Leading Through Adversity
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Session Description
Throughout history, from the statehouse to the boardroom, women have been excluded from leadership roles globally. We have a long way to go toward equal representation in positions of power, but the paradigm is beginning to shift. As women increasingly fill leadership roles, evidence is mounting that female leadership is tied to positive outcomes in profits, business ethics, peace, and the public good. Yet, many stereotypes still hold firm. This session will address those taboos, discuss data both positive and inconclusive, and highlight some of the women moving the needle on gender equity in leadership.
FORMAT: PANEL DISCUSSION
Time & Location
Time:
9:00 - 10:15, Thursday, April 14, 2016
BST
Location:
SBS, Nelson Mandela Lecture Theatre
Speakers
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Speaker
Founding President, The Voice of Libyan Women
At the young age of 15 Alaa Murabit completed high school and moved from Saskatoon, Canada to Zawia, Libya. It was there that she enrolled in medical school and driven by her desire to create inclusive processes and institutions founded The Voice of Libyan Women (VLW) in 2011 at the age of 21. With a strong focus on challenging societal and cultural norms and utilizing traditional and historical role models Murabit champions women’s participation in peace processes and conflict mediation. Her programs, such as the groundbreaking “Noor Campaign” are replicated internationally.
Nicknamed “The Libyan Doogie Howser” by Jon Stewart and applauded by Oprah for her innovative approach to security, Murabit acts as advisor to numerous international security boards, think tanks and organizations. Most recently she was nominated to the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (women, peace and security) Global Advisory Board, UN Women Global Advisory Board and Harvard University’s “Everywoman, Everywhere” initiative. The first Ashoka Fellow elected from Libya, Murabit is the youngest recipient of the Marisa Bellisario International Humanitarian Award by the Italian Government, was named the “International Trust Women Hero 2014” by The New York Times and "One of 25 women under 25 to watch" by Newsweek.
Most recently she was selected as a "100 Top Woman" by the BBC and the SAFE Global Hero. In March 2015 Murabit was selected as the inaugural civil society speaker at the official Commission on the Status of Women opening session. Murabit’s TED Talk, released in July 2015, “ What my religions really says about women” was selected as the TED Talk of the Day and one of four moving TED Talks you should watch right now by The New York Times. In October 2015 Murabit addressed the United Nations Security Council during the 15th Anniversary Open Debate on Resolution 1325. In December 2015 Murabit was selected as a Keeping Children Safe Trustee.
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Speaker
, Reverend Canon
The Reverend Mpho A. Tutu an ordained Episcopal Priest and founding Director of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation
For five years, Rev. Tutu was Director of the Bishop Desmond Tutu Southern African Refugee Scholarship Fund of the Phelps Stokes Fund. That program provided full four-year scholarships to refugees from South Africa and Namibia. Ms. Tutu has worked as a volunteer teaching in and English as a second language (ESL) ministry in Alexandria, VA.
Rev. Tutu holds a Master of Divinity Degree form Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA. She was awarded a Women Living Religion Fellowship by the MacMillan Center at Yale University in New Haven.
The Rev. Mpho Tutu is a trustee of Angola University. Rev. Mpho Tutu is the Executive Director of Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, an organization founded by her father Desmond and mother Leah.
Rev. Tutu co-authored Made for Goodness with her father and Tutu: The authorized Portrait with Award winning journalist Allister Sparks. They also wrote the foreword to National Geographic’s book, Geography of Religion. She also authored the foreword of Footprints in the Sand: Caregivers of South Africa and. Recently she co-authored The Book of Forgiving together with her father.
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Moderator
Co-Founder/Editorial Director TEDWomen; Managing Partner, Connected Women Leaders, Pat Mitchell Media
Pat Mitchell is a trailblazer in media and an advocate for women’s equality, breaking barriers as a journalist, Emmy-winning producer, pioneering executive, and activist leader. Her lifelong commitment to amplifying women’s stories and advancing representation has shaped the media industry and continues through a global coalition of leaders solving critical issues. As co-founder of Project Dandelion, she champions women-led climate justice, leveraging leadership for a more equitable and sustainable future. As editorial director, co-founder, and host of TEDWomen, Mitchell amplifies powerful, underrepresented voices. Her commitment to social justice includes board service with the Sundance Institute, Skoll Foundation, and Carter Center. She’s also the founding chair of the Women’s Media Center and a Congressional appointee to the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. In her memoir, Mitchell shares her journey as a fearless advocate, proving activism fuels purpose at any age.
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Speaker
CEO, B Team
Halla is a Change Catalyst on a quest to inspire and empower leaders to release the value of principle-based and gender balanced leadership. She has passionately pursued this purpose as a business leader in Corporate America with M&M and Pepsi Cola, as the first female CEO of Iceland’s Chamber of commerce and as an executive and non-executive director for diverse businesses. An entrepreneur at heart, she joined the founding team of Reykjavik University where she founded the Executive Education department and led a successful initiative focused on empowering women and girls as entrepreneurs, leaders and investors. In 2007 she co-founded an investment firm with the vision to incorporate feminine values into finance. The company made international headlines when it successfully survived Iceland’s infamous economic meltdown. In 2016, Halla ran for President in Iceland. She was an independent candidate with no prior political experience and surprised everyone as she emerged from an initial 1% in the polls to becoming the runner-up with 28% of the vote.
Halla holds an international MBA from Thunderbird and has lived and worked in the US, the UK and across the Nordics. Her work led her to the TED stage twice and she has delivered keynotes and participated in dialogues about leadership and gender for companies and conferences around the world. In 2011, Newsweek named her to a list of 150 women who shake the world and after following Iceland’s Presidential Elections in 2016, the New Yorker called her A Living Emoji of Sincerity.
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Speaker
Chair of The Elders, The Elders
Mary Robinson is a founding member and Chair of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, who work together for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet. She has served as Chair since 2018, and is a passionate advocate for gender equality, human rights and climate justice. She has addressed the UN Security Council on multiple occasions and has met with world leaders including President Ramaphosa in South Africa, Pope Francis in the Vatican, President Macron in Paris and President Xi Jinping in Beijing. She was the first woman President of Ireland (1990–1997) and is a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997–2002). From 2013- 2016, she served as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy in three roles; first for the Great Lakes region of Africa, then on Climate Change and then on El Niño and Climate. She was appointed Adjunct Professor for Climate Justice at Trinity College Dublin in 2019.
