IWF 50th Anniversary World Leadership Conference: New York, NY

In 2024, we are celebrating an idea that’s proved powerful enough to circle the globe.

At the World Leadership Conference and Gala, May 15-17, 2024 in New York, NY, we will highlight 50 years of women changing the world.

Visit the Conference website.

The Women’s Forum was born in New York City in 1974 as a network for women leaders at the top of their game to support and inspire each other — that turned out to be an idea powerful enough to travel the world.

For five decades our members have been at the forefront of change — it’s only fitting that our 50th Anniversary address major forces of global change and how women at the top are making change a force for good.

Our conference will feature women leading the way in technology, healthcare and media as well as explore our impact on society: how more women at the top change the world of work for those who follow and where the “women’s movement” is today. We end on self expression — how we reveal our values and selves through fashion and how we tell the stories of our lives.

We have a compelling roster of plenary speakers, provocative breakouts, an adventurous spectrum of behind-the-scenes and promise a Hall of Fame gala worthy of this important milestone.

SESSIONS INCLUDE:

WOMEN CHANGING THE WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

Technology has been the most dramatic force for change in the last 50 years and exponentially impacts every aspect of our lives. This panel examines how women leaders are influencing this powerful force for change to bring meaningful impact to multiple spheres. This is truly technology “through a woman’s lens”.

GEN A.I. and GENDER

What does the AI revolution mean for the modern workforce, and how can business leaders handle the shifting challenges and opportunities posed by this rapidly evolving technology? Lan Guan, Chief AI Officer of Accenture, offers her unique perspective on how businesses are integrating AI into their growth plans; what that may mean for gender bias, the digital divide, and retraining efforts; and why in this context, women’s leadership is more important than ever.

WOMEN CHANGING THE WORLD OF HEALTH CARE

The Global Pandemic sharpened an already growing global focus on healthcare, with research and technology accelerating breakthroughs while at the same time costs are challenging equitable access. The who, what and where of healthcare are being redefined with some brilliant women leading the way. This panel will examine this powerful force for change that impacts us as companies, communities and individuals.

WOMEN CHANGING THE WORLD OF MEDIA

One of the most defining trends over the last decade is the explosion in global media consumption and its impact shaping our culture and our lives. Average global media consumption for adults has crossed the 8-hour mark – over half of it online with 62% of adults getting their news from social media – generating a miasma of disinformation and misinformation. While timely and truthful news is viewed by many to be essential to democracy, today’s algorithms deliberately reinforce existing prejudices, including gender bias. This panel examines how women at the top are dealing with this turbulent force for change.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: WOMEN CHANGING THE WORLD OF WORK

Around the world, gender balance on Corporate Boards has been a leadership frontier – a critical glass ceiling to shatter.

While some countries have implemented government enforced quotas to drive change, the US has not. That’s why in 2011 the Women’s Forum of New York launched the Breakfast of Corporate Champions to keep the focus of top public companies on the need for gender balance in the Board Room.

Since 2011 significant change has been achieved: the number of Board seats of S&P 500 Companies has increased over 200%. This panel of Breakfast of Corporate Champions All-Stars will address has this shift changed the workplace and the challenges still ahead.

WOMEN CHANGING SOCIETY

In 1974 the Women’s Forum was born as part of social change – as women challenged role definitions and limitations based on gender and demanded access to professional opportunities across cultures and careers. In the subsequent decades, the fight has continued for equal pay for equal work, constitutional recognition of equality in the United States and an end to sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace. Yet, seven years after Me-Too challenged an era of disbelief, many feel the clock is rolling backwards. Where is the women’s movement today and how is it perceived by different generations? This panel examines the state of social change, the challenge for women’s equality that lies ahead and how future generations will embrace the challenge.

WOMEN CHANGING THE WORLD OF FASHION

For centuries fashion has played a powerful role in society – from expressing identity, to defining class, to being a force for social change. In the last decades, the industry has evolved from male designers telling women what to wear to women taking the helm of established designer brands and changing what we wear, how we buy and where this multibillion dollar industry is heading. In 2020, Maria Chiuris’ cotton statement tee for Dior proclaimed “we should all be feminists” and retailed for a mere $900. But change in the fashion industry is much more than statements, as this panel demonstrates.