Gladiators at the Gate: How GenNext Are Taking on the World

Organized by She Runs It the GenNext awards celebrated four years of honoring these modernday gladiators Each honoree has had to enter the amp8220arena of high expectationsamp8221 amp8212 not only within their organizations but also within themselves amp8212 as they faced their innumerable career challenges These expectations ranged from driving rapid growth in community building ahead of a 8 billion IPO initial public offering listing Jayvee Nava vice president community Peloton to sidelining Alist celebrities on the red carpet to give real cancer heroes a voice Whitney Segel account director YampampR PR to building a lacrosse equipment business while youamp8217re a sophomore in college Rachel Zietz CEO and founder Gladiator LacrosseDespite the vast differences in their stories the winners shared a common refrain Overcoming big hurdles requires relentless conviction and gritJenny Rooney editor of the CMO Network at Forbes expertly moderated a highenergy discussion encouraging each of the winners to unveil their superpower and those invaluable pearls of wisdom on what drives them to excelThe stories were diverse heartfelt and purposeful Colleen Sands senior vice president at Orion reminded us that a career assignment that might appear daunting at first could be the very spark to fuel your leadership growth Colleen was given the challenge to set up the Orion office in California in her early 20s after graduating from college and has never looked backLeah Hendrickson who leads social media for the Chicago Blackhawks and is entering her 9th season with the NHL team told a tale of leading fan engagement while thriving in a maledominated sportWe also heard about innovation amp8212 evident in Amanda Hellmanamp8217s story as managing director at FF NY and in her work with Spotify MetLife and HP Global Amie Owen also showcased those stories of pushing boundaries as a vocal pioneer in the shopper media space and vice president and partner UM Shopper at UM WorldwideThe entrepreneurial and competitive drive was palpable during the evening especially as we heard Abby Tayloramp8217s story of following her passion for surfing and a healthy lifestyle Starting with a bold idea on Belmar Beach NJ five years ago Taylor has gone on to build the successful acaibased Playa Bowls business which has now grown to more than 65 stores Her advice to budding entrepreneurs amp8220Believe in your idea be passionate and people will take a chance on youamp8221Taking a chance on new ideas and ensuring representation is something presentingsponsor Facebook takes very seriously Eva Press vice president global marketing solutions at Facebook highlighted to the GenNext Class of 2019 amp8212 that the company is committed to doubling its female global workforce by 2024 in the US the plan is for underrepresented minorities to make up half of Facebookamp8217s employees within that time frameThe iconic Forbes Media space on Fifth Avenue was a perfect venue to celebrate the contributions of these eight bold leaders it also served as a reminder that no organization is perfect Forbes eloquently took responsibility for its oversight in recognizing only one woman in its Top 100 Most Innovative Leaders list I was reminded about Forbesamp8217 commitment to diversity by Laura Brusca vice president corporate communications at Forbes who walked me over to a copy of the very first Forbes magazine dated September 15 1917 that specifically called out Women in Business on the coverIt has been over a century since that first issue and our work to ensure true diversity continues These eight women representing GenNext are among those leading the warriors who will continue to blaze trails and drive change with the same fearlessness and fervor of the bravest female gladiators amp8212 but instead battling wild animals or enemy gladiators as in ancient Rome our biggest foe today is inaction Leadership by organizations such as She Runs It propels us to take the lead in ensuring diverse female voices are heard amid the cacophony of stakeholders in the arena of good intentions in our industry Itamp8217s time to open the gates and let the young blood in to take real actionClick the social buttons to share this story with your friends and colleagues The 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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Gladiators at the Gate: How GenNext Are Taking on the World

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Raquelle Zuzarte

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Gladiators at the Gate: How GenNext Are Taking on the World

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Raquelle Zuzarte

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