Speak Candidly, Take Charge, Think Inclusively, and Build Relationships: Two Days at Seramount’s Multicultural Women’s National Conference

For over two decades, Seramount has held its annual Multicultural Women’s National Conference as a celebration of women in color. This two-day conference is one of a kind and focuses on women-of-color talent and their supporters. By bringing together women from various industries, this hybrid conference is always a fan-favorite to help build community and leaves attendees with tangible tools to help women of color advance in the workplace and in their careers.

Both days featured a pop-up bookstore with Semicolon Bookstore, space to network during meals, and the chance to participate in a community service activity (Chelsea’s Charity) by packing bags of art supplies for children. The conference also featured individual leadership coaching opportunities in which professional leadership coaches conducted short consultations with attendees and shared advice and tips on how to solve issues in their workplaces and in their lives, as well as complimentary makeup touches by Estee Lauder and headshots provided by Canon.

Time Together Well Spent

The first day started with an energetic performance by Charlene Kaye, who got the crowd on their feet and ready for this powerful conference by performing two of her original songs. Seramount President, Subha Barry, then opened the conference with welcome remarks highlighting the mission work she did for women in Malawi and Tanzania to help premature babies, followed by an inspiring keynote and fireside chat with Ally Love.

From L to R: Charlene Kaye performing; Subha Barry opening the conference; Seramount’s Katie Mooney and Ally Love speaking during the fireside chat

A session that followed the opening, Intersectional Circles, was a conference hallmark. This session gave attendees an opportunity to engage with others in racial and ethnic group affinity groups to reflect, explore, and problem-solve in a racially healing and supportive environment. This year the goal was to cultivate the skills of reflection, introspection, listening, and transformational dreaming.

The afternoon was filled with various breakout sessions for attendees to choose from in which the session leaders all led different sessions following the theme of helping women of color in the workplace create spaces to accelerate and create solutions to move through their careers. The first day closed out with a Seramount special CDO and CHRO panel in which Dr. Angela Anderson from Novartis, Lindsay-Rae McIntyre from Microsoft, Assil Omar from AbbVie, and Olga Iris Otero-Brown from Allstate shared and discussed how they create inclusion and support women-of-color talent in their organizations, the evolving nature of DEI and HR, and lessons learned from their own experience.

But Wait! There’s More

The second day opened with Subha Barry embracing the collective power that everyone holds to make the world a better, more equitable place, followed by a keynote given by Mita Mallick and Bridgette Scales in which they discussed Mita’s book: Reimagine Inclusion: Debunking 13 Myths to Transform Your Workplace. The day continued with more sessions for attendees to choose from that focused on sponsorship in the workplace, using metrics for DEI accountability, and using AI for innovation across multiple industries such as fashion.

From top to bottom: Bridgette Scales, Mita Mallick, and Subha Barry pose with Mallick’s book; Bridgette Scales and Mita Mallick during the keynote sessionRight: Mita Mallick speaking during her keynote session

The highlight of the second day was the Best Companies for Multicultural Women Awards Luncheon. This awards ceremony honored the top companies for Multicultural Women while recognizing their commitments and efforts to foster diverse and inclusive corporate cultures that support the advancement of multicultural women. The 2024 winner was The Estée Lauder Companies. The awards ceremony and luncheon celebrated the incredible achievements of the companies that have proven to support the forward progress of women of color in the workplace across 18 industries. You can read the full list of award winners here.

Highlights from the Best Companies for Multicultural Women Awards Luncheon

The afternoon sessions were focused on being intentional with leveraging your brand to network, giving practical solutions to combat the DEI pushbacks happening since Affirmative Action was overturned, and how to be inclusive and keep all humans in the forefront of all designs. The conference ended with an executive panel featuring Heather MacLeod, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Capgemini; Mallika Monteiro, Executive Vice President, Chief Growth & Digital Officer for Constellation Brands; and Lydia Smith, Chief Diversity Officer for Victoria’s Secret & Company. The diverse panel of executive women business leaders shared their candid experiences and insights, sharing what it takes as individuals and organizations to address issues of race, identity, and power.

See You Next Year

If you would like to see more of the passion from conference, please check out our photo albums from the days. Experience the empowerment of our next Multicultural Women’s National Conference firsthand. Sponsor, register for our conferences, participate as a speaker, and be part of an inclusive community that celebrates diversity and supports women’s advancement in the workplace.