2024 Summer Gathering: Elevating Women in Family Wealth

We are looking forward to hosting this summer’s Elevating Women Event at the Boston InterContinental Hotel.

Visit our online booking page, or call the InterContinental 866-378-0533 to book over the phone.

If you are booking online and asked for a Group Rate code, enter FWE to access our discounted event rate of $385/night. If you are calling, please mention The Family Wealth Alliance to take advantage of the group discount.

A few important notes:

• Please use Google Chrome to access the booking site.
• The room block will close on Tuesday, July 9th, but may sell out beforehand. Please book your accommodations as soon as possible. 

Wednesday, July 31

5:00pm: Dine-Aboard: Cruise & Connect
(pre-registration is required, members only)

Thursday, August 1

7:45am: Registration & Breakfast

9:00am: Welcome Remarks

9:10am: Change Starts with Us: Leading with EQ and IQ

This session is eligible for 1 CPE and 1 CFP credit.

Inclusion isn’t easy. Truly moving the needle requires collective action and intentional effort toward common goals. And it calls for exceptional leaders – leaders who understand that it's not just about knowledge or power, but about how they make others feel.

In this session, Betsy Myers, Senior Advisor at the Warren Bennis Leadership Institute at the University of Cincinnati, will share insights on leveraging EQ and IQ to infuse passion and purpose into our organizations. As a former senior adviser to two U.S. presidents and the first Director of the White House Office for Women’s Initiatives and Outreach, Betsy brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table.

• Betsy Myers, Senior Advisor at the Warren Bennis Leadership Institute at the University of Cincinnati

10:00am: FWA Talks: The Paradigm Shift Needed in the Boardroom

FWA Talks is our take on TED Talks. In these mini-sessions, we will highlight a female leader moving the needle for women and girls in the areas of investing, social impact, and leadership. Woven throughout our program, these sessions will give the stage to transformational female leaders.

The world’s boardrooms hold immense influence over more than just finance and industry. They shape countless aspects of how we work, how we live, and what our collective future will look like. However, barring some sartorial differences, the members of today’s boardrooms look virtually unchanged from those of 100 years ago.

Crista Bailey is Chief Business Development Officer of Him For Her and Board Director of Elemeno Health, Ad Fontes Media, and The Contemporary Austin. Him For Her is a social impact venture dedicated to accelerating diversity on corporate boards. Him For Her engages business luminaries and partners with leading private equity and venture capital firms to connect the world’s most talented executives to board service.

In this session, Crista explains why it's imperative to broaden the network of voices in the boardroom and outlines actionable steps to achieve gender diversity within the next decade. She offers insights and strategies to drive meaningful change and foster inclusive boardrooms that reflect the diversity of our society.

• Crista Bailey, Chief Business Development Officer, Him For Her

10:30am: Break

10:50am:  Aligning Wealth with Purpose: New Strategies

This session is eligible for 1 CFP credit.

Family offices have always been about connecting clients with purpose. However, over the past decade, we've witnessed a notable increase in market dollars flowing into impact investing and philanthropy. This surge can be attributed largely to shifting demographics, with more young people and women entering the fold.

As our clients' profiles evolve, so must our strategies for serving them. While impact investing and philanthropy remain popular, we're seeing the emergence of new ideas. Clients are now seeking guidance from their advisors on a range of avenues, from forming peer communities to volunteering time, all aimed at aligning wealth with purpose.

In this session, we'll delve into various strategies and approaches that advisors can adopt to align clients with their values. From strategic philanthropy to gender lens investing and beyond, we'll uncover actionable insights and best practices for fostering meaningful connections between wealth and purpose.

Speakers:

• Julie Castro Abrams, CEO, How Women Invest
• Abby Newcomer, Associate Managing Director, Arabella Advisors
• Dune Thorne, Partner & Head of Growth & Strategy, Brown Advisory
• Moderated by: Meeta Yadava, Managing Director, BMO Family Office

11:40am: FWA Talks: Stop Waiting for an Invitation

FWA Talks is our take on TED Talks. In these mini-sessions, we will highlight a female leader moving the needle for women and girls in the areas of investing, social impact, and leadership. Woven throughout our program, these sessions will give the stage to transformational female leaders.

From groundbreaking startups to established giants, women-led initiatives are revolutionizing industries and driving progress. However, a 2014 Harvard study found that 70% of VC investors preferred pitches presented by male entrepreneurs over those presented by female entrepreneurs – even though the pitches were identical. Despite being major contributors to innovation that shapes how we live, work, play, and everything in between, women continue to encounter funding disparities.

In this session, Gayle Jennings O’Byrne, CEO of WOCSTAR, will challenge you to invest in, champion, and tell the stories of women entrepreneurs​. Come join the party, no invitation required!

• Gayle Jennings-O'Byrne, CEO, WOCSTAR

12:10pm: Networking Lunch

1:25pm: Alliance Updates

1:45pm: The New Face of Family Wealth

This session is eligible for 1 CPE and 1 CFP credit.

This industry historically has served first-generation business owners, typically white males, who wanted to preserve their wealth for generations. Many financial planning approaches, from family meetings to estate planning templates to client events, were made with that client in mind.

As the demographics of the population shift, so will your client base. Future clients may not be part of a traditional nuclear family. They may not have children or want them. Is your firm adaptable enough to effectively serve the next face of “family wealth”, or will you find yourself behind the ball?

We believe firms will rise to the challenge. After all, family offices are built to manage complexity. The more complex the client, the greater the opportunity to prove the value you bring to the table. In this session, we will discuss the new era of family dynamics, how tomorrow's families will be different, and how firms can evolve their client experience to serve them.

Speakers:

• Nina L. Cohen, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, The Glenmede Trust Company
• Ian Fuller, CEO & Co-Founder, Westfuller Advisors
• Steph Wagner, National Director of Women & Wealth, Northern Trust
• Moderated by: Nicole Perkins, Partner, Director of Business Development & Marketing, Gresham Partners

2:35pm: Break

2:55pm: FWA Talks: Allyship in the Workplace

We all have a role to play in creating a workplace where women can thrive. In our final FWA Talks of the day, we explore the pivotal role of allyship in fostering inclusive and equitable teams. This session sheds light on some of the challenges faced by different genders and the underlying biases that have contributed to those challenges.  

In this session, Jermaine Moore, Founder of The Mars Hill Group, will share ways to harness the power of allyship to foster an equitable workplace for all genders. 

• Jermaine Moore, Principal Consultant, The Mars Hill Group

3:25pm: Insights to Action: Driving Tangible Results

No matter how much your firm is currently doing to elevate women, there's always room for more. Just as a rising tide lifts all boats, elevating just one more woman can make a significant difference. We firmly believe that all of us – men and women - have room to learn and grow in this area.

To kick off this session, we'll explore new ideas for enhancing the retention, advancement, and engagement of women, including implementation success stories. Following this, we'll engage in group table discussions, focusing on how we can make our personal and professional lives more inclusive. Each group will then share their best ideas through the table QR code to be circulated to all attendees after the event.

Speakers:

• Betsy Myers, Senior Advisor at the Warren Bennis Leadership Institute at the University of Cincinnati
• Steph Wagner, National Director of Women & Wealth, Northern Trust
• Meeta Yadava, Managing Director, BMO Family Office
• Moderated by: Rachel Hyman, President, The Family Wealth Alliance

4:40pm: Closing Remarks

4:50pm: Networking Reception

6:30pm: Conference Concludes

FWA sets sail on July 31st for our first ever "Dine-Aboard" dinner boat cruise! Join our community for a night of fun and connections before the August 1st Elevating Women event.

Space is limited; first-come, first-served. Only FWA members and family wealth executives are eligible to purchase tickets. Ticket includes boat admission, bar access, and dinner.

Note: Attendees will be responsible for their own transportation to and from the marina. Cruise begins boarding at 5pm, leaving promptly at 5:20pm.