Keynotes

Overview

Over the years, our keynote speakers have represented various realms of the business world, kindly donating their valuable time to deliver inspiring and engaging talks to our conference members. This year's keynotes again reflect the most amazing women of the business world in our time.

In addition, many other equally amazing speakers will be speaking in smaller, more intimate settings of breakout sessions. For a list of those speakers, visit the speakers page. 
 

Sallie Krawcheck

Former President, Bank of America Global Wealth and Investment Management Unit

 
 
Sallie L. Krawcheck is past president of Global Wealth & Investment Management for Bank of America, the largest wealth management business in the world, with $17 billion in revenue and $2.2 trillion in client balances. This business provides comprehensive wealth management services to clients across the range of wealth globally. It also provides retirement and benefit plan services, philanthropic management and asset management services to individuals and institutions. Its operating businesses include Merrill Lynch and US Trust.
 
Krawcheck has a track record of turning around and driving growth in a number of financial services businesses. These include:

• Reversing the decline in Merrill Lynch’s profitability and Advisor headcount and stabilizing US Trust while at Bank of America, gaining share across the wealth management businesses;
• Separating research from investment banking at Citi, to restore the business’ reputation and profitability in the wake of the Wall Street research scandal;
• Substantially growing Sanford Bernstein’s research business by avoiding the conflicts of investment banking; and
• Integrating and launching the innovative MerrillEdge, Merrill Lynch’s on-line offering.

 
Prior to joining Bank of America, Krawcheck was the chief executive officer and chairman for Citi Global Wealth Management, responsible for the Citi Private Bank, Citi Smith Barney and Citi Investment Research. During her time at Citi, she was also a member of the senior leadership committee and executive committee.
 
Krawcheck joined Citi in October 2002 as chairman and chief executive officer of Smith Barney, where she oversaw the global management of the Smith Barney and Citi Investment Research businesses. In 2004, she was appointed chief financial officer for Citigroup. In this role she was responsible for a number of asset dispositions, including the sales of Travelers P&C and Citi Asset Management. 
 
Prior to joining Citi, Krawcheck was chairman and chief executive officer of Sanford C. Bernstein & Company. She began her career as a research analyst, covering the financial services industry, a role in which she was consistently ranked first in her field by “Institutional Investor.”
 
Krawcheck has earned a reputation for integrity and client focus. During the research scandals, Fortune Magazine called her “The Last Honest Analyst” and noted that hers was the most influential voice for research quality and integrity. She has been consistently listed as one of Forbes’ and Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women” in business and U.S. Banker’s top “Woman to Watch”. She is a past recipient of CNBC's “Business Leader of the Future Award,” was one of Time magazine’s “Global Business Influentials,” Fortune’s “Most Influential Person Under the Age of 40” and an “Institutional Investor” top CFO in financial services.  She was recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of its Young Global Leaders.
 
A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Krawcheck attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on the Morehead Scholarship and graduated in 1987 with academic honors in Journalism and Political Science. In 1992, she received a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University.
 
An active participant in the affairs of her alma maters, Krawcheck has endowed her former secondary school, The Porter Gaud School, with the Krawcheck Scholarship, a needs-based scholarship awarding full tuition to students of exceptional aptitude. She is a member of the Bretton Woods Committee, on the board of Carnegie Hall, on the board of Finra and on the investment committee for the The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a member of the board of overseers of Columbia University Business School.  Krawcheck is a past member of the Board of Directors of Dell Inc, Blackrock and of the NY Economic Club.
 

Diane von Furstenberg

Fashion Designer

Diane von Furstenberg first entered the fashion world in 1972 with a suitcase full of jersey dresses. Two years later, she created the wrap dress, which came to symbolize power and independence for an entire generation of women. By 1976 she had sold over a million of the dresses and was featured on the cover of Newsweek. In 1997, after a hiatus from fashion, Diane reemerged on the New York fashion scene with the relaunch of the iconic dress that had started it all and reestablished her company as the global luxury lifestyle brand that it is today. DVF is currently sold in 70 countries and 62 shops worldwide.
 
The wrap dress, and its symbolism of effortless elegance and empowerment, is integral to the DVF fashion brand, which now offers four complete collections a year. The full range of accessories extends to shoes, handbags, small leather goods, scarves, eyewear, fine jewelry, watches and luggage. In 2010, DVF debuted a home collection, encompassing tabletop, bedding and rugs. This fall saw the global launch of a signature scent, DIANE the fragrance.
 
In 2005, Diane received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) for her impact on fashion, and one year later was elected the CFDA’s president, an office she continues to hold. In this significant role she has dedicated herself to fostering emerging talent and helping to establish the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, which protects designers from counterfeit reproductions of their work.
 
Diane’s commitment to empowering women is expressed not only through fashion but also philanthropy and mentorship. She sits on the board of Vital Voices, a non-governmental organization that supports female leaders and entrepreneurs around the world. In 2010, with the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, Diane established the DVF Awards to honor and provide grants to women who have displayed leadership, strength and courage in their commitment to their causes.
 
As a longtime resident of New York’s Meatpacking District, Diane is a vocal member of the local community and was actively involved in the campaign to save the historic High Line railway. The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission has heralded her flagship building on 14th Street as a “new model of adaptive reuse for the city” for blending an original structure with new design incorporating recycled materials and sustainable elements.
 
Diane is married to Barry Diller. She has two children, Alexandre and Tatiana, and three grandchildren. With all of her successes, Diane happily maintains, “Children are my greatest creation.”
 

Alex Witt

MSNBC Anchor and NBC Correspondent

Alex Witt hosts the MSNBC show “Weekends with Alex Witt” on Saturdays 9am-noon ET and Sundays 10am-noon ET. 
 
Witt has been with MSNBC since January 1999, serving as anchor across both dayside and primetime hours.   Witt spent time on the campaign trail across the country during the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections. She also covered the final week throughout the state of California for the 2003 Gubernatorial Election, following Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the wake of the September 11^th  terror attacks on America, Witt broadcast from the World Trade Center and has continued to follow the war on terrorism in the Middle East and the War in Iraq.  She also broadcast from the World Trade Center on the 10^th anniversary of the attacks.
 
Over the years, Alex hosted the series MSNBC Adventurer, as well as a series of prime time special broadcasts in the wake of the Asian tsunami.   She broadcast live from Windsor, England covering the 2005 wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles, and from London outside Kensington Palace for commemorations marking the 10th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana in 2007.   Witt has also contributed to NBC Nightly News reporting for the highly acclaimed “Making a Difference” series.
 
Witt joined NBC after reporting for WNYW-TV in New York City where she covered stories throughout the New York metropolitan area. Prior to that, Witt spent her career anchoring, reporting and producing for various stations in California, including as a field producer in the Burbank bureau for NBC News’ “Today.”
 
Witt is a native of Los Angeles and attended the University of Southern California, majoring in journalism and international relations, and the prestigious Marlborough School for Girls in Los Angeles. She is a life-long L.A. Dodgers fan, as well as an avid follower of USC football. She also sings in a pop singing group and has been honored to sing the national anthem around the country at various professional sporting events. Witt is the proud mother of two children and spends most of her time away from work with her family and globetrotting with them at every opportunity.
 

 

RETURN TO TOP.