NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Oct 17, 2012) - Traders Magazine, the leading information resource for the institutional trading community, has announced the winners of its second annual Wall Street Women awards.

This year's award-winners were selected from a field of more than 70 nominees and judging was done by an independent advisory board comprised of seven, female leaders from the securities industry.

Among the 2012 honorees is Excellence in Leadership award winner Sheri Kaiserman, Managing Director and Head of Equities at Wedbush Securities. The Excellence in Leadership award is presented to a woman who demonstrates exemplary leadership and exceptional performance throughout her career and who is considered the standard-bearer for other women in the financial community.

In addition to 15 individual Wall Street Women awards, Traders Magazine also recognizes Goldman Sachs with its Diversity Achievement award, which honors the efforts of a single firm's pursuit of gender diversity in the executive ranks.

"Women have had to overcome huge respect and wage gaps in securities trading," said Tom Steinert-Threlkeld, Trader Magazine's Editor-in-Chief. "These women have overcome all the obstacles they faced and emerged as true Wall Street leaders and role models for the next generation of securities traders."

Winners will be honored by Traders Magazine and SourceMedia Nov. 7 at the "Wall Street Women: A Celebration of Excellence" ceremony held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. The names of the honorees are posted online at www.tradersmagazine.com/wsw and will be featured in the November issue of Traders Magazine.

The event will feature keynote speaker Stephanie Ruhle, anchor for Bloomberg Television's "Market Makers." Prior to joining Bloomberg, Ruhle served as a Managing Director in Global Markets Senior Relationship Management at Deutsche Bank. She also plays an active role in women's leadership and business leader development, having founded the Corporate Investment Bank Women's Network and co-chaired the Women on Wall Street steering committee.

In addition to the Excellence in Leadership award presented to Kaiserman, individuals were nominated in seven other categories. Candidates were recommended by their peers in the trading community who submitted information relating to a variety of criteria, including responsibilities, financial results and organizational success.

Industry Trailblazers:
This award recognizes women who broke the gender barrier in trading, advancing up the career ladder on the buyside or sellside of the business. These trailblazers created opportunities for other women to become traders, managers and successful financial professionals.

• Janice McFadden, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs

• Donna Sims Wilson, Executive Vice President, Castle Oak Securities LP

Entrepreneurs of the Year:
This award honors skilled, creative women who have pursued and succeeded in new businesses in financial markets.

• Dana Dakin, Founder, Dakin Partners LLC

• Holly A. Stark, Managing Member, Efficient Frontiers LLC

Mentors of the Year:
This award is given to women who have shown dedication to the cause of furthering the careers of other women in financial services.

• Renee DeGagne, Managing Director, RBC Capital Markets LLC

• Amy Ellis-Simon, Global Head of Specialist Sales and Americas Head of Corporate Access, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

Charitable Works Award:
This award is presented to women who devote considerable resources and energy to philanthropic causes that benefit society as a whole.

• Cathy Wilson Rosen, Senior Trader, Zweig-DiMenna Associates

• Angela Sun, Chief of Staff to the President, Bloomberg LP

Crystal Ladder Award:
This award gives recognition to women who began their careers in an entry-level job in a financial firm and climbed steadily through the ranks to reach senior management.

• Kerry Byrne, Senior Vice President, First Eagle Investment Management

• Jennifer Litwin, Senior Director, Greenwich Associates

Rising Stars Award:
This award is earned by professionals who have made significant achievements at their firms or in the securities industry.

• Lisa Cavallari, Director, Fixed Income Derivatives, Russell Investments

• Christy Oeth, Director of Corporate Compliance, Knight Capital Group

Lifetime Achievement:
This honor goes to women with more than two decades of senior management experience on Wall Street who have reached a pinnacle of success and acted as role models to younger generations of women and men.

• Peggy Bowie, Senior Trader, Manulife Asset Management

• Nancy D. McLaughlin, Managing Director, Sales and Business Development, ConvergEx

Diversity Achievement Award:
This award highlights the efforts, as well as the demonstrated quantitative and qualitative results, produced by a firm in pursuit of gender diversity in the executive ranks.

• Goldman Sachs Group

"From Traders Magazine's beginning in 1967, we have made a point of identifying women who have made substantial contributions to the development of markets and their firms," said Publisher Ken Heath. "We've reported on their achievements and these awards attest to the depth and breadth of what they accomplish, throughout their careers."

Tickets for the "Wall Street Women: A Celebration of Excellence" event are $250 and available at: www.tradersmagazine.com/WSW/. For more information on the program and sponsorship opportunities please contact Heath at (212) 803-8273 or kenneth.heath@sourcemedia.com.

About Traders Magazine
Traders Magazine covers the entire trading process, including equities, options, and FX, major trends, financial industry news, executive profiles and the technological developments that keep Wall Street running. Read by C-level executives, senior management, head traders, managing directors, partners and portfolio managers, Traders Magazine serves the business of trading with a heavy emphasis on the buyside and sellside.

About SourceMedia
SourceMedia, an Investcorp company, is a diversified business-to-business media company serving the financial industry and the related fields of professional services and technology. SourceMedia offers its clients and subscribers professional publications and online information services, industry-standard data applications, and in-depth seminars and conferences.