Marcy Cohen Attended 6th Annual DirectWomen Board Institute In New York

Online, March 17, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Marcy Cohen, Managing Director, General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer for the Americas, ING Financial Holdings Corporation, will attend the DirectWomen Board Institute from January 22-24 in New York City. DirectWomen, an organization formed to position women lawyers to serve on boards of public companies, selects a group of approximately 20 qualified women lawyers from a competitive pool of applicants across the country to participate in the three-day program.

At the DirectWomen Board Institute Cohen attended informational sessions on key issues facing current and future corporate directors and had the opportunity to interact with Institute alumnae and past honorees. The Institute was co-chaired by Professor Hillary A. Sale, Walter D. Coles Professor of Law and Professor of Management at Washington University in St. Louis and Professor Lisa M. Fairfax, Leroy Sorenson Merrifield Research Professor of Law at the George Washington University Law School. Institute faculty featured leading experts on corporate governance as well as experienced directors and officers of large public companies. Speakers covered topics such as the role and work of nominating board members, the evolving nature of shareholder relations, the strategic role of audit committees and the role of executive search firms in board searches.

Cohen currently serves as a member of the ING Americas Regional Management Team responsible for ING's strategic direction and management throughout North and South America. She also serves as a member of the Americas Operational Risk and Compliance Committees. She regularly conducts risk assessments for each of the firm's major business lines and develops mitigation measures to best manage the identified risks. Earlier in her career Cohen honed her business and legal skills working in similar senior roles for other major global financial institutions including BNP Paribas, WestLB and Republic N.Y. Corporation. In each position she was deeply involved in major business and strategic initiatives and has become well versed in the business and legal aspects of complex financial products such as derivatives, structured finance, corporate finance and investment management. Cohen has experience working on transactional and regulatory matters in Europe, Asia and the Americas; her high cultural fluency enables her to function at a high level of effectiveness on a global level.

QUOTES:
"The DirectWomen Board Institute is a highly respected and successful program," said Cohen. "It provides a great opportunity for women to learn about the issues facing boards today and increase gender equality in the corporate world. I'm sure I will learn a lot from the impressive faculty and other class members."

ABOUT:
The mission of DirectWomen is to increase the representation of women on corporate boards. DirectWomen identifies, develops and supports a growing group of accomplished women attorneys who have the experience, independence and diversity required for good corporate governance. Partners of the program include Catalyst, the leading nonprofit membership organization expanding opportunities for women in business, and the American Bar Association's Commission on Women in the Profession.

Other attendees of the 2014 DirectWomen Board Institute:

Susan L. Blount
Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Prudential Financial, Inc.

Sheri H. Edison
Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Bemis Company, Inc.

Barbara Finigan
Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary for Hasbro, Inc.

Michelle A. Friel
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for YRC Worldwide Inc.

Kayla J. Gillan
Principal, Leader of Investor Resource Institute, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Marie Oh Huber
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Sarah Hlavinka McConnell
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for ABM Industries Incorporated

Amanda M. McMillian
Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation

Sheri L. Mossbeck
Vice President and Treasurer of Leggett & Platt, Inc.

Kim M. Rivera
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for DaVita HealthCare Partners

Carol Robles-Romбn
Former Deputy Mayor for Legal Affairs and Counsel to the Mayor, Mayor's Office, The City of New York

Jeanne M. Rosendale
Former Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Head of Human Resources for Muriel Siebert Co., Inc.

Margaret K. Seif
Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Analog Devices, Inc.

Barbara Sicalides
Partner, Pepper Hamilton LLP

Allison Leopold Tilley
Board Member and Partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, Corporate & Securities - Technology practice

Simone Wu
Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer for Choice Hotels International, Inc.

Loria Baskerville Yeadon
Executive Vice President of Intellectual Ventures Management, LLC