About Us
AWE takes a key strength of women – the ability to build strong relationships – and provides them with a forum of regular gatherings and personalized services to help expand their professional network. AWE members have the common goal of partnering, supporting, sponsoring and promoting each other.
Membership to AWE is by invitation only and is company-sponsored. Senior executive women working in VP-level and above corporate roles in Finance, Sales & Marketing, IT, Legal, HR, and Operations are eligible. AWE is a service professional-free membership and adheres to a strict policy against marketing or commercial activity.
The Mission
To encourage and facilitate the partnership, growth, sponsorship and collaboration of senior, corporate executive women by providing opportunities to develop local relationships.
Our Vision
To be recognized as the preferred and most valuable resource for senior, corporate executive women to foster relationships that create business and personal value and for companies to support and promote their women executives.
Meiko Takayama is the Founder and CEO of Advancing Women Executives. Prior to focusing her career on improving business by promoting women, Meiko was a retained search consultant with a boutique Southern California-based firm. She has conducted multiple searches on behalf of IT, Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Finance executives. Meiko also chaired the Women’s Summit in Los Angeles and Orange County and has spoken at many events, including Rep. Royce’s Women’s Conference.
Prior to her career in retained search, Meiko was a Managing Director at the Corporate Executive Board and worked closely with CIOs, CFOs, General Counsels, and heads of HR, Sales & Marketing, and Procurement from Fortune 1000 companies. She has also been a leading fundraising executive at the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Meiko lives with her husband and two sons in Los Angeles. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from Bryn Mawr College.
