Gender equity is everyone’s business

Today, women are underrepresented at every level of business leadership. To achieve gender equity, we need everyone — including male allies — to understand why it matters and how to get involved.

What does it mean to be a male ally? There’s no checklist, because allyship is an ongoing journey. A male ally actively supports gender equity at work and in life. He recognizes the challenges and biases that women continue to face, and takes intentional steps to build an environment where everyone has opportunities to succeed and advance.

Male allies who champion gender equity help businesses win bigger. You are likely aware of the business case for gender diversity: greater profitability, greater creativity and innovation, less risk — and with each new research study the list of benefits lengthens. Our presentation provides inspiration and instruction to everyone engaging in the gender equity conversation.

About the presenters

Elissa Sangster serves as CEO for the Forté Foundation, a position she has held since 2004. She brings to the role extensive knowledge of issues affecting women’s abilities to seek, prepare for and attain business leadership positions. Elissa serves on the Women’s Initiative (WIN) Council of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board). She is also frequently interviewed for stories on women’s advancement in business and finance in outlets including Fortune, Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, and The Economist and has penned opinion pieces for many news organizations. In her current role, Elissa draws from her prior experience as Assistant Dean and Director of the MBA Program at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.

Amy Orlov is the Director of Professional Programs at Forté, a role in which she introduces women to new ideas and deep networks. She is focused on finding new ways to leverage and extend Forté’s programming to support both professional women and the organizations in which they operate. Amy is also a co-author and architect of the Forté Allies for Gender Equity initiatives which offer men a framework to be stronger allies in gender equity. Prior to Forté, Amy was the Director of Professional Education and Training at the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), and previously the Director of the MBA Program Office and Student Services at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.. Amy holds a Master of Education from the University of Maryland and a Master of Government and a B.A. in Communications from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Philadelphia with her human, canine and feline daughters.

Related resources

Download the webinar slides

Additional resources from the Forté Foundation 

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