International Women's Forum

2018 IWF Cornerstone Conference Highlights, Melbourne, Australia

2017 IWF World Leadership Conference Highlights, Houston, Texas

2017 Hall of Fame Honoree :

The Hon. Hillary Clinton
Former First Lady, US Senator, Secretary of State

2017 Women Who Make a Difference :

IWF Maine
Danielle Conway
Dean of the Maine School of Law
Law/Academia

Women’s Forum of Colorado
Barbara Grogan
Founder, Chairman and CEO of Western Industrial Contractors

IWF Jordan
Reem Habayeb
Co-Founder of the Silsal Design House and humanitarian

IWF Washington State
Joanne Harrell
Senior Director for U.S. Citizenship and Public Affairs at Microsoft

IWF Texas
Joanne King Herring
Political activist, philanthropist, diplomat and Founder of Marshall Plan Charities

IWF Jamaica
Minna Israel
Special Advisor to the Vice Chancellor at the University of the West Indies

IWF Mexico
Luz Lajous Vargas
Former Mexican Senator, entrepreneur and Founder of IWF Mexico

IWF Wisconsin
Susan Lubar
First Vice President-Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley

IWF Canada – Calgary
Mary Rozsa de Coquet
Mary Rozsa de Coquet, CM, LLD (for program)
President of the Rozsa Foundation

The International Women’s Forum (IWF) World Leadership Conference in Houston brought together nearly 1,000 women experts and innovators from 40 nations to discuss the world’s most pressing challenges. The two-day conference provided an important platform for women thought-leaders from across the globe to engage on topics ranging from infectious diseases and public health to space exploration. These influential leaders convened to exchange ideas and develop strategies that result in meaningful change. This year’s theme, Global Citizens: Interconnected, Inquisitive, Engaged, explored the definition and significance of global citizenship in today’s often polarized world.

Members arrive at the 2017 IWF World Leadership Conference Opening Reception at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

2017 IWF World Leadership Conference Opening Reception

IWF President Teresa V-F Weintraub is greeted by IWF Texas-Houston at the Opening Reception

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner kicks off the Opening Reception

Conference Co-chairs Gracie Cavnar and Annise Parker with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner

Teresa V-F Weintraub welcomes members and guests

Annise Parker and Gracie Cavnar with the Opening Reception Co-chairs Barbara McKnight and Clare Sullivan Jackson

Teresa V-F Weintraub opening the first day of the 2017 IWF World Leadership Conference

Zoe Daniel, Washington Bureau Chief for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and member of IWF Australia opens the plenary, Global Storms: Extreme Weather

Mary Glackin, Director of Science and Forecasting Operations, The Weather Company and IBM

Stéphane Hallegatte, Lead Economist at the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery

Suzana Camargo, Executive Director of Columbia University’s Initiative on Extreme Weather and Climate

Zoe Daniel, Mary Glackin, Stéphane Hallegatte, and Suzana Carmargo

Mary Beth Gracy, Managing Director of Accenture addresses the conference

Deborah Byers, US Energy Leader of EY’s Houston office opens the plenary, Powering the World: Energy Economics

Ken Medlock, Fellow in Energy and Resource Economics at the Baker Institute

Melanie Kenderdine, Principal of the Energy Futures Initiative

Jayshree Desai, Chief Operating Officer of Clean Line Energy Partners

Karen Hayes and Michelle Loader of IWF Australia, co-chairs of the 2018 IWF World Cornerstone Conference in Melbourne, Australia

Jeanne Meserve, award-winning journalist, opens the luncheon interview session – Shoot for the Moon: Space

Director of the Johnson Space Center and featured speaker for the luncheon session, Ellen Ochoa.

Lucy Morrillo and Melanie Damian of IWF Florida, co-chairs of the 2018 IWF World Leadership Conference in Miami

Donna Shalala, former US Secretary of Health and Human Services and member of IWF Florida , opens the plenary, Global Health: Priorities and Possibilities

Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Director of Rice 360: Institute for Global Health

Kathryn Jones, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine

Gabrielle Fitzgerald, Founder and CEO of Panorama Global

Donna Shalala, Rebecca Richards-Kortum, Kathryn Jones, and Gabrielle Fitzgerald

Priscilla Douglas, Principal of PHDouglas & Associates and member of the Massachusetts Women’s Forum, facilitator for the Ideas Remaking the World session

Lia Grimanis, Chief Executive Officer of Up with Women and member of IWF Canada, presents during Ideas Remaking the World.

Ilya Marotta, Executive Vice President of Engineering and Program Management at the Panama Canal Authority and member of IWF Panama, presents during Ideas Remaking the World.

Carole Feuerman, hyperrealist sculptor and member of the Women’s Forum of New York, presents during Ideas Remaking the World.

Anne Drake, Donna Shalala, Olga Sanchez Cordero, and Donna de Varona present Hillary Rodham Clinton with the IWF Hall of Fame Award.

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, 2017 IWF International Hall of Fame Inductee, accepts her award at the Hall of Fame Gala

Hillary Clinton with IWF and Leadership Foundation Board Directors

2017 IWF Cornerstone Conference Highlights, Stockholm, Sweden

IWF members and guests from more than 30 nations gathered in Stockholm on May 17-19, 2017 to explore the massive shifts underway in technology, privacy, sustainability, migration and demographics, as well as political shifts toward insularity throughout the world. The conference sessions examined what can be done to create more sustainable societies, economies and environments in the face of this dramatic change. IWF spotlighted the music and innovation of Sweden and went behind the scenes into Stockholm’s most iconic institutions and celebrated sites.

Chair Paula Cox at the IWF Presidents' Council Workshop & Dinner

New York Women's Forum President Carolyn Carter Presents at the Presidents' Council Workshop

IWF CEO Stephanie Mathews O'Keefe presents at the Presidents' Council Workshop

Forum Presidents and Board Directors at the Presidents’ Council Dinner

Leadership Foundation Directors at the Presidents’ Council Dinner

A warm welcome to Absolut Atelier – Absolut’s home in Stockholm and site of the Digital Snack

Elsa Bernadotte, conference speaker and Swedish entrepreneur, introduces her startup at the Digital Snack.

Members at the Digital Snack event, highlighting young Swedish entrepreneurs

IWF President Teresa V-F Weintraub welcomes conference participants to the 2017 Cornerstone Conference

An all-female band helps kick off the Opening Reception at Stockholm’s iconic Grand Hotel

IWF members enter the ballroom to commence the 2017 IWF Cornerstone Conference, A More Sustainable World: Movements & Markets

IWF Sweden Administrator Daryl Sepp, IWF Sweden Member and Past President of IWF Sweden Katarina Bonde and IWF Sweden President Marie Reinius with IWF President Teresa V-F Weintraub at the 2017 IWF Cornerstone Conference Opening Reception

Conference participants explore the Pop-Up shops and catch up before sessions begin

Members pose for a photo in the Ericsson Sustainable Development Goals photo booth, bringing attention to the UN’s targets for building a sustainable world

Members experience a refugee’s journey from their home to safety at the Ryot/Causeumentary Virtual Reality exhibit

Mayor of Stockholm Karin Wanngård welcomes conference participants to Europe’s Green Capital

IWF President Teresa V-F Weintraub and Mayor Karin Wanngård

Award winning journalist Alexandra Pascalidou opens the first session of the conference, Numbers Matter: People Matter

Laura Londén, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of the UNFP and Thomas Liebig, Principal Administrator of the Int'l Migration Division of the OECD open the conference with take part in the first plenary.

IWF Member and former UN official Gillian Sorensen introduces keynote speaker Jan Eliasson

Jan Eliasson, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sweden discusses the current issues and trends in international migration

Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, former UK Minister of State for Security and Counter Terrorism; Michelle Dennedy, Vice President and Chief Privacy Officer of Cisco; and Cathleen Berger, Global Engagement Lead at Mozilla explore the intersection of technology, security, privacy and surveillance with moderator Susanne Tillqvist of EY in the second plenary.

IWF CEO Stephanie Mathews O'Keefe addresses the audience before the luncheon session, Shaping Our World: Sustainable Places.

Gracie Cavnar, IWF Texas President and Co-Chair of the 2017 Leadership Conference, invites us all to the global city of Houston this October.

IWF Australia President Kate Mason gives us a glimpse into the Cornerstone Conference in Melbourne next year.

President and CEO for Europe at Edelman, Carol Potter sets the stage for the luncheon session, Shaping Our World: Sustainable Places

Diane Hoskins, Co-CEO of Gensler and IWF member, discusses designing for a sustainable future.

Cheong Koon Hean, Chief Executive Officer of the Housing and Development Board of Singapore and IWF member shares the “Singaporean example” of urban planning with fellow panelists Swedish Minister for the Environment Karolina Skog and Chief Operations Officer for Habitat for Humanity International Tjada McKenna.

L to R: Carol Potter, Diane Hoskins, Tjada McKenna, Cheong Koon Hean and Karolina Skog

Tjada McKenna emphasizes the importance of developing not only urban areas, but rural regions as well.

Charlotta Kvarnström, Managing Director at Accenture, opens the second day of the conference with a look at Accenture’s Gender Pay Gap research.

IWF member and Board Director Marsha Sampson Johnson kicks off the opening plenary of day two exploring impact investing and sustainable business.

Anna Ryott, Managing Director and CEO of Swedfund; Connie Collingsworth, Chief Business Operations Officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and Jan Saumweber, Vice President of Responsible Sourcing at Walmart discuss the significance of partnerships in Plenary 2 – Solve Problems: Shape Opportunities

L to R: Marsha Sampson Johnson, Anna Ryott, Connie Collingsworth and Jan Saumweber

Shahira Amin, Journalist, former Deputy Head of Egypt’s state-owned Nile TV and IWF member and Board Director Shahira Amin opens Plenary 4 – Movements & Aftershocks: Populism and Nationalism

Cas Mudde, political scientist, professor, and researcher at the University of Georgia, USA

Constanze Stelzenmüller, Robert Bosch Senior Fellow of Foreign Policy with the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution

Participants in the breakout session More than Numbers: Filling in the Picture take part in an interactive survey component – bringing data to life.

Panelists in the Top of the Charts breakout session discuss the unique environment in Sweden that encourages creativity and music success. L to R: Seinabo Sey, artist; Mia Segolsson, General Manager of Polar Music International AB; Staffan Forssell, Director-General of the Swedish Arts Council; and Jan Gradvall and Ametist Azordegan, renowned music journalists.

IWF President, Teresa V-F Weintraub thanks our hosts IWF Sweden during the Closing Luncheon.

IWF Sweden, Hosts to the 2017 IWF Cornerstone Conference Join IWF President Teresa V-F Weintraub on Stage

Frida Söderlund, journalist, presenter, and columnist, Aftonbladet, and host of Aftonbladet’s web series BOOM

Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili, PhD, Co-Convener of the #BringBackOurGirls Movement, former World Bank Vice President, Africa Region, and two-time former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Musimbi Kanyoro, President and CEO of The Global Fund for Women and IWF member, talks about the importance of funding the ideas of women and girls.

Ghada Waly, Egyptian Minister for Social Solidarity, shares her thoughts on creating safe places for girls to live, learn, and grow.

L to R: Frida Söderlund, Ghada Waly, Musimbi Kanyoro, and Oby Ezekwesili

IWF Canada members Connect at the 2017 IWF Cornerstone Conference Opening Reception at the Grand Hotel

Jan Eliasson, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sweden with Karolina Skog, Swedish Minister for the Environment, featured speakers at the 2017 IWF Cornerstone Conference - Movements & Markets: A More Sustainable World

IWF members connect at the 2017 IWF Cornerstone Conference - A More Sustainable World: Movements & Markets

IWF Georgia members pose for a group photo outside of the ballroom

IWF members arrive at the 2017 Cornerstone Conference Finale Dinner and Celebration at one of Stockholm’s iconic landmarks, the Vasa Museum

IWF Global Board Director Deborah Shannon Trudeau and IWF Australia member Margaret Wilcox and Leadership Foundation Board Director Janice McDonald arrive at the 2017 IWF Cornerstone Conference Finale Dinner and Celebration at the Vasa Museum

Lars Weigl, Country Managing Partner for EY in Sweden, welcomes everyone to the Finale Dinner celebration.

Recent Conference Highlights

IWF World Leadership Conference – Atlanta; Sein Chew, IWF President with IWF Georgia Host Committee members

Rosalind Brewer, President and CEO of Sam’s Club; Dan Bross, Senior Director of Corporate Citizenship at Microsoft and Karyn Twaronite, EY Global Diversity and Inclusiveness Officer and Partner, Ernest & Young

Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize winning Iranian Lawyer

Jennifer Yvonne Mokgoro, former judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, appointed to the bench by Nelson Mandela

Priscilla H. Douglas, Upcoming Boston IWF Leadership Conference Co-Chair, IWF Massachusetts

Moderator Cynné Simpson of Emmy Award winning journalist of Fox 5 Atlanta, Sheryl WuDunn and Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee with young leaders

IWF World Cornerstone Conference – Berlin

. Moderator Jessica Saltz, Berlin Correspondent for international news channel France 24; Matthias Willenbacher, Co-Founder of juwi Energy Group; Michelle Unger, Vice President of Worldwide Sales for IBM Watson Group; Anita Sands, board director of Symantec Corporation; and Sara Farley, Co-Founder and COO of the Global Knowledge Initiative

Doris Grimm, Head of International Monetary Affairs at the Deutsche Bundesbank; Thomas Klau, European policy analyst and Senior Associate with the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) in Brussels

Kirsten Harms, Berlin Cornerstone Conference Chair, and Anja Gockel, President of IWF Germany

IWF World Leadership Conference – Vancouver, BC

Deborra Hope, Anchor, Global BC Early News and Noon News Hour; Edward Glaeser, Director of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government and the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston; Sylvie Albert, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Winnipeg; Sara Topelson de Grinberg, former Under Secretary of Urban Development and Land Planning of Mexico; Jennifer Keesmaat is Chief Planner for the City of Toronto

Dr. Vuyo Mahlati, President, IWF South Africa and Guy Standing, Professor of Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Canadian environmental activist, television host, and author

Jeff Rubin, former Chief Economist with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) World Markets and author of The End of Growth

IWF World Cornerstone Conference - Jamaica Moderator Andrea Roane, Co-Anchor, 9 News Now, W*USA 9, Washington, DC USA, Nancy S. Love, PhD, Professor of Government and Justice Studies and affiliated faculty in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program at Appalachian State University and author of Musical Democracy; Christopher Blackwell, British born, Jamaican raised, international icon in recording, entertainment and tourism and Ernest Ranglin, legendary Jamaican guitarist and composer –

IWF World Leadership Conference – San Francisco, CA Moderator Grace Lee, News Anchor & Reporter for CBS 5, San Francisco, California; Leah Busque, Founder & CEO, TaskRabbit, Ann Miura-Ko, Co-Founding Partner, FLOODGATE venture capital;Mariam Naficy, Founder & CEO, Minted, and Pooja Sankar, Founder and CEO of Piazza

Moderator Allison G. Williams, award-winning, San Francisco-based architect, who served most recently as Design principal and Design Director at the architecture and design firm Perkins+Will; Marina Gorbis, a noted futurist and Executive Director of the Institute for the Future; Saskia Sassen, author of The Global City, Ellen Dunham-Jones, author of Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs; and Nancy Staisey, Vice President, IBM Corporation, North America – Healthcare, Life Sciences and Smarter Cities.

IWF World Cornerstone Conference - Morocco Shahira Amin, contributor to CNNs Inside Africa and CNN.com

IWF World Leadership Conference – Washington, DC The Right Honourable Susan Greenfield, CBE, British scientist, writer, broadcaster and member of the House of Lords

IWF World Leadership Conference – Washington, DC

Past Conference Highlights

2018 IWF Cornerstone Conference Highlights, Melbourne, Australia

2017 IWF World Leadership Conference Highlights, Houston, Texas

2017 Hall of Fame Honoree :

2017 Women Who Make a Difference :

2017 IWF Cornerstone Conference Highlights, Stockholm, Sweden

Recent Conference Highlights

UPCOMING PROGRAMS

Miami, Florida: October 24-26, 2018 - IWF World Leadership Conference

Barcelona, Spain: April 10-12, 2019 - IWF Cornerstone Conference

Toronto, Canada: November 13-15, 2019 - IWF World Leadership Conference

London, United Kingdom: May 13-15, 2020 - IWF Cornerstone Conference

Detroit, Michigan: October 7-9, 2020 - IWF World Leadership Conference

Vienna, Austria: May 2021 - IWF Cornerstone Conference

Seattle, WA: September 29 - October 1, 2021 - IWF World Leadership Conference