Fortune's 2023 Most Powerful Women Summit took place on October 10th-12th in Laguna Niguel, CA. Over the three days, women across a wide variety of industries (healthcare, politics, entertainment, retail, and tech - just to name a few!) took the stage to share their perspectives on the state of their respective businesses, what it means to be a woman in leadership and how to address global tumult while also running a business. In today's episode of Leadership Next, you will hear excerpts from conversations with three women who especially embody many of the MPW values like leadership, tenacity, vision and creativity. Leadership Next Hosts Alan Murray and Michal Lev-Ram share their perspectives on the Summit throughout the episode.
Up first, we hear from Senator Laphonza Butler who joined Fortune's Emma Hinchliffe onstage just one week after she was sworn in as a California senator, filling the seat vacated by Dianne Feinstein who passed away in September. Senator Butler discusses being an example of economic empowerment for women and girls and the power of coalition building across parties and the business sector to affect real change.
In the second conversation of the episode, Lev-Ram sits down with #35 on the 2023 MPW list, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Starbucks and Ariel Investments co-CEO Mellody Hobson. Hobson shares how she initially became interested in strategic decision making and how to keep DEI a priority in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision on affirmative action. Hobson also dives deeper into the origin of the idea for Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan to complete a six-month barista immersion.
Finally, we hear excerpts from Lev-Ram's conversation with #53 on the 2023 MPW List, Netflix Chief Content Office Bela Bajaria. Bajaria discusses how the company chooses which content to produce and acquire, plus the importance of balancing the use of algorithms versus trusting her gut in that process.
Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte.