NEW YORK, NY -- The WIE Suite, the leading private community for cultural leaders, gathered together trailblazing women for two major events at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2023. 

In partnership with Makers, the organization first hosted a lunch and conversation with GLAAD President and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis. The talk which took place at the Yahoo Beach Club, was moderated by The WIE Suite CEO, Dee Poku and focused on how brands can better support LGBTQ inclusion. Attendees included the head of Makers Alicin Williamson; the new head of inclusive content at Warners Bros/OWN, Shereen Miller; and Nasdaq’s Chief Digital Officer, Sehr Thadhani.

Additionally, The WIE Suite hosted its fourth annual A Dinner For Women, which took place at La Cirque and was supported by Johnnie Walker and Greenhouse. The exclusive gathering of CEOs, CMOs and agency heads included guest speaker Kenya Hunt, Editor in Chief of Elle Magazine; Nadja Bellan, White CMO of Vice; Stephanie Dobbs Brown, CMO of the NYSE; Carole Diarra, CMO of UGG; agency leaders Jennifer DaSilva, President of WPP’s Berlin Cameron; Shannon Washington, Chief Creative Officer at RGA; Jaime Robinson, Co-Founder of Joan Creative; and other c-suite leaders from the likes of Google, McKinsey, Tik Tok, Pinterest and Meta. The discussion focused on mentorship and legacy.

Said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD, on brands and impact:

“I think what you need to decide is how are you going to use your platforms to make it better for the community, not just pump your own fist up in the air, and say we're inclusive. It's more about how you enrich the world for people of color, for LGBTQ people, for women, for people with disabilities, and I think you need to take a look at how you’ll then utilize your platforms versus just speaking out of it.”

“That’s why I was saying it's not multicultural marketing, it’s marketing. Because when you change that muscle in your brain and think I need to be inclusive in all my marketing, not just do a black ad or a gay ad, it changes the game. It normalizes and integrates and mainstreams, all of us. And I think it's really critical to look at it that way.”

Said Kenya Hunt, Editor in Chief of ELLE UK, on the power of mentorship:

“I loved talking to all the guests present and hearing the stories of women who’ve created opportunities for each other, and helped one another rise up. It was a series of relationships, mainly with black women that pulled me up into the spaces where they were already operating. And that had a real foundational impression on me as I was coming up in my career.”

Said Dee Poku, founder and CEO of The WIE Suite, on women and legacy:

“I really believe in mentorship. And what I hear often is that we're tired, and we have no time. And it's true, we're all tired. We have no time. But it's so important, with what you've achieved and where you are, that we really think about the few minutes we can cull from our busy, crazy schedules to pay it forward.”

“At the level that we're at, it really is about legacy. What do you want your legacy to be? I achieved this and I was a chief X, Y, Z? Or do you want your legacy to be, I changed the face of X industry and because of me, this happened. If you consistently reframe that in your mind, then busy becomes irrelevant to you.”

About The WIE Suite

The WIE Suite is a private membership community for extraordinary women leaders, innovators and creators. Founded by Dee Poku, the community exists to help women strengthen their careers, leverage their personal brands and access insight and expertise from their peers. Membership is by application to thewiesuite.com.

About Johnnie Walker

Johnnie Walker is the world's number one Scotch Whisky brand, enjoyed by people in over 180 countries around the world. Since the time of its founder, John Walker, those who blend its whiskies have pursued flavor and quality above else.

About MAKERS

MAKERS is a media and community-focused brand that exists to accelerate equity in the workplace. With live events, Emmy-nominated documentaries and award-winning digital content, MAKERS has been uniting change agents in every industry around the issues that matter most, one story at a time.