Introducing the Dreamforce Women’s Leadership Summit
By Leyla Seka, SVP & GM, Desk.com
At Salesforce, we believe that a diverse and equitable workplace fosters innovation and creativity. This year at Dreamforce, we want to focus on the topic with the Women’s Leadership Summit.
Dreamforce is the largest software event in the world, which makes it an amazing platform for driving change. The brightest minds and biggest companies in tech will be here, giving us a unique opportunity to come together and discuss some of the big issues in our industry — including diversity and women in tech. In the past, Dreamforce has been a great platform for showcasing female leaders like Marissa Mayer, Sheryl Sandberg, Meg Whitman, Hillary Clinton and more.
The Women’s Leadership Summit at Dreamforce will focus on women that have succeeded in predominantly male fields and can give the playbook to other women. We hope to inspire people — both women and men to change the industry so it is inclusive for all. These sessions will be a platform for continuing the conversation around equal pay and gender equality in the tech industry and will feature a group of powerful, influential and diverse women to inspire and engage future female leaders and advocates.
Women’s Leadership Summit
Powerful, diverse and influential women that have succeeded in male dominated fields — from CEOs to supermodels, from superhero actresses to super scientists — the sessions will have something for everyone.
Women’s Innovation Panel
Did you know that Just 21 of the Fortune 500 CEOs are women, a measly 4%. And women hold just 16% of board seats? Hear from Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube and a Salesforce Board Member with actress, working mom, self-made businesswoman and founder of the Honest Company, Jessica Alba. We will showcase the journey of Susan from Google employee No.16 to CEO and use her story as a playbook for other women leaders and aspirants. She will discuss her journey to leadership and leveling the playing field for working moms and encouraging women leaders.
You might recall Jessica from her lead role in the television series Dark Angel or movie roles in the Fantastic Four series, but she also founded The Honest Company, a consumer goods company that sells non-toxic household products. Jessica will discuss her transition from the silver screen to entrepreneur.
Pay Equality: From Hollywood to Silicon Valley
Hollywood’s top female stars are speaking out about pay inequality in the movie business. But is change really on its way? The top-earning female dramatic actors take home around 40% of the salaries of their male co-stars — about half the average in other professions. Academy Award winning actress Patricia Arquette will grace the Dreamforce stage to discuss why she is passionate about fighting for equal rights for women.
Building the STEM Pipeline
The Women’s Leadership Summit addresses the topic of STEM — science, technology, engineering, and math — and getting girls or the future generations involved in the tech industry. From a CEO who’s made it to the top, to a group that will discuss how to inspire the next generation of tech talent.
Thought leaders in coding and app development will discuss introducing women and girls of every age to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) experiences. Salesforce Foundation President Suzanne DiBianca will moderate a lively discussion with Mary Moloney, CEO of CoderDojo, a global network of free computer programming clubs for young people, and Lyndsey Scott, a talented actress, model and app developer.
Building a Lasting Company Culture
What role does a company’s culture play in the success of that company? Everything. CEO of Eventbrite, Julia Hartz will share her perspective on how people are the most important aspect of building a company. Join this innovative, candid conversation on scaling for growth while preserving the very best of your company’s culture.
A View from the Top: CEOs Panel
This powerhouse panel will discuss how to manage explosive growth and tell you how being a female CEO has played a role in the way they lead and manage their companies. Hear from Katrina Lake, CEO & Founder of StitchFix, alongside Leah Busque, CEO of TaskRabbit.
#LeanInTogether
Join this open discussion on how to empower women in the workplace, and how to encourage everyone to be partners in the fight for equality. As part of the summit, Salesforce Chairman and CEO Marc Benioff and co-founder Parker Harris will talk with Kara Swisher, Co-Executive Editor at Re/code. They will discuss how Salesforce is tackling issues related to gender inequality in tech, and devising a role for advocates/men to get involved. Equality and inclusion is for everyone — this is a discussion for women and our male allies. We are in this together.
* Click on the sub-title hyperlinks to see more info and to register for the session
The Dreamforce Women’s Leadership Summit will inspire and engage future leaders, the next generation and rally our advocates to push for 100% equality for all in the tech industry. We want to see a true industry call to action. Learn more here.
Learn more about the Women’s Leadership Summit Lynn Vojvodich, and Cindy Robbins on The Road to Dreamforce:
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