Business at its best - Entrepreneur reaches across international boundaries

Cynthia Carson

February 1, 2008

As a college freshman, Lily Winsaft signed up for the scuba diving team even though she didn't know how to swim. Within two months, while maintaining her academics, she not only was swimming but also became a lifeguard and certified scuba diver.

Jumping in feet first is nothing new for Winsaft, founder and CEO of Atlanta-based Aldebaran Associates International, a six-year-old executive placement business for U.S. companies, specializing in Hispanic markets.

When recently approached to launch and lead the Atlanta chapter of the National Latina Business Women Association (NLBWA), Winsaft dove right in and began recruiting for its board of directors. "When people come from abroad to the United States and to cities like Atlanta they often have a hard time assimilating into the local business culture." Winsaft says. "We help educate them on how our business society functions and put them on a path to become successful businesswomen."

Winsaft plans to weave in philanthropic opportunities to the inaugural NLBWA membership. Such an opportunity presented itself to her when Gerry Carolan, VP of labor relations for Delta Air Lines, invited her to join a small group of local executive women on a trip to Guatemala. While there they would see the work of CARE, the Atlanta-based humanitarian organization, and learn about the challenges marginalized women and girls face in poor countries.

While in Guatemala, they visited a remote community where CARE provides microfinance loans to women's groups, which in turn allows them to start their own businesses. With the extra income these Guatemalan women earn, they help fund their daughters' education. "Through CARE's work, mothers are committed to their businesses and to girls' education as a means to break the cycle of poverty," Winsaft says.

Connecting the dots between this group of travelers; the women she works with in NLBWA; and the women she met in the CARE-supported communities in Guatemala, Winsaft says, "What happens in the world ultimately affects us all. Investing in women both domestically and abroad is an investment in the future."