

Every leader faces moments when the stakes are high and the path forward is unclear. What sets successful leaders apart is the ability to make confident decisions, inspire their teams, and create a culture that can thrive under pressure.

In this Forbes article, C200 member Amber Brookman outlines strategies for navigating uncertainty. She highlights the importance of trusting your instincts, thinking creatively to solve complex problems, hiring talented and loyal team members, and fostering a workplace built on respect and collaboration.

If you are looking for ways to strengthen your leadership approach, this article is a must-read.

Read the full article here.


 

C200 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire, educate, support, and advance current and future women entrepreneurs and corporate profit-center leaders. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the individuals quoted or featured and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or positions of C200.

Official Sponsors for the 2025 C200 Annual Conference

Official Sponsors for the 2025 C200 Annual Conference

We are proud to announce the official sponsors of the 2025 C200 Annual Conference, taking place this October 16-18 in Nashville, Tennessee. 

C200 is a registered nonprofit with a mission to inspire, educate, support, and advance current and future women entrepreneurs and corporate, profit-center leaders.  

The C200 Annual Conference is our largest yearly gathering and educates, empowers, inspires, and connects women business leaders through professional development and moments for authentic community experiences. 

Thank you to these amazing organizations supporting our Annual Conference this year: 

 

 

Their support plays a crucial role in ensuring a successful event, supplying important session topics, activities, and more for our attendees. 

“We are extremely energized by the support and collaboration from CEO Coaching International and HireBetter for the 2025 C200 Annual Conference,” says C200 CEO Myla Skinner. “We are grateful to partner with organizations who are just as passionate about our community and events as we are, and we can’t wait to see the impact we’ve created together.” 

Read below to learn more about the official sponsors of the 2025 C200 Annual Conference. 

 

 

CEO Coaching International

 

C200 is proud to partner with CEO Coaching International as an official sponsor of the 2025 Annual Conference. 

Thanks to this dynamic collaboration, conference attendees will gain access to several inspiring sessions led by top voices in business, AI, and wellness. 

“We’re thrilled to partner with C200 to support women who are leading at the highest levels,” said Mark Moses, Founding Partner and Executive Chairman of CEO Coaching International. “This conference is a powerful platform for connection, inspiration, and growth, and we’re honored to contribute to an event that aligns so strongly with our mission to Make BIG Happen.” 

CEO Coaching International works with CEOs and their leadership teams to achieve extraordinary results quarter after quarter, year after year. Known globally for its success in coaching growth-focused entrepreneurs to meaningful exits, the firm has coached more than 1,500 CEOs and entrepreneurs across 100+ industries and 60 countries. 

To learn more and connect with a coach, visit: https://ceocoachinginternational.com/contact/  

 

 

HireBetter

 

C200 is thrilled to have the support of HireBetter as an official sponsor for the 2025 C200 Annual Conference. 

With their support and collaboration, Conference attendees can enjoy exclusive sessions with HireBetter’s experts in leadership, talent, and culture. 

“At HireBetter, a 512Financial Company, we believe exceptional leadership unlocks growth, and that belief fuels our work. We’re proud to support C200 because this partnership reflects a shared commitment to elevating women leaders and fostering meaningful conversations around talent, culture, and impact. Now as part of 512Financial, we offer an even broader suite of strategic services that empower leaders and organizations to achieve lasting success. C200’s mission deeply aligns with ours: to help good people build great companies.”

About HireBetter, a 512Financial Company: HireBetter is a strategic talent partner that helps growth-minded companies build aligned, high-performing leadership teams. Recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms, HireBetter specializes in supporting founder-led, private equity-backed, and mid-market organizations through periods of inflection, transformation, and accelerated growth. Now as part of 512Financial, HireBetter provides access to a comprehensive suite of advisory and financial services, helping clients navigate complex challenges and seize new opportunities for sustainable growth.

Learn more: https://hirebetter.com/ 

 

About C200

C200 is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and our mission is to inspire, support, educate, and advance current and future women entrepreneurs and corporate, profit-center leaders. 

Our membership is comprised of 400+ of the world’s most influential women in business, who connect and uplift one another through C200’s high-impact events, educational programming, and more. 

You can learn more about C200’s mission, membership, and programming here: www.c200.org 

About the 2025 C200 Annual Conference: The C200 Annual Conference is our largest yearly gathering and educates, empowers, inspires, and connects women business leaders through professional development and moments for authentic community experiences. 

You can learn more about and register for the 2025 C200 Annual Conference by October 1, 2025, here: https://web.cvent.com/event/7e367d83-ba7a-4ae8-9046-ce6f484d059f/summary

 

Announcing Our Annual Sponsors

Announcing Our Annual Sponsors

C200 is a registered nonprofit that works to support and celebrate the advancement of women in business. 

We are proud to announce the incredible organizations partnering with C200 to elevate and expand our extensive roster of year-round educational and networking opportunities. 

 

 

“Our community deserves the best events and resources, which is why we are thrilled to partner with HireBetter and Wild Heath as annual sponsors of C200,” says C200 CEO Myla Skinner. “Together, we can make a greater impact for all those who benefit from our offerings.” 

Read below to learn more about each of our sponsors and how they are making a difference with C200 in 2025 and beyond.

 

HireBetter

 

C200 is thrilled to have the support of HireBetter as a 2025-2026 annual sponsor. 

With their support and collaboration, C200 is able to offer more unique experiences for our membership and wider community of supporters, fostering important connections and further enriching the C200 community and those passionate about our mission. 

“At HireBetter, a 512Financial Company, we believe exceptional leadership unlocks growth, and that belief fuels our work. We’re proud to support C200 because this partnership reflects a shared commitment to elevating women leaders and fostering meaningful conversations around talent, culture, and impact. Now as part of 512Financial, we offer an even broader suite of strategic services that empower leaders and organizations to achieve lasting success. C200’s mission deeply aligns with ours: to help good people build great companies.”

About HireBetter, a 512Financial Company: HireBetter is a strategic talent partner that helps growth-minded companies build aligned, high-performing leadership teams. Recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms, HireBetter specializes in supporting founder-led, private equity-backed, and mid-market organizations through periods of inflection, transformation, and accelerated growth. Now as part of 512Financial, HireBetter provides access to a comprehensive suite of advisory and financial services, helping clients navigate complex challenges and seize new opportunities for sustainable growth.

Learn more: https://hirebetter.com/  

 

Wild Health

 

C200 is proud to welcome Wild Health as a 2025-2026 annual sponsor. 

With their support, C200 can expand the quality, frequency, and scale of many yearly events and opportunities, further enriching the C200 experience for our membership and wider community of business professionals who utilize our much-needed resources. 

“We’re thrilled to partner with C200 to bring our personalized, data-driven approach to health optimization to a community of women who lead with purpose and impact. We’re thrilled to empower high-performing leaders to improve their longevity, resilience, and peak potential.”   

Wild Health is a concierge Precision Medicine service offering personalized, genetics-based health care to maximize your health span. Founded by a pair of emergency medicine physicians with a penchant for pushing the boundaries of scientific discovery, Wild Health’s ethos is steeped in the idea of personal exploration. With a team of board-certified physicians, accredited health coaches, and hospitality-driven care coordinators, we provide patients with a distinctive care experience defined by collaborative treatment, unmatched expertise, and unparalleled results. 

Learn more: https://www.wildhealth.com/  

 

About C200

C200 is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and our mission is to inspire, support, educate, and advance current and future women entrepreneurs and corporate, profit-center leaders. 

Our membership is comprised of 400+ of the world’s most influential women in business, who connect and uplift one another through C200’s high-impact events, educational programming, and more. 

You can learn more about C200’s mission, membership, and programming here: www.c200.org 

Member Spotlight: Jana Siber

Member Spotlight: Jana Siber

Jana Siber is a Group CEO for BES Group, a company providing risk management services for systems and operations to over 35,000 global customers. With an initial background in consulting, Jana developed an expertise in leading several companies in public transportation, energy, and engineering. Between work and leisure, Jana has visited nearly one hundred countries and enjoys traveling with her family. Jana has been a Member of C200 since 2025.

 

Eva Glassman: You recently started a new role as a Group CEO for BES Group. What’s something new about this role you’re looking forward to exploring?

Jana Siber:  I am very excited about my new role. While I am very familiar with transformations of businesses with large frontline workforces, this is the first time I am facing this challenge within a private-equity owned business, which brings a whole set of new types of stakeholders as well as a much faster-paced dynamics.

EG: What has your career journey been like?

JS: I grew up in the Czech Republic, then came to the UK in my early twenties to study English and ended up staying to study Psychology at Oxford. When I was at university, I picked up a leaflet about management consulting, and I thought this was a fantastic opportunity for someone who doesn’t really know what they want to be.

When I graduated, I started my career as a management consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton and Accenture before going back to school to get my MBA at London Business School. Coming out of business school, I decided to go back to consulting and joined Bain, where I spent the next eight years.

After Bain, I joined Avis Budget Group—initially as a commercial strategy director and then going on to manage the franchise network of Avis Budget, initially EMEA. Eventually, I added Asia Pacific as well as Latin America to the company portfolio.

After about five years of managing the global franchise network, which is largely a commercial role, I really wanted to have full P&L responsibility. So, I joined Arriva, which is a UK-based public transport company with a heavy European presence. I became a Managing Director of Mainland Europe with a portfolio of fourteen countries. I started building on the skillset of managing large, frontline dispersed workforces.

This theme continued into my next job before my current role, which was Managing Director for British Gas Services. British Gas is the largest provider of heating solutions and services, with a workforce about 15,000—about half of which are gas engineers who install and provide maintenance and servicing for boilers, heat pumps, and other specialized equipment.

I came into British Gas about four years ago, and my remit was to fix the business; it was losing money, employee engagement was low, and customer complains very high. It took me just over three years to turn the business around both operationally and commercially. By the time I was ready for my next challenge, the business was profitable and growing again.

EG: You mentioned earlier that you didn’t know what you wanted to do for your career when you studied at Oxford. What are some lessons you learned throughout your career that helped you determine your career trajectory?

JS: I really had no clue what I wanted to be. I knew I wanted to go into business, but as a psychology grad, you don’t really know what business is. What attracted me to management consulting is that you don’t need to decide what you want to be; you work on different projects with different companies in different industries. I enjoyed getting in-depth experience in various, disparate areas of business.

I went back to school for my MBA, because I had a much better idea of what business is and wanted a more holistic view of how it is actually run. In particular, I was curious about the financial side and the impact you can have as a P&L manager.

During my MBA, I became torn between staying in consulting or going into industry. What I liked about consulting is that you get right in the room with the CEO talking global strategy; meanwhile, if I were to go into industry, I didn’t want to start quite low down in the organization.

My decision to go into industry happened during my eight years with Bain after my MBA. I realized that the larger the team, the longer the project—I enjoyed the work even more. I could see the impact I was making. It was a sure sign that I wanted to own a piece of business, to see and manage the results—not just implement the strategies.

Over the years, I became aware of my strengths: the combination of strategic thinking and people management. It wasn’t a sudden revelation but a slow discovery over the years. It helped me navigate which way I wanted to go.

Once I went into industry, I very quickly gathered I wanted to work in a CEO role. I asked myself: What does a good CEO need to have as a toolkit? From there, I selected roles that helped me develop that toolkit.

For example, managing hundreds of franchises across the world at Avis gave me a fantastic commercial toolkit. I learned how to deal with different cultures and influence organizations that didn’t necessarily report to me. While it was great strategic and commercial experience, I still felt lacking in operations, which is why I eventually left to join Arriva as Managing Director. There, I grew and managed a portfolio of fourteen Mainland European countries while looking at capital allocation and pressure testing strategies. On the people management side, I was building and swapping teams in various countries.

At this point, the last bit of experience I felt I needed was closeness to the frontline and to operations. That’s why my role at British Gas was so interesting to me; it allowed me to showcase my skills in strategic visions, people management, and execution.

EG: It’s refreshing to hear that there wasn’t a single moment in your career journey where you figured everything out. Learning what you want along the way, over a long period of time, is probably more common than we think—and something we should praise and encourage more.

JS: My daughter is at university at the moment, and she doesn’t know what she wants to be—and that’s absolutely okay. I always tell her that it’s okay to just try things; it doesn’t mean that you will end up doing it forever, but you won’t know whether it’s for you if you don’t try. While there are a few people who are fortunate enough to know what they wanted to be since they were nine, they’re in the minority.

EG: How did you become a C200 Member? What drew you to the organization?

JS: A CEO friend of mine and I were out to lunch with another colleague of ours, and we were talking about the different professional networks which we were a part of. This colleague mentioned C200, and I was immediately interested in terms of it being a group specifically for P&L leaders.

It’s a very specific experience to be a woman in a P&L ownership position, so I’m very eager to connect with more of these women. A lot of other networks I’ve been a member of also include functional leaders or skew heavily toward a particular industry or position. C200 has Members across a diverse range of industries and very specific criteria for P&L responsibility.

Let’s face it: being a CEO is a lonely job. You’ve got a team, but as the most senior person in the company, it’s quite difficult to find peers. Having networks where you can meet others is really important for that reason; however, many of these networks are overrun by men. While I’m happy being part of these networks, it’s important for women leaders to have dedicated spaces to connect as well.

EG: Were you able to connect with women throughout your career journey, or were many of your mentors men? In general, what was your experience like as a woman going up the career ladder?

JS: I didn’t have a formal woman mentor at any stage in my career. When I needed to figure certain things out, I would talk to peers or to my male mentors. I didn’t have a problem with talking to men going through similar experiences as me.

Generally speaking, management consulting has been quite ahead of the curve when it comes to gender diversity. When I joined Bain in 2005, there were 350 people at the company; while there were some women there, there wasn’t a woman partner at that point. I joined when my daughter was six months old, but I didn’t want people to know I had a baby; I feared they would look at me differently. I thought it would be better if they didn’t know, in part because I didn’t see many women with kids across that office.

However, fast-forward eight years, we had a large number of women partners, and many of our employees—men and women—were taking various part-time options to be with their families. It’s become so much better. It’s been quite interesting to watch that journey and how attitudes have changed in such a relatively short time.

When I talk to people now, I tell them that I was very much in my head about sharing whether I had a child when I first joined Bain as an MBA grad. I had my second child about four years into my time at Bain, and everyone was incredibly supportive when I went on maternity leave. Whether you decide to have kids and step back from your career, decide not to have kids, choose to work part-time or full-time—there are so many different models for women in the workplace, and it helps to see senior leaders exemplifying them.

I haven’t found a model that works 100% perfectly; there are always pros and cons to everything. For example, my part-time friends and colleagues tend to feel that they are ‘missing out’ on the job progression, the full-timers I know struggle more with the work-life balance and missing out on family life. Whatever you decide, having a support group of friends with similar issues always helps. Being able to talk with each other doesn’t fix any problems, but we all navigate things a bit easier knowing we aren’t alone.

Now, I always advise my mentees to just be kind to yourself. It’s tough, especially if you decide to go down the route of having children. Whatever route you decide, you will never feel like you’re winning—but you actually are. Many, many years later, you’ll see it. Don’t put yourself under too much pressure.

Having role models ahead of you in the company, women that you could see yourself being in a few years, is quite useful and helpful. Because I’ve been in traditionally male-dominated industries, I haven’t had that experience. There haven’t been many women I could look up to, which is why I sought out networks of friends and peers. They filled that gap, so I didn’t feel like I was missing out. However, looking back, it would have been nice to see someone at my company ahead of me who looked like me.

EG: What does being a “woman in business” mean to you? How do you apply that thinking to what you do and how you lead others?

JS: I like to think of myself first as a really good business leader. Then, I think of myself as a woman. However, that’s not how you get perceived; there will be a lot of perceptions and prejudices from others to deal with. As a woman in a very male-dominated industry such as public transport, car rentals, and gas engineering, you experience pros and cons. At first, people definitely looked and me and thought, “What does she know about buses and trains? About boilers?” You have to prove yourself a little bit more than the men, and that’s still the reality today.

However, because women generally have always had to prove ourselves more, we tend to be more capable. In many of my jobs, I’ve had some incredibly rewarding experiences where I can just say, “Yes, I’ve cracked it. Look, I did that.” It’s going to take many years before we really get rid of the differences in how women are perceived compared to men. There’s always an element of feeling like you have to be better than your male peers—just to be considered equally capable.

EG: When you aren’t busy at work, how do you like to spend your free time?

JS: My older child, a twenty-year old daughter, is at university, so I always enjoy when she comes to visit, or I visit her. My younger one, a son, is sixteen and still at that silent grunting stage! I try to be there as much as I can and not impose too many rules and regulations on him. We all still enjoy traveling together. Every year, we go somewhere different—just the three of us.

We also love to ski—although my partner is South African and not very much into skiing. We do a lot of hiking in the summers, especially in the different countries we’ve traveled to.

I’m extremely fortunate that I’ve traveled the world extensively, especially when I was in my global role at Avis. I don’t know how many countries I’ve been to, but I would imagine the number is nearing one hundred. I’ve gotten to go places normal tourists don’t get to see. If I were to return to a country I loved, I would go back to Japan. I love the juxtaposition of their ultra-modern cities with the rich history and tradition of their land and culture.

Having slightly older children means I actually have a lot of time for myself. I like to keep fit and belong to a rowing club, which is a lot of fun. It helps me stay active, but it’s also social. I also run—very slowly and infrequently—but I try to keep the cardio going. About a year ago, I got into resistance training as well.

EG: Besides what you mentioned about being kind to yourself, what advice do you have for aspiring women business leaders to advance their careers?

JS: The most valuable piece of advice I was given as a young woman is, when you are presented with an offer or task, always say yes and worry about it later. Your immediate thought will probably be, “I’m not sure if I can do this.” Ignore it and say yes. Take it. Panic about it later. The odds are; you’ll realize you can actually do it.

In general, women tend to play the cautious side. We tend to think analytically and explore why we aren’t the right person for the task. If you don’t have the confidence, “fake it ‘till you make it” really works—it’s the only way we can get on a level playing field with our male counterparts.

EG: “Fake it ‘till you make it” is something I’ve heard so many times before—but clearly, not enough of us are doing it if we’re still talking about it. You have to start doing the things you want to do, because otherwise, you’ll always be waiting to start.

JS: As women, we are often very capable, but don’t have the confidence or come across as having it. When I started just saying yes—not letting myself begin to doubt or question—I proved to myself again and again that I can do more than I ever thought. Always leading with, “Yes, absolutely, I can do this,” even if you don’t believe it in the moment, is actually really helpful.


 

C200 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire, educate, support, and advance current and future women entrepreneurs and corporate profit-center leaders. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the individuals quoted or featured and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or positions of C200.

Why We Should Maintain Diversity Without The ‘DEI’ Label

Why We Should Maintain Diversity Without The ‘DEI’ Label

By Kate Isler | TheWMarketplace | C200 Member since 2021

How do businesses sustain diversity when the term DEI has become politically charged?

C200 Member Kate Isler explores this challenge in her latest Forbes article, sharing actionable strategies for building inclusive, high-performing teams without relying on the DEI label. From aligning teams with customer demographics to embedding inclusive practices in leadership development, Kate shows that the mission hasn’t changed—just the language.

Read the full article here.


 

C200 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire, educate, support, and advance current and future women entrepreneurs and corporate profit-center leaders. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the individuals quoted or featured and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or positions of C200.

What Keeps The World’s Best Influencer Marketers Awake At Night?

What Keeps The World’s Best Influencer Marketers Awake At Night?

By Jennifer Quigley-Jones | Digital Voices | C200 Member since 2024

Scaling influencer marketing programs is one of the biggest challenges facing brands today.

In her latest Forbes article, C200 member Jennifer Quigley-Jones shares how marketing leaders are tackling this head-on: balancing scale with quality, measuring ROI across channels, and connecting authentically with audiences on platforms like Reddit, Twitch, and LinkedIn.

Drawing on insights from the inaugural Global Influencer Council and examples from brands like DoorDash and Surfshark, Jennifer shows what’s possible when strategy meets speed.

Read the full article here.