New York Conference Highlights
50th Anniversary & World Leadership Conference & Gala
Women Changing the World
New York, NY, USA
May 2024
Our 50th Anniversary & World Leadership Conference convened more than 1,000 members from over 30 countries to celebrate an idea that was born in New York City in 1974, and powerful enough to travel the world…that a global community of women leaders can support and inspire each other to advance women’s leadership today and tomorrow.
With continuous growth every year over the last 50 years, we celebrated our 50th anniversary milestone in New York City by acknowledging the achievements we have made and what we can do together in the future.
The theme, “Women Changing the World,” was incorporated throughout the conference by featuring women at the top who are making the most powerful forces of change for good in technology, healthcare and media as well as explored our impact on society: how more women at the top changes the world of work for those who follow and where the “women’s movement” is today. We ended on self-expression — how we reveal our values and selves through fashion and how we tell the stories of our lives.
We had a compelling roster of plenary speakers, provocative breakouts and an adventurous spectrum of behind-the-scenes. We ended with a Hall of Fame gala that was worthy of our 50th anniversary.
IWF 50th Anniversary Video
Day 1
What an amazing first day together.
We heard from Ashleigh Shelby Rosette, Distinguished Professor of Leadership at Duke University Fuqua School of Business about the challenges that women in leadership face as they rise in their organizations. Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Arbuckle Professor, Harvard Business School told us how important women leaders can be in building a culture of confidence through failures, successes and turnarounds in all areas of life, and from EXL, a look at how AI is changing our work lives, and how we will need to adapt.
We spent our evening at the Museum of Modern Art, officially kicking off our 50th Anniversary World Leadership Conference with President Carolyn Carter and the Women’s Forum of New York in an incredible opening reception hashtagIWF50 hashtagIWFNYC24
Day 2
Our first day of sessions was incredible.
An outstanding performance of Defying Gravity set the stage for our conversations, followed by opening remarks from IWF Global President Carolyn Carter who reminded us that, “we are a global community that doesn’t accept limits; that’s why our theme is 50 years of women making a difference.”
In our first session, Lisa Dyson, PhD, Linnéa Kornehed Falck, and Stacy Flynn shared how they are using technology to bring newfound efficiency and sustainability to sectors like transportation, fashion and agriculture – and Deborah Buresh Jackson underscored the importance of investing in groundbreaking ventures spearheaded by women. Later, we heard from Lan Guan, who highlighted the critical role women play in expanding access to generative (“gen”) AI to improve the quality of future AI models and ensure the application of AI across business and society delivers results that promote equity and positive change.
From our session on health, we learned women including Drs. Janice Chen, Angela Diaz, and Nawal Nour are the driving force behind the latest and greatest innovations in health care. From breakthroughs like CRISPR technology to treat disease, to critical changes in the very structures upon which our U.S. health care system is built, women are driving change to address health challenges for high-risk populations at all ages, all around the world.
Our final session on women changing the world of media was equally inspiring. Panelists Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews, Sarah Frier, graciela mochkofsky, and Carolyn Ryan reflected on the state of journalism and how journalists today are more aware than ever of their responsibility to fulfill the public need for accurate information. In sharing their vision, one thing was clear: storytelling centered around the information needs for individuals and communities – both local and global – is the future.
We were honored to hear a special message from Hillary Clinton, Former U.S. Secretary of State, Founding Member, IWF Arkansas, and 2017 IWF Hall of Fame Honoree yesterday afternoon: “Together, we can help women around the world seize their own power, and rights.”
We were also honored to hear from founding member Muriel Fox, Author of The Women’s Revolution; Co-Founder, the International Women’s Forum and the National Organization for Women, as we reflected on the rich heritage of the IWF. She described the women of today’s organization as preeminent in all their fields, influential and powerful, and reminded us of our continued commitment to enacting change for generations to come!
Day 3
On day 3 of the World Leadership Conference, Maggie Wilderotter Pat Russo, Carla Harris and Dr. Dambisa Moyo Moyo kicked things off with a discussion the importance of pushing for greater representation on corporate boards, and strategies for getting more women in these positions. We were reminded that representation can inspire others, but also ensures decision makers for today’s most prominent companies accurately reflect the people they serve.
In “Women Changing Society,” we discussed how women are realizing their agency and what that means for shifting narratives around gender in culture. From redefining the value proposition in women’s sports with Jessica Berman to reclaiming your individual power in the workplace with Gretchen Carlson and enabling safe participation in society online with Tracy Chou it was a powerful conversation.
With our fashion panel including Stephanie Phair @Clare Waight Keller, and Desiree Bollier we examined the underrepresentation of women in creative roles at designer brands, and how the industry can evolve through engaging consumers beyond just transactional experiences and supporting greater sustainability within the fashion industry from fabrics to packaging and shipping.
Later, we participated in energizing breakout sessions with Lara Abrash , Senator Kirsten Gillibrand , @Dr. Joanna Massey, and @Edie Weiner, who sparked in-depth discussions on trust, politics, workplace culture and emerging patterns.
During Senator @Kristen Gillibrand’s afternoon Breakout Session, she shared that “you are the role model of everyone around you. Never underestimate the power of the leadership you put forward in your communities and companies. They learn how to do things, how to shut down an adversary; you are the reason they have hope in the future.”
What an incredible day!
