Empowering insights for & from women in sales
Sistas In Sales Announces Kerry Washington As Keynote Speaker
The Award-winning Actress, Director And Producer Will Be Serving As The Keynote Speaker For The Sistas In Sales Summit. Kerry Washington is stepping off the set to be behind the podium. The award-winning actress, director and producer will be serving as the keynote speaker for the Sistas In Sales Summit. Sistas In Sales (SIS), an organization that empowers women of color in sales, returns for its sixth year on Thursday, September 21st through Saturday, September 23rd at the Glasshouse in Midtown East. “We are thrilled to welcome Kerry Washington as our keynote speaker and to introduce an exciting expansion,” said Chantel George, CEO and Founder of Sistas In Sales in a statement shared with ESSENCE. “Kerry Washington’s achievements as a trailblazer and dedication to equity and social causes deeply resonate with our mission. Her participation is expected to be a source of inspiration and empowerment for attendees, echoing the organization’s commitment to representation and diversity.” George continues, “This year is special because we are expanding our content to provide solutions to the specific needs of mid-senior-level professionals while also building pipeline opportunities for early-career professionals to start with success. We are grateful to our partners for supporting our vision of taking our programming a step further this year and look forward to connecting with our global community of women in NYC this year.” According to a news release shared with ESSENCE, SIS will be honoring Bonita Stewart, VP of Global Partnerships at Google; Ben Keith, Strategy and Business Development Manager of DEI at Walmart Connect; Michelle Ward McGee, Director of Global Culture at Microsoft; and Aimee Frank, Area Vice President of Marketing Cloud at Salesforce. The conference is powered megawatt sponsors including Netflix, Walmart, SAP, Unilever, Microsoft, Opportunity @ Work and LinkedIn, Oracle, Motive, Workday, Braze, Dynatrace, Pinterest, Snapchat, Docusign and TikTok.
Kerry Washington To Keynote National Conference, ‘Sistas In Sales’
Emmy-winning actress, Kerry Washington, will serve as the keynote speaker for the Sistas In Sales Summit. The Sistas in Sales (SIS) Summit is a national organization aimed at serving women of color in professional sales careers. According to the website description, the 5000+ members “represents a broad range of diverse women in media, software, finance, IT, education, and tech sales – with a focus on sharing knowledge and resources to build community, sisterhood, and empowerment.” This fall, the organization returns for it’s sixth year on Thursday, September 21st through Saturday, September 23rd at the Glasshouse in Midtown East. In a statement shared with Essence, CEO and Founder of Sistas In Sales, Chantel George stated, “We are thrilled to welcome Kerry Washington as our keynote speaker and to introduce an exciting expansion.” George added, “Kerry Washington’s achievements as a trailblazer and dedication to equity and social causes deeply resonate with our mission. Her participation is expected to be a source of inspiration and empowerment for attendees, echoing the organization’s commitment to representation and diversity.” Washington recently made headlines for her solidarity with SAG-AFTRA actors. On Tuesday’s National Day of Solidarity, Washington, alongside Martin Sheen, slammed Hollywood studios and celebrated all industry laborers. “We are here because we know that unions matter,” said Washington, who played a political fixer on ABC’s Scandal . “Not only do we have solidarity within our union, we have solidarity between our unions, because we are workers.”
Kerry Washington Will Keynote A National Conference Aimed At Empowering Black Women In Sales
The Award-winning Actress, Director And Producer Will Be Serving As The Keynote Speaker For The Sistas In Sales Summit. Kerry Washington is stepping off the set to be behind the podium. The award-winning actress, director and producer will be serving as the keynote speaker for the Sistas In Sales Summit. Sistas In Sales (SIS), an organization that empowers women of color in sales, returns for its sixth year on Thursday, September 21st through Saturday, September 23rd at the Glasshouse in Midtown East. “We are thrilled to welcome Kerry Washington as our keynote speaker and to introduce an exciting expansion,” said Chantel George, CEO and Founder of Sistas In Sales in a statement shared with ESSENCE. “Kerry Washington’s achievements as a trailblazer and dedication to equity and social causes deeply resonate with our mission. Her participation is expected to be a source of inspiration and empowerment for attendees, echoing the organization’s commitment to representation and diversity.” George continues, “This year is special because we are expanding our content to provide solutions to the specific needs of mid-senior-level professionals while also building pipeline opportunities for early-career professionals to start with success. We are grateful to our partners for supporting our vision of taking our programming a step further this year and look forward to connecting with our global community of women in NYC this year.” According to a news release shared with ESSENCE, SIS will be honoring Bonita Stewart, VP of Global Partnerships at Google; Ben Keith, Strategy and Business Development Manager of DEI at Walmart Connect; Michelle Ward McGee, Director of Global Culture at Microsoft; and Aimee Frank, Area Vice President of Marketing Cloud at Salesforce. The conference is powered megawatt sponsors including Netflix, Walmart, SAP, Unilever, Microsoft, Opportunity @ Work and LinkedIn, Oracle, Motive, Workday, Braze, Dynatrace, Pinterest, Snapchat, Docusign and TikTok.
Kerry Washington To Keynote National Conference, ‘Sistas In Sales’
Thornton Partner With Conference To Amplify Black Women In Sales.
Taraji P. Henson and Bevy Smith have something in common. They both know what it feels like to fight their way to the top. With that, the entertainment industry staples are helping to amplify Black women making strides as sales professionals and breaking barriers everyday. Sistas In Sales (SIS), an organization serving women of color in the sales sector will host its 5th Annual Summit on Thursday, September 21st – 23rd 2022 and feature keynotes by both Henson and Smith. “Microsoft is excited to sponsor and partner with SIS to bring Ms. Henson’s keynote to the Summit. We also want to congratulate SIS on celebrating its 5-year anniversary!” Rashida Hodge, VP, Customer Success, Data & AI. The Oscar-nominated actress has established herself as a savvy business woman, having launched her production company, TPH Entertainment, and haircare line, TPH by Taraji. Smith also joins Henson as a keynote. Before pivoting into entertainment and fashion commentating, the author, host of Sirius XM’s “Bevelations,” and recent TED speaker built her career as a leader in fashion advertising. According to a press release, Smith will take the stage on day two of the three-day summit, and Henson will culminate the event on day three. ESSENCE’s very own Chief Revenue Officer Pauline Malcolm-Thornton will be joining the roundup of featured speakers to weigh in on the importance of amplifying diverse networks in sales, entrepreneurship, and marketing. The conference was created to recognize, celebrate and connect Black women in sales and business since the group is largely underrepresented in both the corporate and entrepreneurial sectors. Despite them being the fastest-growing group to launch new businesses, they are the least funded. Additionally, McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org, pointed out the Black women are underrepresented in corporate leadership, with SVP roles only increasing from 23 percent to 28 percent between 2015 and 2020. BIPOC women only made up 3 percent, while white women stood at 19 percent. Sistas in Sales aim to shift that chasm. This year, they have partnered with with Google, Walmart Connect, Amazon, Microsoft, Workday Salesforce, TikTok, Dataminr, Unilever, Videoamp, Paloalto, Spotify, Oracle, Chili Piper, Twilio, Skaled, Braze, Salesloft, Motive, DocuSign, Pandora, Samsara, Postal.io, and Liveperson.
14 Sales Conferences Worth Attending in 2022
From networking to learning new strategies, these conferences offer something for sales professionals at all levels. While so much of sales success is putting in the work each day — calling customers, sending creative emails and running demos — there’s only so much you can learn from the daily grind. Buyer preferences are constantly changing, which means your sales tactics need to evolve with them. One of the best ways to stay up to date on the latest sales trends and strategies is to attend a sales conference. Whether you’re a first-year sales representative or an experienced team leader, conferences offer an opportunity to network with hundreds of peers, experiment with new tools and hear from leaders in the field. And now that the end-of-year sprint is over, the calendar page has been flipped and the champagne bubbles have gone flat, it’s the perfect time to start planning your conference schedule for the year. Whether you’re looking for some inspiration or just interested in a change of scenery, we’ve compiled a list of some of the top sales conferences you can look forward to in 2022.
A Look Back at the 2022 Sistas in Sales Summit
In 2021, Braze committed to incorporating inclusivity and equity into the fabric of its culture. Cultural shifts such as this require multifaceted strategies and cross-department collaboration, but most importantly, they need a genuine commitment to connecting with underrepresented communities in tech. Our commitment to inclusivity includes the Tech For Black Founders program, partnering with the inclusive consultant agency ‘Do What Matters’ to pilot inclusive management training and recruitment pipelines, and sponsoring affinity conferences. Affinity conferences are crucial to inclusivity because they allow companies like Braze to connect and build trust with diverse communities. Among other actions, Braze has prioritized the sponsorship of two important affinity conferences this year, starting with the Sistas in Sales 5th annual summit. What is Sistas in Sales? The founder, Chantel George, describes it as “a global organization that serves over 5,000 women of color (WoC) in sales. Sistas In Sales (SIS) creates unique events for WoC in professional sales that build hard and soft skills, networking events to find Sales WoC Executives for mentorship, and a safe space to navigate your career.” Accordingly, this summit was the perfect opportunity for Braze to connect with the community of Black and Brown saleswomen across the country. From September 21-23, in partnership with two Braze employee resource groups (ERGs)—Black@Braze and Somos, which represents global Latin, Hispanic, and related communities—Braze sent five representatives to connect with talented sales leaders, entrepreneurs, and small-business owners. Braze representatives spent time in workshops, co-hosted panel discussions, offered resume reviews, and engaged in authentic dialogue with other attendees. Workshops ranged in topics from networking within your workplace, establishing a personal brand, and negotiation tactics. Though the summit only lasted three days, there was no shortage of empowerment and support; walking through the event space, attendees frequently overheard phrases like, “You describe your personal brand so eloquently. Can you coach me on how to do the same?” and “I appreciate how supportive you were during the panel discussions!” or “Thank you for hearing me, sis!” It was a safe space infused with love and support. In addition to all that attendees did to uplift one another, they also heard from inspiring keynote speakers Bevy Smith and Taraji P. Henson, who shared important messages about showing up authentically, knowing your worth, and caring for your mental health—timely advice for women in the workplace. Spending three days surrounded by women who were committed to supporting and encouraging one another reminded me of the late bell hooks, and a topic she often discussed at length: The healing power of communing with Black women. Sistas in Sale is marketed as a conference for Black and Brown women in sales to network and connect with potential employers, but in reality, it’s much more than that. It is an opportunity to show up authentically, a safe space to let our guard down, and a stage to speak our truths and be heard. Affinity conferences are arguably the most important step in our journey to becoming a more inclusive organization. Sponsoring and attending affinity conferences like Sistas in Sales allows Braze to witness and participate in moments of empowerment and connection that encourage change. That type of change has the power to transform a company from a workplace into a community, and a community that revolutionizes how we show up to work.