Good morning, Broadsheet readers. Today, we hear from the Fortune Most Powerful Women community on the loss of Joan Rivers. Read on to hear what Neiman Marcus CEO Karen Katz has to say about her decision to finally bring the department store chain to New York City, plus what J. Crew President Jenna Lyons does (or doesn’t) do for exercise. Have a great weekend!
EVERYONE'S TALKING
•RIP Joan Rivers. The beloved comedian and successful businesswoman passed away Thursday at the age of 81, prompting an outpouring of fond memories. "She was an incredibly thoughtful, caring woman. If you were talking to Joan about a great book she was reading and you said, 'Oh, I need to read that,' you'd have the book, beautifully wrapped and delivered, on your desk first thing the next morning," former Time Inc. CEO Ann Moore told Fortune. Click over to Storify to read more thoughts shared by powerful women on Rivers. Storify
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
•Obama makes it official. The White House announced that Google executive Megan Smith will become the nation’s third Chief Technology Officer, and first woman to serve in the role. “I am confident that… she will put her long record of leadership and exceptional skills to work on behalf of the American people," said President Obama.Fortune
• Why did Jill Abramson get fired? “I’m still trying to sort of figure that out. I’m not altogether sure," the former top editor of the New York Times told Re/Code's Kara Swisher at the Code/Media Series: New York. Abramson was the first woman to run the Times as executive editor. Her firing in May started a debate on whether gender played a role in the decision to let her go. Re/Code
•The best performing company in Spain is led by women. Jazztel is the top performer on Spain's benchmark stock index, and has had the largest share of women on its board for most of the past five years. Spain passed a law in 2007 requiring companies to add more women on their boards by 2013 but few have reached the mandated 40% ratio. Bloomberg
•Marks & Spencer's shifts the balance. 50% of the British retailer's senior staff is comprised of women, including its CEO, chairman and head of marketing. "I don’t know if it’s to do with gender, but there isn’t the same power struggle by big personalities going on that you can see at other big institutions," says head of products Paul Stokes on often being the odd man out in executive meetings. Daily Mail
• Meet our Most Promising Women Entrepreneurs. Fortune has selected its 2014 class of Fortune Most Promising Women Entrepreneurs. These are 10 female founders of innovative, thriving companies with revenue in the $1 million-to-$25 million range. This year's winners include GoldieBlox CEO Debbie Sterling and Camp Bow Wow CEO Heidi Ganahl. Fortune
BROADVIEW
Neiman Marcus CEO: Why New York, Why Now
Today's Broadview comes courtesy of Fortune retail reporter Phil Wahba, who spoke with Neiman Marcus CEO Karen Katz about her sudden decision to bring the department store chain to New York City.
Wahba: You’ve said for a long time there was no need for a Neiman Marcus in New York City. What made you finally change your mind?
Katz: What’s changed in New York, and what made us really change our thinking about New York, is that the different neighborhoods are becoming more important as shopping destinations than they used to be. Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue were the most important areas for a long time. There’s been a change in where populations are moving, where luxury apartment buildings are being constructed.
How important do you expect international visitors to be to the new Neiman Marcus store?
It’s hard to project what percentage will come from tourism. There is no question that international tourism is on the rise- we see it at Bergdorf Goodman, we see it in Miami. And we hope that because of the location of Hudson Yards (a mega-development on Manhattan's west side), it will be a place that tourists are going to put on their list of things to visit while they’re in New York.
Click over to Fortune.com to hear more from Katz on her business strategy for Neiman Marcus.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
•J. Crew president talks exercise. "I lift some really heavy sequins during the day. And I walk in five-inch heels regularly, which I believe is really good for my calves. Do we have to talk about diet and fitness?," Jenna Lyons told The New York Times.NYTimes
•Equinox president: It's all about who you know. "I think the biggest issue (women have in the workplace) is not having or making enough time to dedicate to the in-person networking needed to build deep-trusting relationships with those who have the opportunity to promote you," Sarah Robb O'Hagan told HuffPost. HuffPost
ON MY RADAR
Weekend Reading: Novels on working women People
Hollywood realizes movies starring women can make money NYTimes
Whoops: Pinterest congratulates single women on their weddings Slate
Pop stars breaking glass ceilings Policy Mic
Mom's group takes on guns at KrogerHuffPost
QUOTE
People say that money is not the key to happiness, but I always figured if you have enough money, you can have a key made.
Joan Rivers
