Keynote: The power of words
Speaker:

• Elaine Bowers Coventry, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer at The Coca-Cola Company

Interviewer:

• Alex Liu, Managing Partner and Chairman of the Board, Kearney

The language we use is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal to make change in the workplace. As ingrained as inequality is within our business speak—manpower, mastermind, spokesman, to name a few examples, the words we use often betray a meaning or trigger a response we never intended. Our language is subtly replicating the societal asymmetries of status and power, and at their worst, they exclude “others” from the conversation and silence opinions. Has some of our everyday language become obsolete? How can we educate rather than chastise? How can we embed inclusion in the ways we communicate?
 

Panel: Confidence without apology
Panelists:

• Robbie Myers, Formerly Chief Editorial Curator of Shondaland, Editor in Chief of ​Elle Magazine, and Editor in Chief of Mirabella Magazine​
• Ripa Rashid​, Managing Director of [email protected]
• Elizabeth Vazquez, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of WEConnect
• Vicki Walia​, Chief Talent & Capability Officer at Prudential Financial​

Moderator:

• Abby Klanecky, Partner and Chief Marketing Officer, Kearney

Have you ever apologized when you weren’t at fault? Rather than take your seat at the table, have you instead asked, “Sorry, is this seat free?” Many of us are guilty of opening a conversation with an apology, which is at best a much-abused social courtesy and at worst a signal that you’re not as competent or confident in your right to be where you are, minimizing your status in the room. The more we apologize for our position, the more we set the conditions for our colleagues to see us in the same vein. The more we apologize for ourselves, the more we devalue our presence. Why do we feel the need to apologize? How can we take up space and demonstrate the self-belief that inspires confidence?
 

Panel One: Becoming the architect of our own future
Panelists:

• Liz Tinkham, Board Member at Particle; Member of the Board of Advisors, EQITTII and Adjunct Professor, University of Washington
• Heather Redman, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Flying Fish Partners; Member, Board Member at Coldstream Wealth Management and Yesler, Chair of the Board of Directors at Washington Technology Industry Association
• Eve Stacey, Former President of Benevity and Board Member of Gainsight

Moderator:

• Ben Smith, Partner and head of the communications, media, and technology practice, Kearney

Over the past decade, most organizations have started to focus on diversity as they realize they will be able to build successful, sustainable, and profitable businesses only when they have access to a larger and more diverse talent pool. While we are seeing an increase in the proportion of women gaining access to the C-suite, just 25 percent of those roles are filled by women, including just 6 percent of chief executives. It’s no secret that in business hierarchies, some are more fortunate than others in climbing the ladder, but why is there still such a small representation of women at the top? We have all heard of the glass ceiling, wall, and cliff but is this still a man-made barrier or is this woman-made? How do we ensure a better representation of women at the top? How do we empower women to raise their own bar?
 

Panel Two: Confidence without apology
Panelists:

• Dune Ives, Executive Director, Lonely Whale
• Dr. Plavi Mittal, Founder and CEO, In-Depth Genomics
• Venus Rekow, Chief Behavioral Strategist and Founder of Neural Shifts

Moderator:

• Preethi Prasad, Partner, Kearney

Have you ever apologized when you weren’t at fault? Rather than take your seat at the table, have you instead asked, “Sorry, is this seat free?” Many of us are guilty of opening a conversation with an apology, which is at best a much-abused social courtesy and at worst a signal that you’re not as competent or confident in your right to be where you are, minimizing your status in the room. The more we apologize for our position, the more we set the conditions for our colleagues to see us in the same vein. The more we apologize for ourselves, the more we devalue our presence. Why do we feel the need to apologize? How can we take up space and demonstrate the self-belief that inspires confidence?
 

Panelists:

• Preeti Bajaj, CEO, Clipsal Solar
• Liz Anne MacGregor, Director, Museum of Contemporary Art
• Davinia Simon, Leader Enterprise Sales, Amazon Web Services
• Annie Slattery, Co-Founder and CEO, ConX

Moderator:

• Nigel Andrade, Partner, Kearney

Reclaim your choices and maximize your potential
Speaker:

• Apurva Purohit, President of the Jagran Group, published author and Fortune India’s Most Powerful Women in Business (2018 and 2019)

Over the past decade, most organizations have started to focus on diversity as they realize they will be able to build successful, sustainable, and profitable businesses only when they have access to a larger and more diverse talent pool. However, the proportion of women in middle management and above remains in the dismal single digits. What’s holding women back from achieving their full potential despite a stated intention from all stakeholders to close the gender gap? Often, when it comes to the women themselves, it’s a series of subconscious biases that exist in their minds. Can understanding these be an important step for them to navigate the contemporary work environment and eventually hold equal status across all rungs of the professional ladder?
 

Designing your future self
Speaker:

• Lakshmi Pratury, Founder and CEO, INK

In a rapidly altering world where changes in the business environment are becoming increasingly exponential, it is impossible to plan for disruptions that cannot even be envisioned yet. This necessitates constant innovation, both in the personal and professional spheres, at a faster pace. There is also a need to leapfrog soon-to-be-obsolete practices and create a personal future that is agile and flexible to the ever-changing environment. What will this change look like, and what ecosystem will we each need to create to not only survive but also succeed for the long term?
 

Go against the grain and chart your own path
Speaker:

• Vinita Bali, Non-Executive Director of Smith & Nephew, Cognizant Technology Solutions and Bunge and Former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Britannia Industries

Professional careers often follow linear, well-trodden paths, which while safe and risk-averse, can lead to narrow exposure, duplication of talents, and stagnating growth, especially at senior levels. Stepping out of this offers the possibilities of novel experiences, greater exposure, and expanded opportunities, which is something many are aware can lead to more fulfilling personal and professional lives. However, few choose to take this untrodden path because of the myriad challenges—from having to critically think about oneself to overcoming self-doubts and aligning stakeholders from all walks of life. How can thinking and behavior be reoriented to make it more suitable to chasing such opportunities?
 

Panel: Becoming better allies
Panelists:

• Dakshita Das, Additional Secretary, Department of Financial Services, and Author
• Pooja Dhingra, Founder and CEO, Le15 Patisserie
• Haleem Khan, Professional Kuchipudi dancer
• Suman Mishra, SVP Group Strategy Mahindra
• Kaushik Mukherjee, Co-Founder and COO, Sugar Cosmetics, and Ironman Athlete
• Ranu Vohra, Co-Founder, MD and CEO, Avendus Capital
• Preetha Wali, Co-Founder, Pay It Forward

The history of the world has always seen marginalized communities push significant change, but sustainable and long-lasting revolution has only been institutionalized when these communities have the support of other influential groups. The global struggle for gender diversity and inclusion in the workplace, fought by women across the world, has seen a growth in dialogue and encouraging movement, but truly implanting the notion of equality needs the support of the workplace powers-that-be: men. Despite a broad intention to help, men in the workplace seem to lack the knowledge of how to do so. How can these two groups become more effective partners to remedy this significant issue that is impacting our daily lives?