Date and Time
Thursday March 7, 2019
6:00 pm-9:00 pm
Eastern Time
Location
New York City
Topics
#Womens Empowerment
BSR, The Estée Lauder Companies, Nordstrom, UGG, and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. are pleased to invite you to an evening event to celebrate International Women’s Day 2019 and as part of a joint campaign called This Is A Leader.
The event will bring together senior leaders from brands and from HERproject, as well as a range of women leaders from different fields, to explore what leadership for and by women means.
BSR’s HERproject is the largest workplace-based women’s empowerment initiative operating in global supply chains. Uniting global brands, their suppliers, and expert local partners, HERproject delivers workplace training programs on health, financial inclusion, and gender equality. Since its inception in 2007, HERproject has worked in more than 800 workplaces across 14 countries and has increased the well-being, confidence, and economic potential of more than 900,000 women.
The Estée Lauder Companies, Nordstrom, UGG, and Williams-Sonoma, Inc. are major supporters of HERproject. At this event, leaders from brands will explain their vision of leadership for women, both at the corporate level and in the supply chain. They will discuss their personal stories and consider what is needed to ensure that supply chains work for women.
A second panel will bring together inspiring women leaders from a range of fields, including journalism and development, to explore how women's leadership can be nurtured, promoted, and accelerated.
What does it mean to be a leader, and how are women leaders working to improve lives in global supply chains? Join us to find out.
The panel discussions will be preceded and followed by a complimentary cocktail reception. Doors open at 6 p.m. and panel discussions start at 6.30 p.m.
Speakers
- Nancy Mahon, Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability, The Estée Lauder Companies
- Andrea O'Donnell, President of Fashion Lifestyle, Deckers Brands
- Mandy Seidel, Vice President, Global Sourcing, Pottery Barn
-
Christine Svarer,
Director, HERproject, BSR
Christine leads BSR’s HERproject—our women's empowerment workplace program that brings together global and local companies, business associations, and donors to support women in global supply chains through health, finance, and other curricula.
With more than 15 years working in international development, Christine has substantial global experience in women’s economic empowerment, private-sector development, financial inclusion, value chain development, enterpreneurship, cross-sector partnerships, and social enterprise.
Prior to BSR, Christine was the director of women’s economic empowerment at CARE International, leading the organization’s global work to support 30 million women and give them greater access to and control over economic resources and opportunities. Before that, Christine led CARE International’s work on private-sector development, focusing on inclusive business models and bottom-of-the-pyramid social enterprise development, and significantly expanding CARE’s strategic engagement with companies. Christine also previously worked on building leadership training programs for sustainable development at Lead International and for the United Nations Development Programme. She speaks English, Spanish and Danish.
Christine holds an M.S. in International Development and Business and a B.S. in International Business and Modern Languages, both from Copenhagen Business School. She also holds an Advanced Business Management degree from IESE Business School.
- Latha Ramakrishnan, India Women's Empowerment Expert
- Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner for International Affairs, New York City Mayor's Office
- Jenny Hollander, Deputy Editor, marieclaire.com
- Maria May, Program Officer, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
-
Aron Cramer,
President and CEO, BSR
Aron is recognized globally as a preeminent authority on sustainable business. In addition to leading BSR, which has grown substantially throughout his tenure as President and CEO, Aron advises senior executives at BSR’s more than 250 member companies and other global businesses on the full spectrum of social and environmental issues.
Aron joined BSR in 1995 as the founding director of its Business and Human Rights Program, and later opened BSR's Paris office in 2002, where he worked until becoming President and CEO in 2004. Aron serves on advisory boards to CEOs at Barrick Gold, Marks & Spencer, and SAP, and previously for AXA, Shell, and Nike. He is also a director of the Natural Capital Coalition, the International Integrated Reporting Council, and We Mean Business, and serves as a member of the Steering Council for the World Economic Forum’s Board of Stewards of its Future of Consumption System Initiative.
Aron speaks frequently at leading business forums and is widely quoted in top-tier media such as the Financial Times, Le Figaro (France), The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He is co-author of the book Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World, which spotlights innovative sustainability strategies that enable business success.
Prior to joining BSR, Aron practiced law in San Francisco and worked as a journalist at ABC News in New York. He holds a B.A. from Tufts University and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
