Leaders in business, entertainment to headline Network of Executive Women event

CHICAGO — Muhtar Kent, CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, Mindy Grossman, CEO of HSN Inc., and actress and activist Geena Davis will headline an all-star bill at the Network of Executive Women Executive Leaders Forum, July 23 to 25 in Los Angeles. More than 250 senior-level executives from the retail and consumer products industry are expected to attend the invitation-only event.

The theme of the seventh annual event is “Bold and Authentic Leadership,” and each of the keynoters will address the subject in different ways, according to conference designer Trudy Bourgeois, founder and president of The Center for Workforce Excellence.

“Muhtar Kent is a bold leader who is intentional about advancing women in the consumer products and retail industry,” Bourgeois said. “He recognizes women’s value as consumers and as leaders -- and it’s paying off for The Coca-Cola Company, which continues to thrive as the world's most recognized brand. He is a role model for empowering women globally.”

Grossman, the event’s opening keynote speaker, will share her own dramatic success story. “Mindy Grossman is fearless,” Bourgeois said. “She is a visionary who dared to go where no one else had the courage to go in redefining the retail business model. We are excited to have the opportunity to listen and learn from her.”

Academy-award winning actress Geena Davis will speak about her leadership in reducing female stereotyping in media. In 2004, she founded the nonprofit Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, a research-based organization working to broaden female characters in children's entertainment. Its programming arm, See Jane, addresses gender inequalities in media through research, education, training and advocacy.

“I felt, as a mother, kids should be seeing boys and girls sharing the sandbox equally,” Davis said in a recent interview. “There are so few female characters that have positions of authority that are playing the important politicians, business leaders, law partners. That's what we want to work on, because if kids don't see it, they're not going to think of wanting to become that when they grow up.”