Things I Heard, Saw, and Learned from 400 Powerful Women

The energy at Fortune Most Powerful Women was palpable - a room filled with 400 women leaders, endless conversations, happy reunions and abuzz with inspiration that was a perfect example of how, when women come together, we have the power to reshape the future of leadership.

Here are 5 things I came back with from this incredible experience:

1. Women want other women to succeed. The myth that women hold each other back is just that - a myth. The energy I witnessed throughout the Summit revealed the opposite. I witnessed connections being made, advice freely shared, and introductions happening at a steady clip by ambassadors and guests alike. It demonstrated leadership in action and women continuously lifting each other up all week.

2. AI is a hot topic, but we’re missing something important.

Discussions on AI were focused on increasing workplace productivity, but I couldn’t help but notice the lack of dialogue on how ungoverned AI can harm women in leadership and society. A topic I hope is taken up by Fortune as something to act on in line with the recent announcements from the UN’s Summit of the Future .?

3. The cycle of a woman's life needs to be talked about and normalized at work. Women’s life cycles, from the “mom tax” to menopause, aren’t taken seriously enough in leadership discussions. These stages significantly lengthen women's journey to leadership and impact their peak performance. It’s time to change that narrative and regard that it's a part of our lives.

4. Empathy and excellence are not mutually exclusive. As leaders, empathy is critical, but it must not be confused with accepting sub-optimal performance. CEOs must build excellence, show up to demonstrate it, and recruit the best talent for their teams. Only then can one deliver optimal results alongside empathy based centering of people.

5. Leadership goes beyond the corporate world. There is more to understand the importance of multi-sector collaboration - the relationship between women’s leadership in corporate spaces and the need to work with both political leaders and civil society. This is another important area that remains to be explored and I'm confident that it will be at future sessions.

I enjoyed meeting old friends such as Christy Turlington, Jill Cress , and Reshma Saujani ,? grateful for the chance to expand my network. The conversations reminded me of the importance of our work at Equality Now , creating a world where every woman and girl can live free from violence and discrimination. There’s still much work to be done, and I’m excited for the future we can build together.

Thank you, Maryam Banikarim , for the invitation and the curation of a stimulating few days in a beautiful setting.

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