2018 Women to Watch are Groundbreaking Visionaries

With Indra Nooyiamp160stepping down as Chief Executive Officer at PepsiCo there will only be twentyfour female CEOs among the SampampP 500 companies representing less than 5 amp160According to Catalyst there are also fewer women of color amp160This news punctuates the importance of recognizing and committing to this yearamp8217s Women to WatchIn step with the groundswell of support to advance diversity and inclusion it is fitting that this yearamp8217s theme is to unite for change within the industry amp160While systemic change is slow these women are working to improve gender parity and increase people of color in the workplace against a backdrop illuminated by the scarcity of women especially women of color in the corner office and in the pipelineMany of the recipients brought family members and teammates to the event to celebrate with those who matter the most amp160Almost all dedicated the award to their work andor personal families amp160Lessons shared and insights from some of the Women to Watch are cited andor paraphrased below amp160This is just a sampling of how the honorees emboldened a community especially the next generation of leadersInclusion Means EveryoneWhile the dearth of women in leadership positions is problematic the reality is that we need inclusion not just of women but of everyone with aamp160 focus on diversity of thought age race country of origin abilities intersectionality and men amp160Andrea Diquez Chief Executive Officer Saatchi ampamp Saatchi New York shared that amp8220I have faith in the men in advertising who support women amp160We can move mountains togetheramp8221Dara Treseder Chief Marketing Officer GE Business Innovations and Ventures echoed the sentiment as she acknowledged her husband and said amp8220straight white men can be a force for goodamp8221 amp160Treseder thanked her Nigerian American and GE families before dedicating the award to little girls of color and little immigrant girls adding amp8220Iamp8217m watching you and rooting for youamp8221Being a Woman to Watch Is a Privilege and a Responsibility Andrea Brimmer Chief Marketing and Public Relations Officer Ally Financial acknowledged that movements can compel people to be braver and to speak louder amp160In doing so they shine the light on trails that have been blazed by women and people of color who have come before and chart the course for generations to comeamp160 Her favorite saying is that the meaning of life is to find one39s quotgiftquot and the purpose of life is to give it away amp160Brimmer has done both with gratitude and prideDiscrimination Is ExpensiveDia Simms President of Combs Enterprises shared the Catalyst news mentioned above noting that amp8220the number of female CEOs in SampampP 500 companies can fit at two tables even though women CEOs in SampampP Top 100 companies outperform their male counterparts 3 to 1amp8221 amp160Simms posited that having women in business is better for morale and consumers and that itamp8217s not a cute box to check amp160amp8220Discrimination is actually expensive and our contributions are extraordinaryamp8221 she saidFind Your Voice Early OnJoceyln Wong Chief Marketing Officer Loweamp8217s and others encouraged their daughters teammates and mentees to find their voices early on and to not be afraid to fail amp160Wong came to the United States with her family as an immigrant dreaming of a better life amp160She said she encourages her daughters to take risks like she did to drive change and make a differenceCatherine Sullivan President of US Investment Omnicom Media Group said that she grew up watching Barbara Walters with her mother and her father was a huge proponent for women amp160amp8220I never thought I couldnamp8217t do thingsquot she explainedamp160 quotWe run itamp160 and that is my hope for my childrenamp8221Earlier this year MediaVillage published the articleamp160Female Leadership Is a Business Imperative which was based on new research from Harris Poll Berlin Cameron and The Female Quotient amp160In it more than half of those surveyed preferred to work for a femaleled company including 46 of menamp160 In addition 71 of men and women agreed that having a woman in a leadership position made them believe that they could achieve a comparable role amp160The findings are worth a second look as the industry contemplates the complexity of changing the leadership mixPhoto credit Ad Age 2018 Women to Watch in partnership with SheRunsItClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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2018 Women to Watch are Groundbreaking Visionaries

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Mary Ellen Holden

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2018 Women to Watch are Groundbreaking Visionaries

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