Seattle Conference Highlights

Seattle, Washington
May 2025

TBD

Thursday: May 22, 2025

We kicked off the World Leadership Conference in Seattle with insightful and engaging sessions on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Shaina Shepherd and Mayor Bruce Harrell got us started with music and uplifting messages to set the tone. Then we heard from IWF Global Board Chair Kimberly Cooper Jaques and IWF Washington State members and Conference Co-chairs Emily Parkhurst and Denise Merle to officially open #IWFSeattle25!

First up, Head of Division, Local Employment and Economic Development Program, OECD – OCDE Karen E. Maguire, Vice Governor Akiko Matsumoto, and Karina Funk, CFA, Partner and Portfolio Manager, Brown Advisory, spoke about the implications of changes in demography on local economies, the importance of supporting women business leaders and entrepreneurs, and the collaboration needed at every level to create resilient regional economies. Next, we heard from Terri Ludwig, CEO, Ballmer Group, Professor Ada Fung BBS, Former Deputy Director of Housing HKSAR, Olajumoke Akinwunmi, Co-Founder and CEO, Alitheia Capital, and Alice Shobe, Global Director, Amazon Community Impact, about global housing challenges and the growing affordability gap. Olajumoke Akinwunmi shared both the complexities and opportunities of the Nigerian housing market, and Alice Shobe and Prof. Ada Fung provided thought-provoking examples of how Amazon and Hong Kong are addressing housing issues in innovative and impactful ways – reminding us to always remember who we are designing for, and wherever possible, simplify our solutions.

Liat Ben-Zur, CEO, LBZ Advisory LLC, and Jacky Wright, Senior Partner and Chief Technology and Platform Officer, McKinsey & Company, explored the nexus of AI and sustainability, highlighting the urgent need for leaders to factor sustainability into AI strategies — something many organizations overlook. They also discussed the opportunity to rewrite the leadership playbook in the AI era, focusing on leading with radical empathy, and our human ability to sense what the technology might miss.

Mary Knell, CEO and Head of Pacific Northwest and Western Canada Commercial Banking, Wells Fargo, Jacquelyn Bolig, Head of Property & Casualty, Willis Corporate Risk and Broking, N.A., WTW, Barbara Faulkenberry, Major General, US Air Force (Retired); Independent Director,  and Yvette Hollingsworth Clark, Executive Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, State Street Corporation, discussed the rapidly-evolving risk environment, and shared insight on how leaders can convert potential risks into opportunities.

To close the day, Kate Johnson, President and CEO,Lumen Technologies, divulged her strategies for leveraging AI to drive organizational impact with Managing Vice President, Capital One, Lo Li Carper. Her imperatives? Focus on what the organization is trying to achieve, always have a learning mindset, and  — most importantly — ensure you have the right team in place to move the work forward.

We’re excited for another day of insight and inspiration! #IWFWeLead

Friday: May 23, 2025

Day 2 of #IWFSeattle25 was another day of thought-provoking sessions.

Liz Foster, Managing Director and Global Client Leader at Edelman, presented a cut of Edelman’s Trust Barometer data focused on trust in women. She highlighted the grievance gap between genders, women are less trusting than men, and prompted us on how women leaders can restore trust.

Harvard University Professor and best selling author Dr. Arthur Brooks spoke about happiness in society, giving us strategies to counter the contempt that leads to unhappiness, suggesting that “we don’t need to disagree less, we need to disagree better,” expressing love when others express hate.

In the inaugural session of the Susan Hammer Memorial Lecture, a series featuring women who have made significant contributions to peace and civil society, Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) (IWF Georgia), spoke with Paige Alexander, CEO at The Carter Center (IWF Georgia) calling on us to be love-centered leaders, and describing the importance of faith in her leadership and her life.

In our philanthropy session, Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Co-Founder and CEO, Motsepe Foundation (IWF South Africa), Connie R. Collingsworth, Independent Board Member, Banner Corporation (IWF Washington State), Julie Gehrki, President of the Walmart Foundation and Senior Vice President of Philanthropy, and Lisa Mensah, President and CEO, The Oregon Community Foundation (IWF Oregon) discussed the business principles that are transferable to philanthropy, and qualities that leaders should have to support both. They also prompted us to be strategic with our philanthropy: considering assets beyond capital, inviting more people in, and caring for ourselves so we can give more fully to others.

Richard V. Reeves, President of the American Institute for Boys and Men spoke with Leslie Quinton, Vice President, Communications Ubisoft (IWF Canada) about the real problems that boys and men are facing with mental health and struggles in education, so we can reverse the declines we’ve seen in recent years.

In our Advanced Leadership Workshop, From Earnings to Impact led by Rashmi Badwe, Executive Vice President and COO of TIAA Wealth Management and moderated by Ana Munoz, Non executive Director (IWF Spain) we spoke about how philanthropy can be seamlessly integrated into a long-term wealth strategy now that women are quickly becoming primary financial decision makers. We had an engaging conversation about equipping women to become savvier in their wealth management as they navigate building their financial security.

Thank you to all of our speakers for another wonderful day discussing these global issues together. #IWFWeLead