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Kristina Vogel is the COO of Modus, a people-centered, tech-forward digital consultancy with offices in the US, Latin America, and the Philippines. With a deep focus on operational excellence, Kristina strives to ensure that Modus teams have the systems and resources they need to design, develop, and position digital solutions effectively.
She graduated from Clark University with a degree in Geography in 1995, with a heavy focus on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and urban planning. Kristina strives to build systems that solve problems and software people love. She has held practitioner roles as a statistician, database programmer, engineer, architect, and technical engagement lead in the professional services, government, real estate, and finance sectors. She has established businesses outside the United States and built and nurtured QA, Database, Product Management, and People Operations departments. She remains an evolving lifelong learner.
Kristina is passionate about the economic and technical empowerment of all women. She is a 2019 92NY WomenInPower fellow and a Brooklyn County Committee representative. She has designed and led workshops and lectures for Girls Who Code, Brooklyn Robot Foundry, Girl Develop It, and independent coding classes for elementary kids on-site at Modus. When she is not talking shop, you will find Kristina cooking for 2 teens, gardening, hiking, or just listening to the birds.
She graduated from Clark University with a degree in Geography in 1995, with a heavy focus on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and urban planning. Kristina strives to build systems that solve problems and software people love. She has held practitioner roles as a statistician, database programmer, engineer, architect, and technical engagement lead in the professional services, government, real estate, and finance sectors. She has established businesses outside the United States and built and nurtured QA, Database, Product Management, and People Operations departments. She remains an evolving lifelong learner.
Kristina is passionate about the economic and technical empowerment of all women. She is a 2019 92NY WomenInPower fellow and a Brooklyn County Committee representative. She has designed and led workshops and lectures for Girls Who Code, Brooklyn Robot Foundry, Girl Develop It, and independent coding classes for elementary kids on-site at Modus. When she is not talking shop, you will find Kristina cooking for 2 teens, gardening, hiking, or just listening to the birds.
Margaret Magnarelli is VP of Marketing & Communications at Baldor Specialty Foods, one of the largest distributors of premium foods for restaurants, corporations and grocery stores on the East Coast. In her deliciously fun role, she’s responsible for all aspects of marketing and communications, with the aim of helping customers and potential customers discover the company’s premium offerings; that includes creation of a biannual magazine, supporting the company’s e-commerce experience and overseeing the biannual Baldor BITE food show, which attracts more than 3,000 food-industry luminaries and brings together the best food producers and chefs on the East Coast. Before Baldor, she worked as Executive Director for Digital Marketing at Morgan Stanley, where she oversaw the company’s website and social media, and was a VP of Marketing at Monster.com. She has been a finalist for the Content Marketing Institute’s Content Marketer of the Year and was named a “Woman to Watch” by Brand Innovators. She’s presented on marketing at countless conferences, including Content Marketing World and SXSW. Previously, Margaret worked as a magazine editor, with stints at Good Housekeeping, Seventeen, and Money, among others. Her current food obsession: ‘Nduja.
Jill Lafer has been a leader in the women’s reproductive rights and health movement for over 35 years. Jill is the former board chair of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and served as board chair of NARAL Pro-Choice New York. She was a board member of the National Institute for Reproductive Health, and was the treasurer of The No Bad Apples PAC founded by New York State Senator Liz Krueger
Since 2009 she has served as a mayoral appointee (Bloomberg, DeBlasio,Adams) to the Central Park Conservancy Board. She has also served on the boards of The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, New York City Opera and Guild Hall in East Hampton.
She was a fellow at Stanford University’s Distinguished Careers Institute in 2018-2019. Jill has been a guest speaker at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School, Columbia business School and UCLA’s Anderson School of Management.
Jill’s background is in the business sector. She was an auditor for Arthur Young and Company, worked in strategic planning for Citibank and co-founded a consumer licensing business, Hoffman/Lafer Assoc. L.L.C.
Rita Ko is the Chief Data Officer and Director of the Racial Equity Analytics Lab (REAL)at the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization, that offer solutions through economic and social policy research. Rita is responsible for the management of organizational data assets, such as the data catalog that centralizes the data sets and resources for researchers and change agents in and outside of Urban; that and Rita heads REAL a data and innovation lab that combines equity analytics, data science, participatory quantitative methods, and social science to design data equity solutions to address the inequities and structural racism in our institutions, laws, and communities today. Before Urban, she was the head of The Hive, the USA for UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) innovation lab, where she oversaw the design of data solutions to support the agency’s fundraising programming. She was named as one of the top ten social impact professionals under the age of 35 by LinkedIn and has been awarded industry recognition for her innovative work in the data for good space. Rita is the founder of the USA for UNHCR Data Advisory Board (Hive Data Advisory Board) and current Advisory Board Member of the Harvard Data Science Review Advisory Board. She holds a MBA from Cornell University and Bachelor of Economics from the University of Toronto.
Tatyana Kleyman is the General Counsel of Brightcore Energy, a provider of end-to-end clean energy solutions to the commercial and institutional market, including LED lighting conversions, commercial and community solar, high-efficiency renewable heating and cooling (geothermal), electric vehicle (EV) charging and battery storage. At Brightcore, she oversees legal, contracting, compliance, governance and policy matters, and provides legal and strategic advice to senior management. Prior to Brightcore, Tatyana spent over 15 years as an attorney in the financial industry, in both private and public markets (including at Fried, Frank, BNP Paribas and Jane Street). Her expertise includes transactional, governance and regulatory matters in a variety of traditional and digital financial products. She also has experience in sustainable finance and impact investing, serving for 5 years as board member, and ultimately president, of Impact Capital Forum, an ecosystem building nonprofit organization in the space. Tatyana holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.
David Rose, Managing Partner, Rose Tech Ventures
David S. Rose is an Inc. 500 CEO, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, best selling author and keynote speaker who has founded or funded over 100 pioneering companies.
He has been described by Forbes as “New York’s Archangel”, by BusinessWeek as a “world conquering entrepreneur”, by Crain’s New York Business as “the father of angel investing in New York”, and by Red Herring magazine as “patriarch of Silicon Alley”. He is the New York Times best selling author of both Angel Investing: The Gust Guide to Making Money & Having Fun Investing in Startups and The Startup Checklist: 25 Steps to a Scalable, High-Growth Business. He is Founder of the US Real Estate Market, Gust, and New York Angels, and Associate Founder of Singularity University.
Shanti Nayak, Partner, Incandescent, LLC.
Shanti is a partner at Incandescent – a NYC-based strategy consulting and venture advisory firm. Shanti’s work with her clients spans sectors. With corporate and venture clients, her work is often focused on critical issues of people, culture and talent. In the social sector, she works with foundation and non-profit leaders to shape strategy for complex systems change issues, on projects ranging from stemming the tide of youth unemployment, to strengthening a culture of national service in the US. Over the course of her career, Shanti has built and led teams across sectors. Before joining Incandescent, Shanti served as the Chief Operating Officer for the New York Office of the Attorney General. Prior to her time at the AG’s office, Shanti was the COO of the Roosevelt Institute, a progressive policy think-tank. Earlier in her career, Shanti spent seven years at the consulting firm Katzenbach Partners – where she served as the firm’s Chief People Officer, and as a member of the firm’s management team. She currently serves as a member of the board of NationSwell. Shanti earned an A.B. from Smith College and an M.P.P. from the Kennedy School at Harvard. She loves exploring the wild & green places within and beyond New York City, tinkering endlessly in her Brooklyn kitchen, and having all manner of adventures with her two daughters.
Kate Nadolny was recently appointed CEO of BC Brands, owner of Carbon 38 & Bandier. Previously, she was Head of Operations & Innovation at PVH Americas, overseeing global innovation alignment, Digital, Omnichannel, Wholesale & Marketing Operations, Business Process & Transformation, Commercial Insights and Operational Strategy for the region. Prior to joining PVH, Kate was at Lacoste & VF Corp (Nautica) in wholesale & planning, and began her career in investment banking at Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs. Kate is a Board Member of the Non-Profit for the Bronx Academy of Letters, providing supplemental support to the arts, college prep and academic expansion within the school. She is also on the Board of Directors for Algo, an end-to-end supply chain optimization software company, and AlgoFace, a visual analytics company. Kate is a 2006 graduate of the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, where she serves on the advisory board. She also serves at the university level as a member of Cornell University Council and President of her class. Kate was also recently appointed to the board of the Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies Department at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. In 2020, Kate graduated from the Trium Global Executive MBA program with a degree jointly issued by New York University’s Stern School of Business, The London School of Economics and HEC Paris. Kate lives in New York with her husband, Matt Settle, and their rescue dog, Duke.
Shijuade Kadree (she/they) is the Head of, Tech Equity and the Founding Director of the Tech Accountability Coalition for the Aspen Digital Institute. She previously served as Snap, Inc’s Director of Diversity Strategy, where she worked to embed equity lenses in the culture of the company, for the product, and for the Snap user community. Prior to this role, she worked as the Chief Advocacy Officer for The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York. An alumna of Emory University, where she graduated with a joint degree from the Schools of Law and Public Health.
Shijuade is a former defense attorney with Brooklyn Defender Services, and has significant government relations, policy, strategic planning and stakeholder cultivation and engagement experience. As the Chief Advocacy Officer for The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, she was responsible for creating, implementing, and directing the annual legislative and fiscal lobbying strategy to support its powerful programs and to advocate for equity and inclusion of the larger LGBTQ community in New York State.
She centers her approach from an unapologetic Black, queer, feminist perspective, believing that when all of those needs are engaged and addressed, all will benefit from the outcome. They have worked with all levels of government, for-profit, and non-profit actors, to ensure that the work being done is thoughtful, innovative, and inclusive, with an explicitly intersectional lens. Shijuade’s legislative and organizational policy drafting and implementation experience, across multiple interests and sectors, informs the incisive and proactive approach to her changemaking work.
A recipient of multiple awards for her work, she is also a sought after speaker, panelist, commentator, and moderator. She can be sought out for professional consulting services through her firm, Compass Strategies Consulting. Shijuade resides in Atlanta with their wife, children, and furbaby.
Shijuade is a former defense attorney with Brooklyn Defender Services, and has significant government relations, policy, strategic planning and stakeholder cultivation and engagement experience. As the Chief Advocacy Officer for The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center, she was responsible for creating, implementing, and directing the annual legislative and fiscal lobbying strategy to support its powerful programs and to advocate for equity and inclusion of the larger LGBTQ community in New York State.
She centers her approach from an unapologetic Black, queer, feminist perspective, believing that when all of those needs are engaged and addressed, all will benefit from the outcome. They have worked with all levels of government, for-profit, and non-profit actors, to ensure that the work being done is thoughtful, innovative, and inclusive, with an explicitly intersectional lens. Shijuade’s legislative and organizational policy drafting and implementation experience, across multiple interests and sectors, informs the incisive and proactive approach to her changemaking work.
A recipient of multiple awards for her work, she is also a sought after speaker, panelist, commentator, and moderator. She can be sought out for professional consulting services through her firm, Compass Strategies Consulting. Shijuade resides in Atlanta with their wife, children, and furbaby.
Seth Pinsky, CEO, The 92nd Street Y, New York
Seth Pinsky is CEO of the 92nd St Y, New York. At 92NY, Pinsky is developing an action plan for 92NY heading into its 150th anniversary, which will include a comprehensive upgrade of its Manhattan home. Previously, Pinsky was an EVP at RXR Realty, where he led RXR’s efforts to invest in “emerging opportunities” in the New York region. Earlier, Pinsky oversaw the development of Mayor Bloomberg’s $20 billion plan to protect New York from climate change impacts and, from 2008 to 2013, was President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Pinsky started his career as an associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton and analyst at James D. Wolfensohn Inc. He graduated from Columbia College and Harvard Law.
Melissa Kivett is the Managing Director, Head of Prudential’s Enterprise Strategic Relationship Management. She is responsible for strategically catalyzing and deepening relationships with Prudential’s most valued partners and industry associations. She is an Executive Board Member of the Insured Retirement Institute, the leading financial services trade association for the retirement income industry, and Secretary of the Board and member of the Operating Committee for the Alliance for Lifetime Income.
Previously, Melissa held multiple leadership roles at Prudential, most recently as Chief Customer Experience & Marketing Officer of Individual Solutions Group. In a prior role as Chief Strategy Officer of Annuities, she led customer-focused digital transformation and redefined the skills and capabilities of the strategy, marketing, customer experience, communications, operations, and business intelligence teams. These efforts resulted in double-digit increases in business growth and team engagement.
Prior to joining Prudential, Melissa held diverse global roles at several Fortune 500 financial services companies, including head of strategy, business development, marketing, innovation, and investor relations. Her experience includes taking a Fortune 500 company public (second largest IPO that year next to Google) and leading investor relations during the 2008 financial crisis and SEC investigation. She also launched a global financial services brand, digitized a marketing organization, strategically reimagined a business portfolio for growth, and upskilled small and large 200+ multi-disciplinary teams.
A published innovator, Melissa’s work has been recognized by Innovation Leader magazine and the Corporate Executive Board. The Insurance Advisory Board recognized her accomplishment to build a strategic investor relations function as an industry best practice. Institutional Investor magazine named her work as one of the most shareholder-friendly teams in the financial services sector.
Kivett received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School. She serves as a coach with the 92nd Street Y for Women in Power and is a member of the Financial Woman’s Association and Columbia Women in Business. Previously, Melissa served on the Board of Directors for Assurant’s European Operations, the Advisory Council for the Investor Relations Roundtable, and the New York Stock Exchange Advisory Group.
Komal Bajaj, Chief Quality Officer, NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi/NCB
Dr. Komal Bajaj is a catalyst, advocate and professor based in New York City. She is an innovator in the fields of healthcare quality/safety and simulation. Dr. Bajaj serves as Chief Quality Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi/NCB (Bronx, NY) and Clinical Director for the system’s Simulation Center. Dr. Bajaj is a Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Women’s Health at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and was appointed by the Secretary of HHS to the AHRQ National Advisory Council. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of Harvard’s Center for Medical Simulation and on the External Advisory Board for the Joan H. Marks Graduate Program in Human Genetics of Sarah Lawrence College.
Ursula Wynhoven, ITU Representative to the United Nations, New York
Since 2017, Ursula Wynhoven has been the ITU’s Representative to the UN. The ITU is the UN’s specialized agency for information & communication technologies with the mission to connect all the world’s people – wherever they live and whatever their means. Ursula leads UN relations and represents the agency and its Secretary-General at the UN in NY. She heads the ITU’s UN Liaison Office working at the intersection of technology and development, promoting digital inclusion and the use of ICTs for the SDGs.
Ursula is an international lawyer with 26 years’ work experience. Previously, Ursula spent 14 years with the UN Global Compact, the UN’s corporate sustainability initiative. Her last position was Chief, Social Sustainability, Governance & Legal and member of the Executive Committee. Ursula led legal affairs and oversaw policy development & implementation of the UNGC’s integrity measures. She also led the UNGC’s work on human rights & decent work, gender equality, poverty & inequality, peace, anti-corruption & the rule of law. She was responsible for the creation and development of many initiatives including the Women’s Empowerment Principles, Children’s Rights and Business Principles, Guide for General Counsel on Corporate Sustainability, Business for the Rule of Law, and the Foundation for the Global Compact. Ursula began working with the UNGC in 2002 and played an active role in helping to grow the initiative to more than 13,000 signatories in more than 160 countries with a full roster of corporate sustainability workstreams. Ursula’s tenure included a 6 month loan as Senior Advisor, Business & Human Rights to the UN’s Human Rights Office.
Prior to joining the UN, Ursula worked in law firms and government human rights agencies in Australia and the US, and for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the OECD’s corporate responsibility initiative.
Ursula has LLMs from Columbia Law School, where she was a Human Rights Fellow, and Monash Law School, and Bachelor’s degrees in Law, Economics, and Letters. She has been admitted to practice law in jurisdictions in the US (NY and CA), Australia, and the UK. Since 2007, Ursula has been an Adjunct Professor in Corporate Sustainability, Business & Human Rights at Fordham Law School and previously taught at Reykjavik University School of Law.
Ursula is a Director and the Secretary of the Board of the United Nations Federal Credit Union and a Trustee of the Parker School of Foreign & Comparative Law at Columbia Law School.
Edlynne Laryea, Managing Director, Meta
Edlynne is a seasoned senior technology executive who has lead large, diverse teams. She specializes in coaching C-suites through technology-enabled change. In addition to her current role leading a revenue team at Meta, she also serves an independent board director for a private equity backed company. She is also talented marketing exec, having launched several new brands and worked on the famous Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.
She’s worked for companies large and small, and has mentored and coached women in the public, non-profit and private sector on topics such as career changes, advocating for yourself, finding your leadership voice and navigating corporate politics.
She is a proud Canadian, and spends her free time reading fiction, eating and enjoying various forms of art.
Raoul Bhavnani, Chief Communications Officer, Betterment
Raoul Bhavnani is Chief Communications Officer at Betterment, based in New York. At Betterment, he leads all external and internal communications activities and is a member of the firm’s Executive Team. For more than 25 years, he has worked at the intersection of communications, finance and government affairs while living in Asia Pacific, EMEA and the United States. Prior to Betterment, Raoul was Senior Managing Director in the Strategic Communications segment at FTI Consulting, where he worked in New York and London. Raoul began his career on Wall Street, with several years at Morgan Stanley in India and the United States as an investment banker and fixed-income specialist. Raoul also spent time in the political and public sectors, helping to manage the campaigns of high-profile candidates, and engaging in public-policy issues facing New York City. Mr. Bhavnani is a cum laude graduate of Princeton University, and is active in a leadership capacity with a variety of civic and cultural organizations around the world. He is the co-founder and Board President of The India Center Foundation, a non-profit cultural institution focused on India and its relationship with the United States. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children.
Penny Abeywardena has held leadership roles in philanthropy, government, and multilateral institutions for more than 20 years. Her contributions have been recognized and celebrated by the United Nations, the World Economic Forum, and the French American Foundation, among others. She was recently appointed to the rank of Knight in France’s National Order of Merit by President Macron for her global leadership on diplomacy, human rights, and sustainability.
Penny is a contributing columnist at Forbes on leadership strategies. Her writing is focused on identifying strategies of influence and persuasion when there is little or no perceived power on issues that range from AI to food security and climate change. Penny recently held senior advisor roles with LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome on sustainable financing and the Charities Aid Foundation.
During her eight years of service as the Commissioner for International Affairs for the City of New York (2014-2022), she led the agency serving the largest diplomatic corps in the world. During her tenure New York City successfully implemented a series of award-winning programs with the international community including the creation of the Voluntary Local Review, a global movement of hundreds of local governments working to achieve the SDGs and the Junior Ambassador program which enabled underserved youth to address the SDGs in their local community. Prior to her role in government, Penny was the Director of the Women’s program at the Clinton Global Initiative (2009-2014), where she advised multinational corporations, philanthropists, NGOs and multilateral institutions to increase investments in gender-focused development initiatives.
Penny is currently on the Board of Directors of FHI360, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the American Society of the French Order of Merit. She also serves on APCO Worldwide’s International Advisory Council and the 92Y Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact Advisory Committee. She’s recently served on the board of the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships, which provides oversight of the UN Foundation, the International Peace Institute, the Aspen Institute’s Digital Equity Advisory Council, and was co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cities of Tomorrow.
Penny is a contributing columnist at Forbes on leadership strategies. Her writing is focused on identifying strategies of influence and persuasion when there is little or no perceived power on issues that range from AI to food security and climate change. Penny recently held senior advisor roles with LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome on sustainable financing and the Charities Aid Foundation.
During her eight years of service as the Commissioner for International Affairs for the City of New York (2014-2022), she led the agency serving the largest diplomatic corps in the world. During her tenure New York City successfully implemented a series of award-winning programs with the international community including the creation of the Voluntary Local Review, a global movement of hundreds of local governments working to achieve the SDGs and the Junior Ambassador program which enabled underserved youth to address the SDGs in their local community. Prior to her role in government, Penny was the Director of the Women’s program at the Clinton Global Initiative (2009-2014), where she advised multinational corporations, philanthropists, NGOs and multilateral institutions to increase investments in gender-focused development initiatives.
Penny is currently on the Board of Directors of FHI360, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the American Society of the French Order of Merit. She also serves on APCO Worldwide’s International Advisory Council and the 92Y Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact Advisory Committee. She’s recently served on the board of the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships, which provides oversight of the UN Foundation, the International Peace Institute, the Aspen Institute’s Digital Equity Advisory Council, and was co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cities of Tomorrow.
Katherine Wu Brady, Founder & Principal, KWB Studios
Kathy Wu Brady is an advisor, mentor and coach, leveraging her many years as a seasoned executive working across the media, technology, ecommerce, and social impact sectors. She has extensive C-Suite experience (CEO 2X, COO 7+ years) across a wide range of companies such as: NBC, hulu, AOL, American Express, and Catchafire. Kathy has helped rapidly launch, accelerated growth and restructured businesses to become financially and operationally healthy. She has deep experience in building inclusive cultures that form a strong foundation for high performance. Outside of work, Kathy enjoys spending time with her two precocious children and her Emmy-award winning partner. She loves playing games, green thumbing, dancing with abandon, painting and drawing and is committed to mindfulness and well-being.
Christine Cea, Founder & Principal, POSIT Communications
An award-winning, industry-recognized leader and innovator, Christine specializes in mission-driven marketing, communications and social impact to build, sustain and protect brand equity and enterprise reputation. Christine has directed world-class communications intersecting brand and purpose while in leadership positions at global corporations, PR/Communications agencies, nonprofits and, currently, as the founder and principle of Posit Communications, a strategic communications consultancy. The former head of Marketing Communications for Unilever, she collaborated on launching dozens of new products and hundreds of campaigns for its portfolio of iconic food and personal care brands; led marketing for Project Sunlight, the company’s first consumer marketing initiative to promote its sustainable living mission; and was responsible for Unilever becoming a founding member of #GivingTuesday. In the nonprofit sector, Christine was the Chief Communications Executive for the Girl Scouts of the USA; consulted with the UN and UN Foundation on the Sustainable Development Goals. She’s a founding member and Marketing Communications Committee Chair of Impact 100 NYC, an all-women philanthropic giving circle providing transformation grants to NYC nonprofits. Christine holds a BA from Barnard College and an MA from Columbia University. In 2020, she graduated from the Executive Program in Social Impact from the Center for Social Impact Strategy at the University of Pennsylvania. Christine has been a mentor for the Women In Power Fellowship program since its inception.
Margaret Coady, VP and Head of Sustainability, Prudential Financial, Inc.
As the leader of Prudential Financial’s Sustainability Office, Margaret Coady steers the company’s ESG strategy and integrate sustainability principles across our global functions and businesses. Her responsibilities encompass spearheading the management oversight model for sustainability, integrating ESG considerations into our risk taxonomy, establishing accountability measures for ESG commitments, and overseeing key disclosures, including the annual Sustainability Report, TCFD report, and CDP Climate Change questionnaire.
In her previous role, she directed a communications team at Prudential, covering topics such as community partnerships, inclusion and diversity, employee engagement, culture, grantmaking by the Prudential Foundation, and the management of the company’s $1 billion impact investing portfolio.
Prior to her tenure at Prudential, Margaret served as the inaugural Executive Director of CSR and the Coach Foundation at Tapestry, the $6 billion corporate parent of fashion brands Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman. Reporting to Tapestry’s CEO, she aligned Coach’s business and philanthropic goals and played a pivotal role in Tapestry’s ESG and sustainability initiatives, contributing to the launch of the company’s 2025 goals and its first public social responsibility website.
Before joining Tapestry, Margaret served as the Executive Director of the nonprofit Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), where she established CECP as the premier forum for the world’s leading companies to pursue CSR strategies. Over a decade, she doubled the Fortune 500 CEO membership to 200+, served as the organization’s spokesperson, shaped its research agenda, and provided strategic counsel to CEOs on purpose-driven initiatives.
Beyond her corporate and nonprofit roles, she has lent her expertise to field-building organizations such as Independent Sector and Charity Navigator. Sha has also served on the boards of nonprofits, including Taproot Foundation, Kate Spade Foundation, and Step Up Women’s Network. Since 2016, she has been a mentor in the 92NY “Women in Power Fellowship for Emerging Leaders.”
She graduated with honors from Williams College and served as Valedictorian at Columbia Business School.
In her previous role, she directed a communications team at Prudential, covering topics such as community partnerships, inclusion and diversity, employee engagement, culture, grantmaking by the Prudential Foundation, and the management of the company’s $1 billion impact investing portfolio.
Prior to her tenure at Prudential, Margaret served as the inaugural Executive Director of CSR and the Coach Foundation at Tapestry, the $6 billion corporate parent of fashion brands Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman. Reporting to Tapestry’s CEO, she aligned Coach’s business and philanthropic goals and played a pivotal role in Tapestry’s ESG and sustainability initiatives, contributing to the launch of the company’s 2025 goals and its first public social responsibility website.
Before joining Tapestry, Margaret served as the Executive Director of the nonprofit Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP), where she established CECP as the premier forum for the world’s leading companies to pursue CSR strategies. Over a decade, she doubled the Fortune 500 CEO membership to 200+, served as the organization’s spokesperson, shaped its research agenda, and provided strategic counsel to CEOs on purpose-driven initiatives.
Beyond her corporate and nonprofit roles, she has lent her expertise to field-building organizations such as Independent Sector and Charity Navigator. Sha has also served on the boards of nonprofits, including Taproot Foundation, Kate Spade Foundation, and Step Up Women’s Network. Since 2016, she has been a mentor in the 92NY “Women in Power Fellowship for Emerging Leaders.”
She graduated with honors from Williams College and served as Valedictorian at Columbia Business School.
Tim Maleeny, President and Chief Strategy Officer, Havas Creative
Tim Maleeny is the Chief Strategy Officer for Havas North America and President of Havas New York, a global marketing and communications company.
The former head of strategy for Ogilvy, he has worked at R/GA, Publicis, and held a variety of leadership roles at independent agencies, in addition to launching a new agency practice for Deloitte. And with a degree in computer science, he has a longstanding obsession with emerging technology and innovation.
Tim is known for pioneering a narrative approach to building marketing campaigns, which makes sense since he’s the bestselling author of six novels and multiple award-winning short stories. He’s very active across the marketing community, mentoring and connecting great people wherever he finds them.
Tim lives in Tribeca with his wife, two daughters, and far too many books.
The former head of strategy for Ogilvy, he has worked at R/GA, Publicis, and held a variety of leadership roles at independent agencies, in addition to launching a new agency practice for Deloitte. And with a degree in computer science, he has a longstanding obsession with emerging technology and innovation.
Tim is known for pioneering a narrative approach to building marketing campaigns, which makes sense since he’s the bestselling author of six novels and multiple award-winning short stories. He’s very active across the marketing community, mentoring and connecting great people wherever he finds them.
Tim lives in Tribeca with his wife, two daughters, and far too many books.
Jennefer Witter, CEO and Founder, The Boreland Group, Inc.
Jennefer Witter is the chief executive officer and founder of The Boreland Group Inc., a 20-year-old boutique public relations firm headquartered in New York City. The agency specializes in women-led and minority owned businesses as well as grassroots non-profits. It was selected by TheStreet.com as one of five national, black owned businesses “making a buzz”. Jennefer was named one of the nation’s “10 most successful black CEOS and entrepreneurs” by MadameNoire Magazine, and her company was recognized as one of 12 black-owned businesses to be “loved by its community and beyond” by ThriveGlobal (https://tinyurl.com/y7k4a6hw).
Jennefer is an active public speaker, with presentations to military, trade and academic organizations on implicit bias; inclusive leadership; gender-based workplace conversation; personal branding; inclusive and thought leadership; public speaking; and networking. Venues include: TedX Albany; 92Y; Tishman Speyer; The Pentagon; The Brookings Institution; Pennsylvania Conference for Women; the Virginia Business Conference; Bel Brands; The Sea Service Leadership Association’s Annual Symposium; Vital Voices Global Ambassadors Program; The Durst Corporation; Columbia Business School; and Columbia, American, Stony Brook and Fordham universities. Jennefer has also presented at York Correctional Facility on personal branding to incarcerated women for future business opportunities once they were released. Jennefer is the author of “The Little Book of Big PR: 100+ Quick Tips to Get Your Small Business Noticed,” published by Amacom/HarperCollins. Her opinion piece on name bias has received, to-date, over 21,000 views on social media platforms. She has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, MTV News, the Associated Press, Bloomberg Radio, MarketWatch Radio Network, Fox 5 DC, and WJLA. Her articles have appeared in Forbes, Business Insider, Medium, HuffPost and numerous small business publications. Previously, she was the public relations expert for Inc.com TV.
Jennefer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications (Print Journalism) from New York City’s Fordham University. She received a Regents Diploma from Brooklyn Technical High School, one of the country’s premier STEM schools, graduating with an A average. Jennefer holds certificates in DEI and racial equity from, respectively, Cornell University and Northwestern University.
Jennefer is an active public speaker, with presentations to military, trade and academic organizations on implicit bias; inclusive leadership; gender-based workplace conversation; personal branding; inclusive and thought leadership; public speaking; and networking. Venues include: TedX Albany; 92Y; Tishman Speyer; The Pentagon; The Brookings Institution; Pennsylvania Conference for Women; the Virginia Business Conference; Bel Brands; The Sea Service Leadership Association’s Annual Symposium; Vital Voices Global Ambassadors Program; The Durst Corporation; Columbia Business School; and Columbia, American, Stony Brook and Fordham universities. Jennefer has also presented at York Correctional Facility on personal branding to incarcerated women for future business opportunities once they were released. Jennefer is the author of “The Little Book of Big PR: 100+ Quick Tips to Get Your Small Business Noticed,” published by Amacom/HarperCollins. Her opinion piece on name bias has received, to-date, over 21,000 views on social media platforms. She has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, MTV News, the Associated Press, Bloomberg Radio, MarketWatch Radio Network, Fox 5 DC, and WJLA. Her articles have appeared in Forbes, Business Insider, Medium, HuffPost and numerous small business publications. Previously, she was the public relations expert for Inc.com TV.
Jennefer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications (Print Journalism) from New York City’s Fordham University. She received a Regents Diploma from Brooklyn Technical High School, one of the country’s premier STEM schools, graduating with an A average. Jennefer holds certificates in DEI and racial equity from, respectively, Cornell University and Northwestern University.
Laura A. Clayton McDonnell, President, Corporates, Thomson Reuters
Laura A. Clayton McDonnell is President, Corporates at Thomson Reuters. Previously, Laura was Senior Vice President, Sales – East, Canada and Latin America, at ServiceNow, a cloud-based platform that provides digital solutions that help people do their best work. Prior to that, she was Vice President, New York Region at Microsoft where she provided executive leadership and management of the Microsoft New York Region, with a team of over 230 industry sales, technical and business professionals. She managed executive relationships at the world’s largest companies for Microsoft and represents the company in community initiatives with private and public organizations.
Laura is an executive with extensive sales management and legal experience in the information technology industry. Prior to Microsoft, she was Senior Vice President, North America Sales at Aspect Software. Prior to that role, she was Vice President of Strategic Services at IBM and closed the first $200M+, 5 year long term services transformational deal with a leading insurer/healthcare provider in Spanish South America.
She also was Vice President, Public Sector, West IMT, North America Group leading a $2.2B sales organization which supported the State and Local Government, Education, Healthcare and Life Sciences industries. In that capacity, she generated 11 out of 13 quarters of positive growth, holding or taking market share in all quarters except one. She also led the Smarter Cities/Smarter Planet and the North America Healthcare Growth Initiatives.
Laura’s prior IBM positions included Vice President, Services Business Development, S&D Communications Sector, Director & Senior Client Solutions Executive for Global Technology Services, and Director of Contracts & Negotiations for Global Business Development. Before joining IBM, she was Vice President of Business Development at Rational Software. Prior to Rational, Laura was at Sun Microsystems, Inc. where she held a variety of executive-level positions including Senior Director of Market Development and Strategic Planning, and General Counsel of the Consumer and Embedded Software Division. Prior to joining Sun, she was Managing Attorney for North American Sales at Cisco Systems, Inc. and a Senior Counsel at Apple Computer, Inc. Prior to Apple, Laura was in private corporate and securities law practice at a law firm in San Francisco.
Laura received her Bachelor of Science degree “with distinction” in International Business Administration at San Jose State University, her Masters in Business Administration degree from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley in Finance and International Business Administration, and her Juris Doctorate from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. At Boalt, she was awarded “Best Oral Argument” for First Year Moot Court, and served as Articles Editor for the International Tax and Business Lawyer Journal. She is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and the State of California.
Laura has held leadership positions in community and business professional organizations. She has served as President of the Barristers Section of the Santa Clara County Bar Association, and President of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Black MBA Association. Laura has been a member of the Development Council for the Haas School of Business, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Boalt Hall School of Law Alumni Association. She is a recipient of the 2008 YWCA of Silicon Valley Tribute to Women Award (TWIN). Laura is a member of the Women’s Forum of New York and an Advisory Committee Member of the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact of the 92Y.
Laura is an executive with extensive sales management and legal experience in the information technology industry. Prior to Microsoft, she was Senior Vice President, North America Sales at Aspect Software. Prior to that role, she was Vice President of Strategic Services at IBM and closed the first $200M+, 5 year long term services transformational deal with a leading insurer/healthcare provider in Spanish South America.
She also was Vice President, Public Sector, West IMT, North America Group leading a $2.2B sales organization which supported the State and Local Government, Education, Healthcare and Life Sciences industries. In that capacity, she generated 11 out of 13 quarters of positive growth, holding or taking market share in all quarters except one. She also led the Smarter Cities/Smarter Planet and the North America Healthcare Growth Initiatives.
Laura’s prior IBM positions included Vice President, Services Business Development, S&D Communications Sector, Director & Senior Client Solutions Executive for Global Technology Services, and Director of Contracts & Negotiations for Global Business Development. Before joining IBM, she was Vice President of Business Development at Rational Software. Prior to Rational, Laura was at Sun Microsystems, Inc. where she held a variety of executive-level positions including Senior Director of Market Development and Strategic Planning, and General Counsel of the Consumer and Embedded Software Division. Prior to joining Sun, she was Managing Attorney for North American Sales at Cisco Systems, Inc. and a Senior Counsel at Apple Computer, Inc. Prior to Apple, Laura was in private corporate and securities law practice at a law firm in San Francisco.
Laura received her Bachelor of Science degree “with distinction” in International Business Administration at San Jose State University, her Masters in Business Administration degree from the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley in Finance and International Business Administration, and her Juris Doctorate from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. At Boalt, she was awarded “Best Oral Argument” for First Year Moot Court, and served as Articles Editor for the International Tax and Business Lawyer Journal. She is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and the State of California.
Laura has held leadership positions in community and business professional organizations. She has served as President of the Barristers Section of the Santa Clara County Bar Association, and President of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Black MBA Association. Laura has been a member of the Development Council for the Haas School of Business, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Boalt Hall School of Law Alumni Association. She is a recipient of the 2008 YWCA of Silicon Valley Tribute to Women Award (TWIN). Laura is a member of the Women’s Forum of New York and an Advisory Committee Member of the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact of the 92Y.
Stephanie Kauffman, President and Chief Operating Officer, Melanoma Research Alliance
Stephanie Kauffman is the president and chief operating officer for the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), the largest private, non-profit funder of melanoma research in the world. At MRA, Stephanie and the team have a laser-sharp focus on funding game-changing research to accelerate new breakthroughs over melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
After years building multi-billion-dollar programs and brand partnerships for Universal Studios, Stephanie stepped away from movie sets to direct her energy into tackling some of the world’s most pressing health issues, inequities, and global crises. Her efforts have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in healthcare, cancer research funding alongside the mobilization of relief efforts in places like Afghanistan, India, Ukraine, Colombia, Malawi, Haiti, and the U.S.
Prior to joining MRA, Stephanie held senior leadership positions at global health and medical research organizations. Most recently, Stephanie was the head of strategic partnerships for Americares, a leading health equity organization responding to disasters, pandemics and humanitarian crises with life-changing medical aid and health services.
Stephanie is also the former chief communications and partnerships officer for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), the largest private funder of breast cancer research in the world. During her BCRF tenure, Stephanie led communications, media, digital, mobile, metaverse, corporate and affiliate partner strategies. During her tenure, Stephanie and her team raised over $100 million in corporate partner support for breast cancer. Before she pivoted into cancer research, Stephanie was the senior vice president, global alliances for Universal Pictures. She worked on film marketing campaigns for over 30 Universal films and brokered an unprecedented partnership between Dodge and the Fast & Furious film franchise and served on the executive team that built the Despicable Me Minions into a billion-dollar consumer products powerhouse.
Stephanie serves on the board of directors for the International Women’s Media Foundation, an organization that supports women journalists and developing their careers with a mission of creating gender equity in the global newsroom. At the IWMF, Stephanie led the Board strategy in raising critical funds to help evacuate women journalists from Afghanistan to safety. She also serves as a mentor for the 92Y Women in Power Fellows and on the steering committee of the National Council for Skin Cancer Prevention.
Stephanie holds a B.S. in Marketing Management from Florida Southern College.
After years building multi-billion-dollar programs and brand partnerships for Universal Studios, Stephanie stepped away from movie sets to direct her energy into tackling some of the world’s most pressing health issues, inequities, and global crises. Her efforts have resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in healthcare, cancer research funding alongside the mobilization of relief efforts in places like Afghanistan, India, Ukraine, Colombia, Malawi, Haiti, and the U.S.
Prior to joining MRA, Stephanie held senior leadership positions at global health and medical research organizations. Most recently, Stephanie was the head of strategic partnerships for Americares, a leading health equity organization responding to disasters, pandemics and humanitarian crises with life-changing medical aid and health services.
Stephanie is also the former chief communications and partnerships officer for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), the largest private funder of breast cancer research in the world. During her BCRF tenure, Stephanie led communications, media, digital, mobile, metaverse, corporate and affiliate partner strategies. During her tenure, Stephanie and her team raised over $100 million in corporate partner support for breast cancer. Before she pivoted into cancer research, Stephanie was the senior vice president, global alliances for Universal Pictures. She worked on film marketing campaigns for over 30 Universal films and brokered an unprecedented partnership between Dodge and the Fast & Furious film franchise and served on the executive team that built the Despicable Me Minions into a billion-dollar consumer products powerhouse.
Stephanie serves on the board of directors for the International Women’s Media Foundation, an organization that supports women journalists and developing their careers with a mission of creating gender equity in the global newsroom. At the IWMF, Stephanie led the Board strategy in raising critical funds to help evacuate women journalists from Afghanistan to safety. She also serves as a mentor for the 92Y Women in Power Fellows and on the steering committee of the National Council for Skin Cancer Prevention.
Stephanie holds a B.S. in Marketing Management from Florida Southern College.
Christy Johnson, Founder and CEO, Artemis Connection Inc
Christy Johnson is an entrepreneur, intrapreneur and educator. She is currently building her fourth start-up, Artemis Connection and facilitating courses at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She also is adjunct faculty at the University of Washington where she teaches entrepreneurship and has built a women in entrepreneurial leadership program. Ultimately, she believes people are an organization’s most important asset and by having a diverse workforce, organizations will have the most innovative solutions and best strategies. She has seven years of experience working in corporate strategy, including 3 ½ years at McKinsey & Co. Before this, Christy was an award-winning economics and mathematics teacher. In 2005, Junior Achievement recognized Christy as its National Teacher of the Year.
Recently Christy successfully led the following efforts:
Recently Christy successfully led the following efforts:
- Served on McKinsey’s “Women Matter” and “Centered Leadership” research team. Synthesized findings and led leadership teams for women in the United States and Europe
- Created a talent acquisition and development program for a $24B conglomerate that resulted in bringing in new, young leaders for a Silicon Valley company; resulted in strategic partnerships with top universities
- Was VP at Flextronics, a $24B manufacturing company where she led a corporate strategy team’s turn around in order to yield more innovative strategies and pilot new initiatives
- Held the VP role at a Warburg Pincus-backed company where she developed and piloted a sales strategy for a new segment and redesigned operations
- Recently, Business Insider recognized Christy as a power player in consulting. As University of Michigan Professor Lindred Greer wrote in the nomination, “Christy and her firm stand out in disrupting traditional consulting work by activating talent underemployed or out of the labor market (parents, caring for aging parents, living in nonurban areas, desiring part time work and / or older in age). They work to foster and develop racial, gender and social economically diverse young talent through a fellowship program. They also give back 4.5% of revenue in pro bono consulting. Together, beyond Christy and her firm’s excellence in developing and implementing rigorous strategy for their clients, they stand out from any firm I know in their commitment to the people side of work – both in leveraging it as a competitive advantage as well as a societally important area to contribute toward. She’s built a work-from-home model committed to helping people keep a hand in the labor market while raising three kids.”
Elizabeth Leber, Managing Partner, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners
Liz Leber is dedicated to advancing mission-based institutions through forward-looking architecture and planning projects. Guided by her astute and inquisitive nature, Liz excels at extracting the core objectives of her clients and their stakeholders and translating the collective needs and mission of institutions into creative architectural solutions. She is skilled at facilitating consensus around a cohesive vision, from internal governing boards to outside agencies. Both within and outside the firm, she is recognized for her ability to approach every challenge with a balance of creativity, pragmatism, and unfailing optimism. Liz applies these same skills and energy to her role as Managing Partner of Beyer Blinder Belle. Her position affirms the firm’s successful transition to a third generation of leadership and ensures BBB’s future-looking strategic vision and sustainability. Liz’s clients include leading universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, as well as not-for-profit institutions including the New York Public Library and the 92nd Street Y. Liz is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A., Art History) and Columbia University (M.Arch.) She is a board member of the Urban Green Council. She is a registered architect in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Rhode Island, and is NCARB certified. Liz has been at BBB since 2001.
Christine O’Connell, Executive Director, Riley's Way Foundation
Christine O’Connell, Ph.D., is an expert in the field of empathetic communication and building kind leaders and organizations. She is the Executive Director of Riley’s Way Foundation (rileysway.org), an organization whose mission is to invest in and support the next generation of kind leaders. Previously, she was the founding Associate Director and a professor at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science (aldacenter.org) at Stony Brook University where she helped create and build the Center and its empathy-based curriculum to international acclaim. Christine has a record of providing strategic direction to grow non-profit and academic organizations, research initiatives, and environmental and community campaigns. She is a sought-after public speaker and curriculum designer, and has led workshops and headlined at conferences and institutions around the world including NASA, Google, The National Academies, Harvard, and SXSW. She was the co-chair of the Advisory Board for 500 Women Scientists and retains visiting faculty appointments at Stony Brook University and the Broad Institute. She received her B.S. from Cornell University, and Ph.D. in Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University. She is a published author and her research focuses on best practices in empathetic communication, novel collaborations, science policy, and women in STEM.
Sarah L. Russo, Founder and CEO, Page One Media
Sarah Russo is the founder and CEO of Page One Media, a boutique public relations and marketing firm supporting, author, publishers, and literary start-ups. A publishing professional with over twenty years of experience, Sarah has worked across publicity, communications, traditional marketing, social media marketing, branding, and business development. Sarah has worked in-house for Alfred A. Knopf, Doubleday, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and Oxford University Press, and as a consultant for National Book Critics Circle, the Association of University Presses, the American Booksellers Association, Scribd, Curtis Brown, Ltd., The Oxford American, New Scientist, Coffee House Press, Europa Editions, International Literary Properties, and with authors too numerous to count. Most recently, Sarah was the Global Head of Audience Engagement, Publicity, and Social Media for Oxford University Press, the largest not-for-profit publisher of trade and academic books in the world. She has been a speaker at Social Media Week, the Association of American Historians and the Organization of American Historians, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Brooklyn Book Festival, the Louisiana Book Festival, Johns Hopkins University, The New School, Adelphi University, Pace University, and many others.
Theresa S. Thames, Associate Dean of Religious Life & the Chapel, Princeton University
The Rev. Dr. Theresa S. Thames (she/her/hers) is the founder and CEO of Soul Joy Coaching, LLC. and the Associate Dean of Religious Life and of the Chapel at Princeton. Born and raised in Biloxi, Mississippi, being a Black queer woman from the deep south informs her sense of the world. She is a gifted speaker, theologian, and writer with degrees from Howard University, Duke University Divinity School, and Wesley Theological Seminary. Though an ordained Methodist pastor, she considers herself more poly-religious when it comes to her desire to understand God’s depth and breadth. Theresa is authentic and honest.
Theresa is also a wife, devoted friend, author, music connoisseur, podcaster, avid reader, certified yoga teacher, Peloton rider, OG GirlTrekker, half-marathon runner, and dog mama to a Black Lab. But what really sets her apart is her unwavering belief that freedom is not optional, rest is her strength, and radical joy is her resistance.
Aamina Awan Khan, Chief Partnerships Officer/Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of State
Aamina Awan-Khan is currently serving in the U.S. Department of State. An international security affairs leader with 15+ years of experience in cross-functional stakeholder partnerships, project development and management, Aamina has created and led programs in the areas of education, technology, and community engagement. She brings a multi-sectoral perspective, leveraging prior experience working with governments, corporations, academic institutions, and civil partners in the U.S. and abroad.
Prior to joining the government, Aamina began her tri-sectoral career at Credit Suisse. She has also held management roles at the Clinton Foundation and UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
A 2022 Presidential Leadership Scholar, a 2020 Women inPower Fellow, and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Aamina holds a BA degree in International Relations and Political Science from Fairfield University and a MSc degree in Gender and International Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is a Trustee of Notre Dame Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts, and is a former U.S. Fulbright Scholar to the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Prior to joining the government, Aamina began her tri-sectoral career at Credit Suisse. She has also held management roles at the Clinton Foundation and UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
A 2022 Presidential Leadership Scholar, a 2020 Women inPower Fellow, and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Aamina holds a BA degree in International Relations and Political Science from Fairfield University and a MSc degree in Gender and International Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is a Trustee of Notre Dame Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts, and is a former U.S. Fulbright Scholar to the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Abby Wallach is a renowned beauty and media entrepreneur who is known for her creative vision and business acumen, captivating audiences with groundbreaking experiences and innovative products. Currently leading Scentinvent™ Technologies, a female-founded fragrance and beauty incubator and innovation company, she is re-imagining the fragrance industry to think beyond the bottle.
As the head of Abby Wallach Productions, Abby develops revolutionary TV and digital media programs with the goal to entertain and inspire meaningful change. Her recent 12-episode audio podcast series, “Finding Beautiful Strangers,” with Abby Wallach,” narrates her wild entrepreneurial journey, sharing encounters and stories with what she calls “Beautiful Strangers,” and providing insights and wisdom to educate, entertain and inspire. The podcast was recently a finalist for the People’s Choice Award in the Arts Category. 3MM people voted in this category.
Abby, is a former co-host of the “Beauty is Your Business” podcast and frequently mentors and advises startups in beauty, fashion, media, and technology space. She has shared her industry knowledge at prestigious institutions and events. In her earlier career, Abby was the CEO of Beautiful Stranger TV, a content commerce brand and one of You Tube’s first partners. She has held executive positions at Showtime Networks Inc. and Nederlander Television & Film. Recognitions include Entrepreneur of the Week by ABC’s Rebecca Jarvis, Fashion Group International’s “Rising Star” award nominations, and receiving Remodista’s Innovation Award. She was also nominated as a Women 2 Watch in Global Retail Disruption from 2016 to 2021.
As the head of Abby Wallach Productions, Abby develops revolutionary TV and digital media programs with the goal to entertain and inspire meaningful change. Her recent 12-episode audio podcast series, “Finding Beautiful Strangers,” with Abby Wallach,” narrates her wild entrepreneurial journey, sharing encounters and stories with what she calls “Beautiful Strangers,” and providing insights and wisdom to educate, entertain and inspire. The podcast was recently a finalist for the People’s Choice Award in the Arts Category. 3MM people voted in this category.
Abby, is a former co-host of the “Beauty is Your Business” podcast and frequently mentors and advises startups in beauty, fashion, media, and technology space. She has shared her industry knowledge at prestigious institutions and events. In her earlier career, Abby was the CEO of Beautiful Stranger TV, a content commerce brand and one of You Tube’s first partners. She has held executive positions at Showtime Networks Inc. and Nederlander Television & Film. Recognitions include Entrepreneur of the Week by ABC’s Rebecca Jarvis, Fashion Group International’s “Rising Star” award nominations, and receiving Remodista’s Innovation Award. She was also nominated as a Women 2 Watch in Global Retail Disruption from 2016 to 2021.