When talking with Elisabeth Leach, it is clear she has a passion for the business world and an equally enthusiastic passion for fashion. Whether meeting her at a networking event, for coffee in the city, or in the South Hills home she shares with her husband and two children, there is no doubt Leach will be dressed well for the occassion – and ready to talk business.
A former corporate marketing executive and real estate investor, she is now embracing life as a serial entrepreneur. In 2019, she took on her first entrepreneurial endeavor, founding Elisabeth Leach Styling – a service providing image consulting and fashion styling for professional women.
The following year, she added to her already impressive resume when she co-founded The Women’s Collective Pittsburgh (TWC) with Andrea Belen-Sandhorst. TWC is a professional women’s networking group for both business owners and corporate leaders in the Pittsburgh area.
Noting a distinct lack of networking groups catering to the specific needs of women in business, Leach and Belen-Sandhorst decided to create their own. It was of utmost importance to the pair that the group combined all the best practices they felt were crucial to success.
The Women’s Collective holds up to 10 events a year at some of the newest and finest venues in the city. Every detail of these events are designed to provide a welcoming forum that inspires deal-making and camaraderie while offering a top-notch professional development series. Events often start with a cocktail hour so that members and guests can meet and mingle, followed by a speaker who shares information relevant to that month’s business topic. TWC also hosts a half-day business conference each year. The keynote speakers in 2021 and 2022 were from Google Pittsburgh and Kraft-Heinz, respectively.
The networking group has experienced explosive growth since its founding, due in no small part to Leach’s enthusiasm for its mission: to actively share knowledge and connections, nurture each other’s growth, and celebrate successes together.
Leach is committed to an accelerated growth strategy, often stating “your network really is your net worth.” TWC already has 200 well-accomplished members as well as eight corporate sponsors and is certainly taking Pittsburgh by storm.
When interacting with members of the group, the old adage “everyone you meet knows something you don’t” comes to mind.
Members come from a variety of backgrounds and industries and represent just about every level of business leadership possible: from small business owners to C-level corporate officers to entry-level bussinesswomen. Each woman has a unique perspective and skill set to share with others and The Women’s Collective offers them a fresh platform to do so.
In addition to setting the strategy and vision for TWC, Leach acts as the main point of contact for members and those considering membership. A devoted wife and mother, she also serves on the board for Peters Township Girls Lacrosse Club, is a Corps de Ballet donor, and a supporter of the Confluence Ballet Company.
Leach’s activities in both business and her community have helped develop her skills as a mentor to other women who are trying to balance career and family responsibilities – a passion Leach says is the cornerstone to her personal ethos.
Be the first to know about all the incredible work Elisabeth is doing for the city of Pittsburgh:
Follow her on Instagram @the_womens_collective_pgh or on LinkedIn @Elisabeth Leach.
Find The Women’s Collective Online at www.JoinTWC.com
