Celebrating the Women of Rockefeller Center on International Women’s Day

In different office buildings and in different industries, some of New York City’s most inspirational women converge at Rockefeller Center. Perhaps the most well-known among them are NBC’s Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, who enter the doors of 30 Rockefeller Plaza to co-anchor the beloved Today show each weekday. Throughout Rockefeller Center, Lydia Fenet, Elizabeth Elting, and Munira Hirji are also part of the all-star roster of female leaders. The list could go on, for sure, beginning as far back as Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, who inspired the culture of art that is present throughout the Center today.

Each of these five women is successful and influential in her own right. Some have been named among New York City’s most powerful and recognized with awards too numerous to mention. So for International Women’s Day, we asked these women to explain what the day means to them.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect, recognize, and celebrate women in all walks of life,” says Munira Hirji, global head of commercial management at insurance company Beazley, located at 45 Rockefeller Plaza.

Author and speaker Lydia Fenet serves as global managing director, strategic partnerships, and lead benefit auctioneer at Christie’s auction house, just around the corner from NBC at 20 Rockefeller Plaza. “It’s a moment for us all to recognize what women are bringing to the world, whether it be through contributions to business, contributions to society as a mom,” Fenet says.

After building TransPerfect, a multimillion-dollar global language and business solutions company, Elizabeth Elting created the Elizabeth Elting Foundation, based at Rockefeller Center. She points out: “Women have always been a vital part of history. But our contributions have been minimized, ignored, derided as ‘not real work.’ International Women’s Day, like Black History Month, is about taking a moment to highlight these contributions.”