Celebrating 50 Years

From its earliest days, the International Women’s Forum has been committed to a singular idea–that professional women breaking into leadership ranks need what men had always had: an “old boys’ network” to help them climb the ladder.

In 1974, our visionary founder, Elinor Guggenheimer, set out to create a “new women’s network” for women at the top of their game, committed to supporting other women as they climb the ladder of their career and the ladder of life.

Fifty years later, IWF is a global community of more than 8,000 accomplished women across 76 Forums in 33 countries. Our members, always trailblazers, continue to lead at the cutting-edge of change, breaking glass ceilings in professions around the world. Their successes prove that women not only lead, but lead differently, and that equality at every level of leadership makes for better business, stronger societies, and a better world.

Photo Caption: IWF’s first National Conference in 1987

Our 50th Anniversary World Leadership Conference and Gala will be held May 15-17 in New York, with the theme of “50 Years of Women Changing the World.” Our sessions will address major forces of change—technology, media, healthcare—and how women at the top are making change a force for good. We will also explore women’s leadership in the world of work, in society, and where the women’s movement is today and where it’s going. We’ll end with a focus on fashion and how women are challenging and shaping how we present ourselves.

Our Hall of Fame Gala will honor the 2024 IWF International Hall of Fame honorees, Dame Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer at Conde Nast and Global Editorial Director of Vogue; and Sheila Johnson, Co-Founder of BET and Founder and CEO of the Salamander Collection.