“Whether they are running small businesses, ruling in courtrooms, designing skyscrapers, penning best-sellers, putting out fires, caring for patients, patrolling out streets, teaching our children or serving in our governments, women leaders are everywhere you turn throughout the five boroughs, across the country and around the world. 

The 20 local luminaries that the Society of Foreign Consuls has chosen to recognize tonight hail from 20 different countries, reflecting not only on talent and tenacity possessed by all New Yorkers, but also the rich multiculturalism that defines our great and global City. I am pleased to commend the Society's significant charitable contributions and ongoing efforts to promote gender equality, cultivate community, and deepen the ties between New York City and its thriving consular community over the past 90 years.”

These were Mayor de Blasio's words of introduction at the Annual Award Ceremony by the Society of Foreign Consuls in New York [2] that took place, on the occasion of International Women's Day, at the Grand Masonic Lodge [3]. The Mayor himself could not be there but his words captured the spirit of the night, a night of celebration of the outstanding achievements and contributions to community empowerment in the USA by 20 international women. Among them, an Italian powerful woman, Monica M. Mandelli [4], Managing Director at Goldman Sachs [5], led by Italy's Consul General in New York, the Hon. Natalia Quintavalle [6].

Initiated in 2011 by Consul General of the Republic of Kazakhstan Raushan Yesbulatova [7], the reception in celebration of Women’s Day was so successful that it was established as an annual celebration. Since then, every year the Consulate General of the Republic of Kazakhstan graciously and organizes the event which was hosted by the Consulate General of the Slovak Republic. This year, along with Italy, women from Barbados, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uruguay were recognized.

All participating women come from different backgrounds and life conditions, but they have a lot in common: their tenacity, their love for their adoptive country, a country were they were able to express themselves and become who they are today, and, most of all, strong women who raised them and motivated them to be the best. Each honoree only had two minutes to say something as they were accepting their award, and most of them thanked their mothers and grandmothers. Many of them were the first women in their families who went to school and then moved to great careers.

“These special ladies are wonderful role models,” said Hon. Jana Trnovcova, Consul General of Slovakia, “With their outstanding professional achievements they contribute significantly to the America’s society, and they give back to their own communities with their leadership, mentoring, charity work and professionally linking their countries with the USA.”

Monica Mandelli earned a BS and an MS summa cum laude in Economics and Social Sciences from Milan's Università Bocconi, and an MBA, with distinction, from Harvard Business School. She is a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and Global Head of the Family Office Coverage and Strategic Relationship Management Group within the Investment Banking Division. In this role, she focuses on developing the firm's relationships with significant families and their corporate interests on a cross-divisional basis. Monica is also Co-Head of the Firmwide's Women Network and has served in leadership roles in the firm's recruiting, training and mentoring programs.

Monica's helpful advice is to always make yourself honorable. “Find what is unique in your style and turn up the volume a couple of notches,” she has said and joked about her strong Italian accent, something that makes her unique. She also uses her hands when she speaks, something typically Italian and that makes her stand out. “Instead of hiding it, I turned it into an asset.”