What went down at The Huddle: Can You C-us? Black Women Executive Leadership 🚀
On a brisk November evening, the fourth edition of our sold-out event, “The Huddle: Can You C-us? Black Women Executive Leadership” welcomed 75 Black women marketing professionals, entrepreneurs, and business leaders at Cineplex VIP Cinemas in Toronto.
(L to R) The Standard Board Chair Debra Christmas with panelists Angela White (MLSE), Elisabeth Burks (Known Entity) and Renee LaForet (Infrastructure Ontario)
The Huddle was created to be a space where Black women can share our stories, talk through challenges and celebrate our community. And none of it would be possible without our generous Founding Partners – NBA Canada and MLSE. With their support, we are able to produce a host of powerful events during the year, just like The Huddle.
The night opened with a cocktail reception (we stan a networking opportunity 🤝🏾). This set the stage for a powerful conversation led by Savanna Hamilton, with senior leaders Angela White, Renee LaForet and Elisabeth Burks, who candidly shared their strategies, pivots and successes on the journey to the C-suite.
We’ve collected some their many insights below so you can incorporate them into your playbook for success.
The Huddle Playbook highlights covers:
Play 1: Collaborative Leadership: Defining Black Women in Power
Renee LaForet, Senior Vice President of Transformation at Infrastructure Ontario
“Recognize there’s always something to learn. Listen, learn and figure out what works. How do you gain from those experiences that allow you to grow and learn?” This simple yet powerful reminder encapsulates the importance of growth and development through the lens of collaboration in roles of leadership.”
Play 2: Leadership is a Verb: Challenging the Systemic Barriers + Tropes
Angela White, Senior Director, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at MLSE
“Being in leadership is not about a title. If we make it just about a title, we might slow it down. It’s about the actions that you take and the courage that you have. You own your own careers” ⚡︎⚡︎⚡︎.
Play 3: Foster Leadership Everyday: Resilience is our Superpower
Elisabeth Burks, CEO and Founder of Known Entity
“Lead the person, not the position. I need to be able to speak to someone as an individual, and have compassion. Meet them where they are, so they understand they are seen. I need to understand what motivates them, not for the purposes of the organization, but so I can see an opportunity for them. One of the greatest gifts you can give a woman, particularly a woman of colour, is exposure, bringing them into a room where they otherwise might not have been in. For me, that’s compassion.”
Ready for the full playbook? Watch the full recap on our YouTube!
The panel discussion highlighted the importance of uplifting and supporting Black women in their pursuit of empowerment, leadership and professional success. The best part? You can watch the entire discussion here!
After the panel, we followed the scent of popcorn and settled in for a retrospective VIP screening of ‘Woman King,’ an award-winning film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
And it wouldn’t be a Huddle without a swag bag to close out the night 🛍️ Thank you to our wonderful gifting and event partners:
PleaseNotes
MLSE
NBA Canada
Bimmy Beauty
Victory
One More Cocoa
Icon Marketing
Sephora
King of The Horn Candles
Prestige Experiential Marketing
We can’t wait for the next event. Stay in touch to hear about upcoming events, new offerings and more by joining our newsletter and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.
