Speaking to nearly 700 alumni at the Women’s Leadership Summit last week, HBS Professor Robin Ely addressed both current and emerging challenges facing women in leadership roles, while emphasizing the critical importance of continued progress.

“Today, we face a fresh set of challenges many of us thought were well behind us as well as some brand-new ones we may never have imagined: laws that limit women’s right to access reproductive health care and brazen attacks on principals of equity, equality, and social justice,” Ely said before providing a message of hope. “You are the bridge to your vision for what you want for humanity. Are we up to the task? I say a resounding, unqualified, categorical yes.”

Drawing alumni from 30 countries and spanning six decades of experience, the two-day summit provided a platform to discuss women’s role in society, artificial intelligence, DEI initiatives, and other pressing issues. The diverse audience emphasized the universal nature of the challenges and opportunities facing women in business today, while fostering rich discussions across cultural and generational lines.

Dean Srikant Datar reflected upon the significance of holding the summit immediately following one of the most unusual election seasons in US history: “The opportunity to gather with an amazing cohort of peers and leaders, to listen to others with curiosity and humility, to test assumptions and deepen understanding—there is no better time and no better place for this to happen than Harvard Business School,” he said. “It is inconceivable to me we would not leverage the talents, expertise, and strengths of women in addressing the challenges facing the world today.”

Nobel Prize winner and Harvard professor Claudia Goldin provided historical context, tracing women’s changing role in American society since the 1960s. Her analysis revealed how women’s movements adopted organizing strategies from the Civil Rights movement, leading to both progress and pushback. “As a group unifies and gains rights it will begin to appear more radical and an opposing group will often form,” Goldin said. “This all led to a more radical feminist movement and to the rise of an anti-feminist movement—a pro-family, anti-state aid, and anti-abortion set of organizations that produced more polarization amongst women than it did amongst men.”

Actions of traditionalists in preventing funding for universal Pre-K and parental leave, Goldin said, have held women back from taking full advantage of rights gained, but “it is also hard to believe that we would all be in this room today had our rights remained as they were in 1962.”

She noted, despite a great divide among women, progress can come through understanding differences and finding common ground on resource allocation, particularly in areas affecting work-life balance and career advancement.

Financial equality emerged as a crucial theme throughout the summit, with several speakers addressing the persistent wealth gap between men and women. In a panel discussion focused on how women approach money, Senior Lecturer and Senior Associate Dean for Culture and Community Kristin Mugford pointed out that financial equality isn’t just about closing the pay and wealth gaps. She noted that “women do not talk about money enough,” an observation that sparked discussions about financial literacy and empowerment among female leaders. Mary Erdoes (MBA 1993), CEO of J.P. Morgan Asset & Wealth Management, brought stark statistics to the conversation, noting that while 85 percent of men die married, 80 percent of women die single.

“At some point you have to be in charge of everything,” she said, adding that women often outperform men as investors because “they don’t day trade. They do long term planning. Stay unemotional, stick with long-term planning and figure out how to do this thing going forward because you are dying single at the end.”

Building on this theme, Beverly Anderson (MBA 1997), CEO and President of BECU, addressed the trust gap in financial services, particularly among women and people of color. She emphasized the need to make financial literacy more accessible and engaging, noting that financial independence opens doors to broader opportunities and greater influence in both personal and professional spheres.

The summit showcased pioneering women who broke barriers in their careers, offering practical insights for navigating traditional workplace cultures. Christiana Shi (MBA 1986), now corporate director at Lovejoy Advisors, shared her groundbreaking experience at McKinsey & Co., where she successfully proposed a four-day workweek at 80 percent pay after having her son. “It worked because I was good at what I do,” she said. Ten years later, she became a senior partner, proving that alternative work arrangements could succeed at the highest levels. “If you want to beat expectations, be good at what you do,” she said. “There are secret powers to being an underdog. Remember that until somebody else does it, there is a lack of belief that it can happen.”

Lisa Skeete Tatum (MBA 1998), founder and CEO of Landit, countered that being good at what you do is not enough; you need to control the narrative. “It is important to make sure people know what you do,” she said. “You have to determine how you are telling your story, or it will be told by someone else.”

The evolution of workplace dynamics emerged as another key theme, particularly in light of recent global changes. Libbie Thacker (MBA 2011), a partner at Talentism, observed during a “Future of Work” panel that “the pandemic fundamentally popped the bubble on the notion that you have to be together to make brilliant things happen.” This shift has particularly impacted younger workers, who now expect greater work-life balance and flexibility.

Courtney Leimkuhler (MBA 2007), a managing partner at Springbank, expanded on this theme by highlighting the changing expectations of Gen Z workers, who prioritize purpose over traditional career paths. She emphasized the growing importance of supporting the “sandwich generation”—workers juggling child care with elder care responsibilities—noting that organizations that fail to adapt to these evolving needs risk losing valuable talent.

Artificial intelligence emerged as a critical focus for future business success, with speakers emphasizing its potential to reshape workplace dynamics. “If you are not investing in AI, you are not investing,” said Leslie Feinzaig (MBA 2007),founder and general partner of the Graham & Walker Venture Fund, comparing the impact of the invention of AI to that of electricity. “Do you want to be part of the revolution, or do you want to be left with candlelight? You don’t have to invent the light bulb, but learn how to use it. You want to be in a place where AI is a tailwind for your business, not a headwind.”

While some expressed concern about how the use of AI will disrupt labor markets or that it may make humans lazier, Feinzaig said she believes it will make us more human. “Since the Industrial Revolution, the focus has been on turning humans into machines to create products,” she said. “So, let machines be machines and let humans live richer, more purposeful lives.”

The summit’s discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) brought together multiple perspectives from HBS faculty. Assistant Professor Edward Chang presented research showing the limitations of traditional diversity training. “Diversity training does change what people say they believe; there are changes in attitudes, but not actual behaviors,” Chang said. “The largest consequence was encouraging junior women to be more proactive in their advancement because they got scared by the existence of gender bias in their companies.”

Diversity recruitment platforms can fail to be adopted, said HBS Assistant Professor Summer Jackson, when hiring managers feel they making the process seem overly transactional or even exploitative. It’s critical to frame these kinds of tools in a way that reinforces an organization’s commitment to genuine inclusion and equity.

The discussion also highlighted the need for more nuanced and integrated approaches to workplace inclusion. Associate Professor Katherine Coffman offered an optimistic perspective on the future of workplace equity, suggesting that success requires integrating DEI principles throughout organizations rather than treating them as separate initiatives. This approach, she argued, creates more sustainable and effective change by embedding inclusive practices into the fabric of organizational culture.

As the summit drew to a close, a powerful message emerged: the future of women’s leadership isn’t just about breaking barriers or achieving parity—it’s about fundamentally transforming how organizations operate. The crossroads of rapid technological advancement, changing workplace dynamics, and evolving societal expectations has created an opportunity for female leaders to reshape the business landscape. As faculty co-chair Professor Lakshmi Ramarajan observed in her closing remarks, the summit attendees came to the event individually but left united in a shared pursuit of collective impact, fueled by connection and community with the women leaders around them.

While challenges persist, women are not just adapting to change —they are driving it, creating innovative solutions that benefit not just women, but entire organizations and communities.

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