Every year, Cannes is the place where global leaders show up to discuss, dialogue and diligently suggest a creative and cultural path forward. This year, like those in the past, the WIE Suite and its members showed up with ideas, opinions and daring new moves.
The most common reason why women seek out structured communities is to combat isolation. In the case of women executives, the further we go, the fewer of us there are and the lonelier and more complex it gets. This comes up in almost every conversation with potential The WIE Suite members and was on the tip of everyone's tongues at Cannes as we co-hosted a great lunch with the The Wall Street Journal alongside Jennifer DaSilva and Ann Shoket to talk about this issue in more depth. Thank you Kim Last and the whole WSJ team!
At LinkedIn’s Black Joy themed gathering, which brought together a rich variety of black leaders, from veteran marketer Jerri Devard to the NAACP’s Chief Strategy Officer Yumeka Rushing, our founder Dee Poku shared a vision for a world where black women have the autonomy, investment and agency to achieve at the highest levels.
The organizers asked speakers to begin their speeches with a six word memoir. Dee shared that her memoir was: "Black women getting what they want." She went on to add how she hopes that through the power of community, women leaders can become more transactional and executional to make sure that they are getting what they need from their workplaces to get ahead in their roles.
How do we decide where to host our global leadership dinners? Simple. We show up in places where decisions are made to ensure women have a voice in every room.
We were proud to partner with TIME Magazine CEO, Jessica Sibley for our annual A Dinner For Women Leaders and Culture Creators. In her speech, Jess discussed the prominence of stories about women in sports. She also highlighted TIME's role as a connector, which WIE Suite founder, Dee Poku expanded on by sharing how our members were using their influence as today's key business and culture shapers.
