I wanted to share a pretty cool experience from this week with you. On Friday, I had the honor of participating in Committee of 200’s (C200) Annual Conference. Have you ever heard of C200? They are a fairly low-key and extremely high-powered group. Membership is invitation only for women who either own businesses over $15 million or manage a corporate division over $250 million…making this a very tight-knit and exclusive group.
The conference started in a way that said, "Texas." Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison rode into a ballroom at the Four Seasons Las Colinas on a horse. (!) I can just imagine the discussion between the event planners and the Four Seasons staff to make that idea turn into reality…
I was part of a panel moderated by Gay Gaddis of T3 with Nick Bomersbach from JCPenney, discussing the "digital ecosystem and advertising today." I’ve done a lot of public speaking and I don’t think I’ve ever shared a discussion a room full of CEOs before! They had great questions, as you’d expect.
At lunch, three awards were presented to:
– Marsha Serlin, Founder and CEO of United Scrap Metal, for entrepreneurship. I never knew that scrap metal could make for such a compelling story of determination and perseverance.
– Susan Arnold, President of Global Business Units at P&G, for corporate innovation. A woman who directs $83 billion of brands that the world uses daily. Who enjoys being barefoot around the office.
– Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO of The Acument Fund, for philanthropy. Her experiences with making water accessible in India and fighting malaria in Africa were mesmerizing.
Although geography and gender were highlighted at various points throughout the day, I can tell you that the inspiration and energy present were awesome, especially for a guy from Boston who by definition can never be a part of the C200. But I hope that someday my other family members may be!