Perseverance
Lip Service
Welcome to The Chief Brief, where every Sunday I spotlight global, diverse, and innovative female leaders, and the news influencing them to change the world. And there’s always a link to reach out and connect with the women you resonate with. Don’t forget to send me feedback, or stories about the amazing things you, or someone you know is up to. Let’s build an international and connected community.
Happy Sunday!
First, let me apologise for last week’s broken link to an amazing Chinese New Year video. It’s been fixed and can be found on the archived post, on the Chief Brief website!
Now.. to the good stuff..
Let’s talk about
Perseverance
“Touchdown confirmed! Perseverance safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking the signs of past life.” It was a sight and statement to behold. The Perseverance had landed on Mars, and the roar came from a diminutive Indian American woman heading up the most exciting, future defining adventure mankind has undertaken. A pivotal player in the Mars Mission, Swati Mohan, moved to the U.S. at the age of 1, and wanted to be a pediatrician when she grew up. Instead she became the eyes and ears of NASA’s mission to Mars. She is the lead engineer for guidance, navigation and controls operations for the mission.
I can’t help but celebrate that my nieces finally have what I didn’t growing up. They can see women leaders in global and mission critical positions who look like them, sound like them, and share their culture. They now know they can be mission leaders at NASA, or a head of state. My little joyful nugget for if and when I may meet Swati is, that we can bond over which Star Trek episode was our favorite!
Climate change and extreme weather
Massive snowstorms in the Southern states of the U.S. have left people freezing in their homes, cars, and the streets. It’s the south! Not where they expect arctic conditions, and nor where homes, infrastructure or people are built to deal with extreme cold and snow. Last night, Texas got classified with a ‘Major Disaster Declaration.’ A collapsed power grid, and blocked roads have left people dealing with food and water scarcity, Covid vaccination cancellations, burst pipes and most importantly no heating due to power-cuts. To top it off, they have Cancun Cruz to deal with.
In our preoccupation with the Covid pandemic, we almost forgot about the climate change crisis. Until of course now when we’ve come face to face once again, with extreme weather. It’s put the focus back on finding reliable and sustainable power sources. One of the solutions everyone is excited about is hydrogen and fuel cell tech.
Ahead of COP26 this year, I’m Chairing the Hydrogen Transition Summit next week. I’ll be speaking with global experts to explore how hydrogen can be one of the clean but stable ways we can deal with new realities like Arctic storms in Texas! Pop on by, it is going to be fascinating!
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Policy matters
Yes Ma’am, General Ma’am!
Two female generals in the U.S. armed forces will be nominated for elite, four-star commands. The promotions for Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost of the Air Force and Lt. Gen. Laura J. Richardson of the Army were decided in autumn 2020. But their names were never revealed to former President Trump by the U.S. defense secretary at the time, Mark T. Esper, and General Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They were concerned that the then President would replace the two women with his own candidate picks, before leaving office.
(Story by New York Times)
Missing: A Princess
Princess Latifa made headlines in 2018 for her escape from the U.A.E, and a viral video that claimed her father and family wanted to kill her. She was captured and returned to the U.A.E, off the coast of India. Then, she disappeared.
This week secret videos of the 35 year old princess have surfaced. She accuses her father, Dubai's billionaire ruler Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum of holding her hostage. Heads of states around the world have expressed concern for her well-being. Now the UN Commission on Human Rights has asked for proof that Dubai's missing princess is alive.
(Story by Sky News)
Oh Japan! Oh Japan!
Seiko Hashimoto, checks all the politically correct boxes as she takes over as the next Tokyo 2020 president. She worked on the games with former Tokyo 2020 boss 83 year old Yoshiro Mori as Japan's Olympics Minister and as the women’s empowerment minister. She now takes over as the Tokyo 2020 boss having resigned from her role in the cabinet of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) government. A necessary move to salvage the organisation’s reputation after Yoshiro Mori’s sexist comments about women on boards. ((Reminder: Asked to comment on increasing board quotas to 40% for women on the Olympic Committee, he said they ‘talk too much’ to be on boards)).
On the surface, the appointment checks the boxes. She’s is a 7-time Olympic athlete, a savvy political operative, and a woman. But dig deeper and you realise the lip-service is real. Especially in her own political party.
The LDP’s 82 year old secretary general, Toshihiro Nikai has said he was ‘aware of criticism of the male domination of the LDP’s elected board. So, the party is going to let women attend party board meetings.’ With a caveat. They can be seen, but not heard. He thinks it is important for female members of the LDP to "look" at the decision-making process. Five female lawmakers will “observe” its all-male board meetings. They cannot talk during but can submit opinions afterwards. The 80-something year olds are sticking to their guns.
(Story by BBC)
Business not as usual
Dealing with board diversity
We are all busy applauding boardroom quotas as a way for women and minorities to get representation in the corporate world. But we seem to have glossed over one significant (often hidden) hurdle: That many who would be eligible work for companies that won’t let them accept.
That’s Niki Christoff’s story. Considered one of the 25 most powerful women in U.S. policy, she was offered a public company board seat. But her employer Salesforce and boss Mark Benioff didn’t think her senior enough to allow her to accept the offer. She took the role anyway and was fired. But this isn’t a Salesforce problem alone. Many companies have policies blocking their staffers from board seats. CNBC anchor and NYT columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin delves into the hidden hurdle of making boardrooms diverse, in his newsletter Dealbook.
(Story by New York Times: Dealbook)
Tech stuff
Google’s answer to its racism problem
December’s racism row at Google grabbed global headlines. Timnit Gebru, co-lead of the ethical AI team, announced she’d been abruptly fired. She’d sent an email to her bosses raising concerns about her research. She was fired. In the following weeks, her co-lead Margaret Mitchell also alleged being investigated and frozen out. She was fired too. Google’s boss Sundar Pichai since then has tried to calm the waters by announcing corporate soul searching.
Google’s soul searched answer seems to have been roll their jobs into one and appoint another senior and Black woman to take on the role. Marian Croak, a prominent Black executive in the engineering department will be the new Responsible AI lead. In a blog announcing her appointment she ‘seems’ to address Timnit and Margaret’s allegations. She talks about her experience of team conflicts during Google’s rollout of VoIP.
“We had to bring teams together that were very contentious — people who had domain expertise in the internet and could move in a fast and furious way, along with others who were very methodical and disciplined in their approach. Huge conflicts!” - Marian Croak
(Story by Verge & Google)
Have you met
Dr. Rasha Khaled, Africa’s unsung shero of healthcare
Dr. Rasha Kelej, is CEO of Merck Foundation, the philanthropic arm of pharma company Merck. She is also a member of the Egyptian Senate (2020-2025). Dr, Khaled is the brain behind Merck’s “More Than A Mother" campaign, a rallying call against female infertility stigma, and is helping to transform the cancer-care landscape in Africa. This week, she was named one of the Most Influential African Women in the world for 2020 by New African Women.
(Story by AP)
On the move
In the U.S.
Gilda Perez-Alvarado has been promoted to Global CEO of JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group.
Gail Samuel, long time Hollywood Bowl and L.A Philharmonic executive has been appointed as the President and CEO of The Boston Symphony Orchestra. She is the first woman to hold the position at the 140 year old organisation.
In the Netherlands
Annette Mosman has been appointed as the first female CEO of the Netherlands’ largest pension services provider APG. She has been a member of the APG’s executive board as CFO and Chief Risk Officer (CFRO) since 2018.
In the U.K.
Sinead Oldnall has been appointed as BBC Studios Production’s Head of On-screen Talent for its Entertainment & Music department. She joins from Hungry Bear Media.
Caught my eye
Busy week in Sussex World
1) Megan and Harry are pregnant with baby #2. The bump announcement on Valentine’s day was accompanied by an intimate couple’s picture (above). The baby news also comes just a few months after the Duchess shared her experience of a miscarriage.
2) The baby news was promptly followed by the announcement of the two giving an exclusive tell-all interview to their neighbour in Los Angeles, Oprah Winfrey. That’s going to broadcast in March.
3) The news of the interview was then followed by an announcement from the Sussex team (Buckingham Palace officials were once again caught by surprise) that the couple would not return to the royal fold, as ‘working royals.’ This was confirmed by the palace. The Queen wrote a note to clarify they’d lose their royal and military patronages. The Duke and Duchess snapped back 3b) The exchange grabbed headlines with a frenzied press pointing out thinly veiled barbs in both sides’ press releases.
4) All this ahead of the official 1 year review with the Queen of the Duke and Duchess’ exit from their public service role. And during Prince Phillip’s stint in hospital. It’s been a busy week for the royal family.
(Stories by multiple media outlets)
Community building?
Greta Thunberg tweeted a toolkit for India’s farmer protestors. A criminal case was filed by the Delhi police. It was later clarified as being against the tool-kit makers and not Greta. A fortnight later, 20-something environmental activist Disha Ravi has been remanded to Delhi police's custody, for having a role in ‘editing’ it. She is accused as a "key conspirator in (the) document's formulation & dissemination." The Delhi Police in their opposition to her bail claim she is part of a global conspiracy to defame the country and create civil unrest. Disha is a member of the Indian chapter of Greta’s global climate activism group Fridays for Future.
(Story by CNN)
How did she get the job, and a man didn’t?
Bimshani Jasin Arachchi was given a top job in Sri Lanka’s police department as Deputy Inspector General (DIG). And boy did that rub 33 of her male colleagues the wrong way!
33 Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) have petitioned the country’s Supreme Court to overturn her appointment by the National Police Commission. Sri Lanka’s women’s activists and female Members of Parliament say, they just can’t swallow the fact a woman beat them to the job. The hearing is scheduled for May 18th. Misogyny is alive and kicking in a country that was the birthplace of the world’s first female prime minister.
(Story by Asia News)
Be a sport
6-4 6-3 win!
That’s the score with which 23-year-old Naomi Osaka beat Jenniger Brady in this year's Australian Open final in Melbourne. It was a second consecutive Grand Slam title, and a 21st match win in a row. Experts believe a new age has dawned in women’s tennis. While playing Serena Williams is still a dream for many, Osaka is now the one, players on the tour want to measure themselves against.
(Story by BBC Sport)
The artsy stuff
Money, intrigue, a jaw dropping crime… and Netflix
That’s the story of Anna Sorkin (Aka Anna Delvey). Her story went viral thanks to 2018’s first exposé of her case in ‘The Cut’. Sorkin (an average Russian whose family lives in Germany) posed as a rich heiress, conning bankers, socialites, and hotels for hundreds of thousands of dollars, to be finally arrested when on the run and sent to New York’s Rikers prison.
Just two weeks after the story broke in ‘The Cut’, prisoner number 19G0366 signed a Netflix contract for film rights to her story. The speed of the contract offer is enough to give you whiplash, but it highlights the intensity of the streaming wars and need for original content. Shonda Rhimes and Netflix thought this was a winner!
When Sorkin was convicted, Netflix had to follow New York's "Son of Sam" law to ensure the deal remained above board. (The law was created to address concerns about a book deal that would allow 1970s serial killer David Berkowitz, penname ‘Son of Sam,’ to profit from his story.)
Anna Sorkin was released last week. It is understood that she has used most of the fee she was paid for the show, to pay restitution to banks and other fines. That’s the result of the ‘Son of Sam’ laws But the Netflix deal with prisoner number 19G0366 has put a spotlight on the role of ethics in the race to win the streaming wars and how the streaming industry will handle juicy, binge worthy stories like this.
(Story by The Cut & BBC)
Kimye is officially over
Kim Kardashian West has filed for divorce from rapper Kanye West. Their reps say it is all amicable and per their pre-nup agreement.
(Story by ABC)
Must Watch
The underdog rocks it!
The mostly female crew led film ‘Rocks’ also cast a bunch of unknown east London schoolgirls in most of its main roles. The film’s won five prizes at the British Independent Film Awards including best British independent film. Here’s a peek!