Analisa Balares
CEO & Founder

Analisa Balares is the CEO and Founder of Womensphere^TM, a New York-based media company with the mission of inspiring, empowering, and celebrating women around the world. She is the author of two books being published this year - JOURNEY and IMPACT.

Analisa is also Founder and Chairman of HUCKLEBERRY^TM, a technology company focused on interaction design and web-mobile software development.

Analisa is formerly Global Marketing Manager for Microsoft's blogging/social networking service. In this role, she led the global marketing launch of Windows Live Spaces in over 30 countries, and led the strategy and execution of Spaces projects around branding, partnerships, events, and online community development. She managed Spaces' internal partnerships with MSN Entertainment and XBox, and external partnerships with NGOs (Global Fund for Women, Earth Day Network), media companies (ABC, Sundance Channel) and independent music/film/TV festivals (South by Southwest, MethodFest, New York TV Festival).

Analisa launched her career at the Goldman Sachs High Technology Investment Banking group, where she helped execute over $1.5 billion in IPOs and corporate financings. Her clients included open source software leader Red Hat, data infrastructure pioneer StorageNetworks, and communications leader Nokia. Her professional experience included working for Milestone Capital as Director of Development & New Ventures, as well as summer work at Morgan Stanley's Energy Investment Banking Group, World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Mellon Bank, and Massa Products.

Analisa holds an MBA from Harvard Business School; a BA in Economics & Mathematics cum laude from Mount Holyoke College, the first and oldest institution for higher learning for women in the United States; and an International Baccalaureate diploma from Lester Pearson United World College of the Pacific, a school founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Lester Pearson, where she was a scholar of the Canadian International Development Agency and Ayala Foundation. She has a Digital Film-making Certificate from New York Film Academy.

In 1999, Analisa founded The Lyons Network, a leadership and career mentoring organization that she chairs together with Mount Holyoke alumnae and students. While at Harvard Business School, Analisa co-founded and led the non-profit Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), and served as Co-President of the HBS Entrepreneurship Club; Debate Coach & Co-Captain of HBS' Debate Team; Vice President of HBS' Leadership and Ethics Forum; and an organizer of several HBS conferences.

For over two decades, Analisa has been committed to public service, environmental sustainability, and community development: She led a team that received Shell Company's Outstanding Junior Scientist Award three years in a row, for her team's innovative work on wastewater pollution treatment, recycling, and alternative energy production. At 16, she was Senate President of the1st Philippine Youth Environment Congress, where she led drafting the Philippine Youth's Environment and Sustainable Development Policy Proposal for the Inaugural UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In the same year, she served as Youth Mayor of Manila City for a week, creating legislation for public education and urban renewal. She also served on the Steering Committee of Canada's 1st International Conference on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Analisa was recently selected as one of 35 “young leaders” to join the New York City Young Leaders Program, a public-private partnership between the New York City Government and private NGOs.