Speakers:

• Sandra Peters, Head of the Financial Reporting Policy Group, CFA Institute
• Natalia Ramirez, Managing Director, Lazard
• Ruthie Zeltzer, Executive Director, HR Lead Latin America, Merck
• Bilal Ezzeddine, Legal Counsel and Director of External Affairs, Braskem America (moderator)

How can companies commit to diversity and inclusion policies in the workplace? Female business leaders shared insights and examples from their respective companies at AS/COA's Seventh Annual Women's Hemispheric Network Conference in New York. “Take the risk—but have really thick skin,” said Sandra Peters.

Watch more videos of the event.

Opening Remarks:

• Susan Segal, President & CEO, Americas Society/Council of the Americas

Keynote Remarks:

• Duda Kertész, President of HealthE, Johnson & Johnson

"This is not just a dialogue of women, it’s a dialogue of men," said AS/COA President and CEO Susan Segal while kicking off AS/COA's Seventh Annual Women's Hemispheric Network Conference in New York City. The event focused on discussing how to improve diversity and the inclusion of women in the workplace, as well as men's role in advocating for them.

Duda Kertész shared her personal experience climbing the ladder at Johnson & Johnson and taking risks even when she did not feel prepared for the role. "Take risks. Risks in raising your hand to take a job. If you are too afraid of failure it’s hard to advance," she said.

Watch more videos of the event.

Five months after protests against the Ortega administration first broke out, the Nicaragua-born human rights defender Bianca Jagger presented at an AS/COA event on the transformation of the Sandinista revolution from what was once a source of hope to people like herself to what is today an authoritarian and brutal dictatorship, in her words. "One of the reasons why I feel so strongly and why I speak up is because, like many Nicaraguans, I feel betrayed by the murderous regime of Daniel Ortega." Jagger also called on the private sector to support the non-violent protests, and for the international community to implement sanctions against the Ortega administration.