Performances + Events
New England Conservatory was recognized on Friday as one of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts, a distinction bestowed by The Women’s Edge in partnership with The Boston Globe that “(recognizes) the women power players driving the Massachusetts economy.”
“The 100 companies on this list represent a total revenue and operating budget of over $164 billion,” The Globe reported. “That’s almost a 17 percent increase over last year’s figures.” In creating the list, The Globe explained, “The Women’s Edge, a nonprofit that supports female business leaders, examined 2025 revenue or operating budget as well as other variables, including number of full-time employees in the state, workplace and management diversity, and innovative projects.”
“NEC is a future-focused institution where imagination drives purpose, collaboration fuels possibility, and bold vision advances innovation,” NEC President Andrea Kalyn said. “Our inclusion on this list reflects the contributions of many women across our institution whose shared dedication helps shape tomorrow’s cultural leaders.”
In 2025, women comprised 52 percent of NEC’s upper management team and 48 percent of employees, overall. Women comprise 54 percent of the Conservatory’s trustees. In August, NEC adopted a co-equal leadership structure in which Kalyn focuses on the Conservatory’s artistic excellence, academic vision, and educational mission, and CEO Kathleen Kelly oversees the institution’s financial health and strategy, its operations, and its institutional advancement.
This is the fourth year that NEC has made The Women’s Edge’s list of Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts. It’s the 26th year that The Women’s Edge has presented the honors. The organization has partnered with The Globe for 14 years.
Journalist and essayist Janet Wu, a member of the President’s Council at NEC, interviewed keynote speaker Colette A.M. Phillips at an Oct. 30 event honoring the companies on The Women’s Edge’s 2026 list. Phillips is president and CEO of Colette Phillips Communications and author of The Includers: The 7 Traits of Culturally Savvy, Anti-Racist Leaders. Wu, a cellist and pianist, has hosted such beloved events as the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.
Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu also spoke at the Oct. 30 event, where Women’s Edge CEO Elizabeth Hailer said, “Today we are surrounded by extraordinary women who are building businesses, creating jobs, driving innovation, and making a real impact in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
“Leadership is not something you wait for permission to do,” Hailer said.
The 2026 list of Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts appears in Boston Globe Magazine.
