It Takes a Community to Accelerate Progress

In August last year, I joined Worth as CEO. The company’s first female CEO, to be precise.

We like to describe ourselves as a “27-year-old startup”—a combination of legacy, history and world-class journalism layered with the agility and data-driven mindset necessary in today’s media landscape. Positioning the company this way has given me the opportunity to reshape, reinvigorate and bolster Worth. And of equal importance, it has given me the chance to redefine leadership and build purpose into our organization.

In acknowledging (and owning) my ascent to this role, I’m also aware that women are still largely underrepresented in leadership positions, and in some countries and industries progress is stalling or even going backwards. The World Economic Forum is forecasting that it will take 202 years to close the gender pay gap, yet we know that diverse teams tend to result in greater profitability, better creativity and more sustainable business models. For female entrepreneurs, the statistics are equally sobering: a mere 2.5 percent of venture capital goes to female-owned businesses, and the slice that goes to women of color is 0.2 percent.

To explore the acceleration of progress amid the challenges women still face, Worth decided to organize the Women & Worth Summit on March 29th. With speakers ranging from C-suite executives in traditionally male-dominated industries, to pioneering company founders, to those who are changing the way that we work, we hope to give attendees the inspiration and tools to make change happen, grow as leaders, connect with like-minded individuals and build purpose into their own organizations.

If you think you could benefit from connecting with these speakers and attendees, register your interest in attending Women & Worth here: worth.com.

We’ll be covering topics such as the financial moments that matter most in women’s lives, creating positive female images in the media, lessons learned in starting a business and much more.

Bringing these topics to life will be a slew of inspirational speakers, including: Ellevest cofounder and CEO Sallie Krawcheck, Deloitte chief inclusion officer Dr. Terri Cooper, The Female Quotient CEO Shelley Zalis and the American Civil War Museum CEO Christy Coleman. All will be sharing the experiences that shaped their careers, the lessons they took from them and the key ways they promote diverse and inclusive policies at their companies.

I’ll also be convening a panel with a lineup of impressive CEOs including Belcampo’s Anya Fernald, Quintessentially’s Annastasia Seebohm and Consumer Reports’ Marta Tellado, who are redefining leadership and focusing on purpose as well as profit to advance inclusion and help solve issues of public importance.

Attendees will also hear words of wisdom from Jenny Galluzzo and Gina Hadley, who are the cofounders of The Second Shift, a marketplace that connects businesses with top-tier female talent.

As we continue to explore ways to accelerate progress beyond the bottom line, and deliver results for businesses and investors, I would love to hear from you. How are you redefining leadership, activating change and building purpose into your organization?

The Women & Worth Summit will be held at the SAP Leonardo Center at 10 Hudson Yards in New York on Friday, March 29. Tickets are limited, so register your interest today if you’d like to attend. We hope to see you there.