Women Business Collaborative

2021 Virtual Annual Summit
2021-09-21 - 2021-09-22
Click here to View the Program | Watch Video Recaps
Women Business Collaborative (WBC) proudly hosted our third Annual Summit: “Empowering Through Gender Equity and Diversity,” virtually on September 21st and 22nd, 2021. Over this day and a half period, we convened over 3000 registrants and heard from our 8 CEO Awardees, 6 Trailblazers, and over 70 speakers through engaging panels and breakout sessions, all discussing how best to create equal position, pay and power for all business women. Experts and thought leaders highlighted key areas and actors advancing diversity, equity and inclusion across industries. The Summit recognized two key groups: those CEOs leading the charge to advance diversity and Trailblazers whose leadership and innovation have created new pathways to change for their communities and beyond.
WBC’s 2021 Excellence in Gender and Diversity CEO Award recognizes CEOs of major companies for their efforts to diversify their workforce and increase opportunities for women in business roles. This year’s awardees were:

David Taylor, Chair, President & CEO, P&G
Mary T. Barra, Chair and CEO, General Motors
Ronald P. O’Hanley, Chairman and CEO, State Street
Doug McMillon, President and CEO, Walmart Inc.
Jim Fitterling, Chair and CEO, Dow
Laurence D. Fink, Founder, Chair & CEO, BlackRock
Barbara Humpton, President and CEO, Siemens Corporation
Tricia Griffith, President & CEO, Progressive Insurance

WBC’s 2021 Trailblazer Gender & Diversity Award recognizes business leaders who have implemented innovative changes that further gender equality and diversity, uplift those around them and cultivate inclusive environments. This year’s awardees were:

Indra Nooyi, Former Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo
Joey Reiman, Co-Founder and Chair, Brand New World Studios
Gina Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises
Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and CEO, TIAA
Lilly Ledbetter, Author, Equal Pay Activist, Inspiration of the “Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act”

Video Archives Now Available
This year’s virtual Annual Summit reached thousands across the globe thanks to Hopin, a dynamic and user-friendly platform. All recordings of the Summit can be viewed below:
Day 1 (full) recording of the 2021 Summit including Trailblazer Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO Roundtable with 2021 Awardees for Gender and Diversity Excellence featuring Siemens, Progressive, and Dow; Trailblazer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, The Changing Face of Leadership: Women CEOs and the C-Suite, Trailblazer Secretary Gina Raimondo

Day 2 (full) recording of the WBC Summit including Collaboration to Impact: Progress Against Targets, Corporations Leading the Charge in 2021, Trailblazer Joey Reiman, Why Is Mona Lisa Smiling? Collaboration For Purpose of Business, Trailblazer Indra Nooyi, CEO Roundtable with 2021 Awardees for Gender and Diversity Excellence featuring Blackrock, Walmart, General Motors, State Street, and Procter & Gamble; Diversity Across the Pipeline – Women of Color Leading the Charge, Trailblazer Lilly Ledbetter, Ally of Her – Building the Movement, Breakout Sessions, Women Leading the Way in Media.

Individual Panels / Sessions
Day 1 Welcome with Edie Fraser and Balaji Ganapathy – Edie Fraser, CEO, WBC; and Balaji Ganapathy, Chief Social Responsibility Officer & Global Head, CSR, TCS, WBC Board Member welcomed attendees to the first day of the 2021 WBC Summit.

2021 Trailblazer Award: Thasunda Brown Duckett interviewed by Richelle Parham – Women Business Collaborative was honored to award Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of TIAA, a 2021 Trailblazer in Gender and Diversity Award. For her award, she was interviewed by Richelle Parham, President of Global E-Commerce & Business Development, Universal Music Group.

CEO Panel Day 1: featuring Siemens, Dow, and Progressive – Women Business Collaborative was proud to honor the following speakers a 2021 CEO in Excellence in Gender and Diversity Award on Day 1 of the Summit: Jim Fitterling, Chairman and CEO, Dow; Tricia Griffith, President & CEO, Progressive Insurance; Barbara Humpton, President and CEO, Siemens Corporation; Moderators: WBC Board Members Robert Reiss, CEO, The CEO Forum Group; Becky Shambaugh, President & CEO, Shambaugh Leadership

2021 Trailblazer Award: Magic Johnson interviewed by Michael Norris – Women Business Collaborative was honored to award Earvin “Magic” Johnson, a 2021 Trailblazer in Gender and Diversity Award. For his award, he was interviewed by Michael Norris, CEO of Urban Legacies and WBC Board Member.

Day 1 Sponsor Thank You Loop – Thank you to all of our Sponsors and Partner Organizations for making this event and our work possible!

Day 1: The Changing Face of Leadership – Women CEOs and the C-Suite – Women appear to be on the rise, comprising 8.4% of all CEOs in the United States, up from 6.9% in 2019. At the same time, the C-Suite is still dominated by males. This panel analyzed the growth of the number of women in top leadership roles and the best tools and practices that create pathways for women to the C-Suite and CEO levels. Speakers: Lorraine Hariton, President & CEO Catalyst; Kimber Maderazzo, Chairman of the Board, Committee of 200; Dara Klein, Managing Director, Kaplan Partners; Subha Barry, CEO, Seramount; Moderator: Jane Hanson, Contributor Forbes, CEO/Founder HHH Productions LLC

2021 Trailblazer Award: Sec. Gina Raimondo interviewed by Karen Lynch – Women Business Collaborative was honored to award Gina Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, a 2021 Trailblazer in Gender and Diversity Award. For her award, she was interviewed by Karen Lynch, CEO of CVS Health.

Day 1 Closing: Changing the Face of Leadership and Empowering Diversity with Andi Simon and Sharon Reynolds – Sharon Reynolds, Founder and President DevMar, WBC Board Member and Dr. Andi Simon, Anthropologist and CEO Simon Associates Management Consultants closed out the first day of the WBC Summit with these inspiring words.

Day 2 Welcome with Edie Fraser and Lynne Born – Edie Fraser, CEO of WBC, and Lynne Born, Chief Practice Officer of Aspiriant, welcomed guests on Day 2 of the third annual WBC Summit: Empowering Through Gender Equity and Diversity.

Day 2: Accelerating Progress and Impact Against Targets- How do we build off the current momentum to accelerate progress towards gender equity in business? The WBC has set 2025 and 2030 targets and works as a collaborative through its partners and champions to drive equity through transparency and accountability. This panel explored where we are against the 9 Action Initiatives and what we need to do to achieve these targets. Speakers: Gwen Young, COO, WBC; Jose Zeilstra, CEO Gender Fair, WBC Board Member; Camille Burns, CEO, Women President’s Organization; Anna Mok, President & CEO, Ascend; Candace Waterman, President & CEO, WIPP

Day 2: Corporations Leading the Charge in 2021 – Corporations have accelerated their commitment to gender equity and diversity. In addition, they have moved from managing employee engagement to managing the life experience of their employees. Find out how leading companies are doing this, hear about the latest innovative policies and practices they are adopting and where we are in terms of gender equity and diversity across industries. Speakers: Toni Bush, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Government Affairs, News Corp; Kristen Verderame, VP Government Relations, NetApp; Amy Lenander: Executive Vice President & Head of Consumer Auto, Capital One; Nan DasGupta, Managing Director and Senior Partner, BCG; Larry Quinlan, Principal, Deloitte, Member of Board of Directors, ServiceNow; Moderator: Felicity Hassan, President Audeliss, WBC Board Member

2021 Trailblazer Award: Joey Reiman interviewed by Edie Fraser – Women Business Collaborative was honored to award Joey Reiman, Co-Founder and CEO of Brand New World Studios, a 2021 Trailblazer in Gender and Diversity Award. For his award, he was interviewed by Edie Fraser, CEO of WBC.

Day 2: Why is Mona Lisa Smiling? Collaboration for Purpose of Business – Conversation with the filmmakers Alan Murray, CEO, Fortune: Joey Reiman, Co-Founder and Chair, Brand New World Studios; Joanna Durr, Executive Director, Business Film Division, Brand New World Studios, and Film Director of ‘Why is Mona Lisa Smiling? The Reimagination of the Corporation’; Brad Siegel, Co-Founder and CEO, Brand New World Studios

Day 2: Why is Mona Lisa Smiling? Collaboration for Purpose of Business – Extended Teaser – The teaser for the upcoming 2022 film “Why is Mona Lisa Smiling?Collaboration For Purpose of Business” premiered at the 2021 WBC Annual Summit.

2021 Trailblazer Award: Indra Nooyi interviewed by Alan Murray – Women Business Collaborative was honored to award Indra Nooyi, former CEO of Pepsico a 2021 Trailblazer in Gender and Diversity Award. For her award, she was interviewed by Alan Murray, CEO of Fortune

Day 2: Live Salute to Sponsors with Michael Norris – Michael Norris, WBC Board Member, thanks the 2021 WBC Sponsors that made this Summit possible.

CEO Panel Day 2: featuring GM, Walmart, Blackrock, P&G and State Street – Women Business Collaborative was proud to honor the following speakers a 2021 CEO in Excellence in Gender and Diversity Award on Day 2 of the Summit: Mary T. Barra, CEO, General Motors; David Taylor, Chair, President & CEO, Procter & Gamble; Ronald P. O’Hanley, CEO, State Street Corporation; Doug McMillon, President & CEO, Walmart, Inc.; Larry Fink, Founder, Chair & CEO, BlackRock; Moderators WBC Board Members: Robert Reiss, President, Founder and President, The CEO Forum Group; Becky Shambaugh, President & CEO, Shambaugh Leadership

Day 2: Diversity Across the Pipeline – Women of Color Leading the Charge – Corporations, communities and individuals have stepped up calls for diversity in 2020 and 2021. This includes understanding the intersectionality of diversity in the workplace, the need for transparency and diversity in senior leadership. This panel explored how companies are focusing on the inclusion in DE&I and how to create truly inclusive workplaces. Speakers: Michelle Gadsden-Williams, Managing Director & Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Blackrock; Carla Grant Pickens, Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, IBM; Calandra W. Jarrell, SVP Diversity and Inclusion Executive, Bank of America; Shari Slate, Chief Inclusion and Collaboration Officer, VP Inclusive Future and Strategy, Cisco; Moderator: Ben-Saba Hasan, SVP Chief Culture DE&I Officer, Walmart

2021 Trailblazer Award: Lilly Ledbetter interviewed by Rachel Feldman – Women Business Collaborative was honored to award Lilly Ledbetter, Author and Equal Pay Activist, a 2021 Trailblazer in Gender and Diversity Award. For her award, she was interviewed by Rachel Feldman, Writer/Director of the upcoming film “LILLY”

Day 2: Ally of Her – The WBC recognizes that men’s leadership, advocacy, and sponsorship are fundamental to women achieving gender parity in the workplace. Men are 10% of the WBC champions and are working across the WBC to accelerate progress towards gender equity by working on our 9 Action Initiatives. This panel showcased our male allies and the practices they are applying to champion for women and equality in the workplace. Speakers: Matt Carter, CEO, Aryaka; David Fischette, President & CEO, GoWest Creative; Damon Hininger, President/CEO, CoreCivic; Mehmood Khan, CEO, Hevolution Foundation; Jonas Prising, Chairman and CEO ManpowerGroup, Moderator: Patricia Glaser Shea, Partner, Shea Advisory Services LLC, WBC Board Member

Day 2: Women Leading the Way in Media with Lisa Matthews, Judy Woodruff, and Nina Totenberg – Women’s leadership is important across all industries and sectors. In media, women in leadership are instrumental in both telling the story and being a part of the change. Join the leaders in the media to talk about how leadership and diversity within their own industry is working to stay apace with the industries that they are covering and corporate America-at-large. Speakers: Judy Woodruff, Co-Anchor and Managing Editor, The PBS NewsHour; Nina Totenberg, Correspondent, Legal Affairs, NPR; Moderator: Lisa Matthews, 2021 President National Press Club / Associated Press Assignment Manager

Day 2 Closing with Edie Fraser – Edie Fraser closes out the day and a half 2021 WBC Summit: Empowering Through Gender Equity and Diversity

Breakout Sessions
Accelerating Gender Parity – According to the World Bank women make up almost 50% of the global population and account for 47% of the total U.S. labor force, as reported by the United States Department of Labor. At the same time, male leaders outnumber women by a factor of 4 to 1. This panel shines a light on the harsh and rampant reality of gender inequality across corporate America and explores the steps necessary to closing the parity gap.
Speakers: Gerri Mason Hall, VP Global Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, NetApp; Sandra Quince, CEO Paradigm for Parity (P4P); Anja Skvortsova, Managing Director, Europe, Audeliss Moderated by Heidi Kleinbach-Sauter, Member Board of Directors at Chr. Hansen Holding A/S Denmark, Member Board of Directors at Royal Unibrew A/S Denmark

Retaining and Accelerating Women in Technology to Higher Levels – Diversity is critical to innovative product development in the technology industry, but even more so, diverse companies have been proven to perform better, hire better talent, have more engaged employees and retain workers better than companies that do not focus on diversity and inclusion. So why are women so widely underrepresented in the technology sector, especially in leadership roles? This panel will provide guidance for both individual career success and for employers building environments to circumvent the feeling of “stalled” many women are experiencing as they pursue careers in technology.
Speakers: Magna Hadley, Vice President and Global Head of Healthcare Domain Practice TCS; Melanie Frank: Managing Vice President, Technology – Cyber Architecture & Engineering, Capital One Moderator: Melissa Peak, Global Lead Workforce Strategy, AWS, Board Member

Staffing the Workforce of Today and Tomorrow – The Staffing Workstream within the WBC is comprised of a group of executives, leaders and associations in the staffing industry with a specific purpose: driving awareness and progress around gender equity and parity within the industry. Hear from this integral group on how the staffing industry is addressing equity.
Speakers: Threase Baker, Member of the Staffing as a Career Task Force, American Staffing Association; Diana Mertz, Senior Director Councils and Member Engagement, American Staffing Association; Moderator: Kip Wright, President Genuent, WBC Board Member

The Multiplier Effect – Diversity in Capital and Finance Driving Impact – A staggering 96%of institutional assets under management are controlled by men. However, evidence indicates female investors are stronger advocates for gender diversity in portfolio companies, and as such, more women in portfolio management could mean more women in leadership positions across the economy — creating a “diversity multiplier effect.” This panel analyzes where we are, where we want to go and how to help both increase investment into women owned businesses and increase women’s leadership as controllers and allocators of capital.
Speakers: Anilu Vazquez-Ubarri, Partner, CHRO, TPG; Lori Heinel, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Investment Officer, State Street Global Advisors; Moderated by Alex Jung, Founder, Amateras Capital, Board Director, Investor, & Strategic Advisor (former Partner and Head of Europe at Oak Hill Advisors), WBC Board Member

The Call for Female Entrepreneurs and Access to Capital – 2021 has proven to be a great year for entrepreneurs with consumers open to change and new ways of doing things. In addition, research shows that the number of women entrepreneurs rose post the Great Recession and many predict this will rise with She-cession of 2020-2021. This panel of female entrepreneurs will provide insight into what the landscape looks like for female entrepreneurship in the near term and beyond.
Speakers: Renee Pepys Lowe, President, RPL & Associates; DeLisa Guerrier, Managing Partner, Guerrier Development; Dee Quinn, Co-Founder & CEO Lafayette 148; Asma Ishaq, CEO, Modere; Moderator: Judith Goldkrand, National Women’s Segment Leader and National Asian Segment Leader, Wells Fargo

The Rising Tide of Women in the Boardroom – Since October 2020 the percentage of women joining the boards of public companies on a monthly basis is 40% . Women of color joining boards are on the rise as well. This panel analyzes the trends and strategies to increase the number of women on boards and achieve the WBC target of 30% of the Fortune and S&P 500 and Russell 3000 board seats held by women by 2025 with 10% of those being women of color.
Speakers: Belen Gomez, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Communications, Equilar; Susan Keating, Women Corporate Directors; Esther Aguilera, Latina Corporate Directors Association (LCDA); Moderator: Ana Dutra, CEO, Mandala Global, WBC Board Member

People, Pay and Power: Why Measuring Pay Equity Matters – In 2020, women earned $0.81 for every dollar earned by men when the median salary for all men and women is considered regardless of job type or worker seniority, representing a 2% improvement from 2019 and a 7% improvement from 2015. In 2021 this gap is expected to be larger due to the impact of COVID. Join us to talk about the solutions to this problem and steps towards closing the gap.
Speakers: Noreen Farrell, President, Equal Rights Advocates; Marie Konstance, Project Lead, GDKA; Stephanie Gore, Transformation Director, KPMG

Women’s Leadership in Healthcare – Women comprise 80% of the healthcare workforce but only about 20% of the leadership positions across healthcare industries. Hear about this reality firsthand from leaders in healthcare, including the steps necessary to increase women’s leadership across the multi-trillion dollar industry.
Speakers: Veronica Mallet, President and CEO MMC Ventures/ Executive Director Center for Women’s Health Research, Meharry Medical College; Rachel Prosser, Principal Medical Scientist, Medical Affairs, Corrections, Military and Indian Health Services, Gilead Sciences; Joyce Salzberg, CEO, Sunny Days; Susan Stith, VP Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Civic Affairs & Cigna Foundation; Moderator: Connie McGee, Healthcare Leader, Board of Directors, Reliant Bank

Want to view past Summit content? Find information and recordings of the 2020 Summit here!

2020 WBC Digital Summit: Weaving a Movement for Women in Business
2020-10-01 - 2020-10-02
WBC hosted our first annual summit on October 1st and 2nd, 2020. The 2020 WBC Digital Summit: Weaving a Movement for Women in Business had over 900 registrants and more than 45 speakers and was filled with key insights into the position of women in business with an emphasis on our nine action initiatives.
View the program book here.
We presented three trailblazer awards to Senator Amy Klobuchar, Bonnie St. John, and Judee von Seldeneck for their leadership and ongoing support for women in business. We had the opportunity to hear from executive leadership at five Fortune 500 companies including Joaquin Duato, Vice Chair, Johnson & Johnson and award Bruce Broussard, President and CEO, Humana; Ann Cairns, Executive Vice Chair, Mastercard; Dave Ricks, Chair and CEO, Eli Lilly and Company; and Arne Sorenson, President and CEO, Marriott International with the CEO Award for Excellence in Gender and Diversity.
Missed Day 1? Watch the full event here!
Missed Day 2? Watch the full event here!

Watch individual panels below!
WBC Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
2020 WBC Digital Summit: Tech Leaders as Champions of Change
2020 WBC Digital Summit: Corporate Drivers of Change
2020 WBC Digital Summit: CEO Awardee Panel: Excellence in Gender and Diversity
2020 WBC Digital Summit: Executive Commitment to Gender & Diversity
2020 WBC Digital Summit: WBC Leaders: A Movement for Change
2020 WBC Digital Summit: WBC Advisors: A Movement for Change
