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    Event Recap: Move The Dial Global Summit 2019 – Bozoma Saint John, Justina Omokhua, Randi Zuckerberg and more.

    I had the pleasure of attending the Move the Dial Global Summit on November 14th, 2019. Move The Dial is a global movement that focuses on the diversity, inclusion, advancement and leadership of women in tech.

    Damien Hooper- Campbell, Chief Diversity Office at Ebay, Danny Guillory, Head of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Dropboy, Annie Jean Baptiste – Head of Product Inclusion at Google

    This year’s theme: “Going All In,” challenged the audience to go beyond what they were currently doing and start taking meaningful actions to increase diversity and representation of ALL women in the tech world. “If we do not intentionally include, we unintentionally exclude.” – Lindsay Rae McIntyre – Chief Diversity Officer at Move The Dial. Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles, Zaib Shaikh echoed the same message when he reminded us that, “None of us can come forward if half of us are held back.”

    With over 2,500 people in attendance at the Roy Thomson Hall – the space was filled with great energy, insightful conversations, networking opportunities, amazing vendors and interactive stations to keep guests engaged! 

    The team at Move The Dial did an outstanding job with their vendor selection for this year’s summit. General Electric (GE) supplied guests with free portable chargers available for daily rental – a great way to ensure that people stayed active on social media to document their experience. Bumble Bizz provided guests with complimentary professional headshots.  Interac used a creative way to show the diversity and inter-sectionalities of the attendees by  having a wall with different groups that we belong to and using a rope to connect the groups (ex. Black, Female, African, Entrepreneur, University Graduate). Hoame had a meditation station, which was a nice addition for those who needed 5 to 10 minutes to just relax and recharge and lastly, TD’s coffee station was a HIT!  I had the Caramel Latte – which was branded with the TD logo. TALK TO ABOUT BRANDING AT IT’S FINEST!

    The most impressive part about the event was the line up of speakers. There was so much wisdom and insight shared about navigating our spaces and how we can promote more diversity and inclusion in the spaces we occupy. 

    Justina Omokhua, Senior Vice President, Brand Marketing and Bozama Saint John, Chief Marketing Officer at Endeavor.

    My favourite segment was with Bozama Saint John and Justina Omokhua. Their energy was unmatched and very captivating! They were real, honest and relatable in their dialogue. Check out this clip of Bozama’s take on the importance of transparency and honesty when advising and mentoring others.

    Some of my favourite quotes from the event:

    “You don’t show up confident … none of us do. You have to practice it” Bozama Saint John.  – Boz shared with the audience the importance of speaking up regardless of your position. She shared how she recommended director Spike Lee hire Beyoncé for the Pepsi commercial (2002/2003), while she was just working as his assistant. She reminded us that our opinions are both valid and valuable regardless of the position you’re in. If you can meaningfully add to a conversation, don’t doubt yourself and just do it. 

    “A lot of organizations underestimate the value proposition that female leaders bring to an organizations…but stats don’t lie.” – Camille Boothe Head of People & Culture at Uninterrupted

    Garrick Tiplady, Managing Director of Facebook and Instagram (Canada) has challenged men & women in leadership positions to “step up & mentor more women.” It is important that those who are successful, find a way to return it and share it with others through mentorship!

    A lot of women in positions of power and authority receive a lot of backlash and are often referred to as aggressive and bossy. Rola Dagher, President, Cisco Canada has the perfect response to this and says she often reminds those who take on that view point that:  “I am not bossy, I AM the boss” 

    I also got the chance to catch up with Jodi Kovitz, CEO and Founder of Move The Dial to congratulate her on an amazing event!

    Jodi Kovitz, CEO and Founder of Move the Dial.

    If you missed the summit, here is a list of all the speakers from the event:

    A digital marketing & e-commerce hub made with small to medium-sized African businesses. Through our interactive directory, we connect patrons and businesses —think Yellow Pages for African businesses.

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