BOSTON, Jan. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Simmons School of Management today announced that its May 3 premier Leadership Conference will pay tribute to the late Benazir Bhutto, a two-time conference keynote speaker, for her inspirational leadership and personal courage.
Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan who was initially elected in 1988 as the Muslim world's first female head of state, was assassinated Dec. 27 while running again for election under the Pakistan People's Party. She had addressed the Simmons Conference in 1998 and 2005, receiving standing ovations on both occasions.
Conference Executive Director Joyce Kolligian said, "Benazir Bhutto was one of the most charismatic speakers who ever spoke at our conference. For her extraordinary ability to inspire others, her leadership as a woman in the Muslim world and her example of great personal courage, she exemplified many values that should not be lost to the world."
The conference, established in 1979, is the preeminent women's leadership forum in the country and attracts a global audience of 3,000 business and professional women. The event will be held in Boston at the Seaport World Trade Center.
Grammy award-winning artist and successful entrepreneur Gloria Estefan, one of the best-selling singer/songwriters of all times, will present the closing keynote address at the conference. Estefan will conclude an exceptional program that also includes keynote speakers Mireille Guiliano, former president and CEO of Clicquot, Inc. and best-selling author; Louise Leakey, Ph.D., world-renowned paleoanthropologist; and Dr. Nancy Snyderman, surgeon and chief medical editor for NBC News.
This year's conference, with the theme "Dialogue & Discovery," continues the Simmons School of Management tradition of giving women a forum to share career insights and discover connections with their peers.
Kolligian said that each year, "the conference continues to grow, because each year it delivers on its promise: to bring together some of the world's most accomplished women, who discuss topics such as effective leadership, career strategies and the status of women around the world. Attendees tell us that this event is an unforgettable day and the high point of their professional year."
In addition to outstanding keynote speakers, the conference features many noteworthy panelists from the governmental, retail, medical and financial sectors, as well as workshops on topics about professional and personal achievement. For a complete conference agenda and schedule, visit: http://www.simmons.edu/leadership.
Keynote Speakers
The opening address will be presented by Mireille Guiliano, former CEO of Clicquot, Inc. and author of the best-selling book, French Women Don't Get Fat. Her newest book, French Women for All Seasons, caused her to be hailed by critics as a marketing innovator and barrier-breaking pioneer. One of the few women to reach the top echelon of the wine and spirits and the luxury goods industry, Guiliano is credited with establishing Champagne Veuve Clicquot's top image and overseeing double-digit growth in the U.S. market year after year. Recently, she used her business acumen to become a renowned authority on food, wine, travel and entertaining. Guiliano will open the conference with some of her wisdom for living life to its fullest.
Paleoanthropologist Louise Leakey, Ph.D., will also present a morning keynote address. She represents the third generation of the prominent Leakey family of renowned fossil hunters and explorers. Leakey, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, currently is carrying on her family's explorations of human origins in northern Kenya, heading up an intensive fieldwork project in the Lake Turkana Basin. Leakey will highlight the vital importance of exploring the deep human past to the world community.
Afternoon keynote speaker Dr. Nancy Snyderman, chief medical editor at NBC News, is a staff member of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University of Pennsylvania. As a practicing surgeon and broadcast journalist, Snyderman emphasizes the importance of women taking charge of their health and well-being. She will speak on the importance of self-advocacy and the key health issues facing women today.
The closing keynote address will be presented by Gloria Estefan, a trailblazer in the music industry and five-time Grammy Award winner. The Cuban-born Estefan is largely responsible for introducing the Latin pop sound to international audiences. Even with her grueling recovery from a near-fatal back injury, she has maintained her place at the top of the music charts for more than 20 years. In addition to her successes as a singer, actor and writer of children's books, she and her husband have built a vast business empire that includes restaurants, hotels, and a booming film and music production company. Recognized countless times for both her hard work and her humanitarianism, Estefan is a role model for women everywhere.
About the Conference
The Simmons School of Management Leadership Conference is one of the oldest and best-known women's leadership events in the country. The conference has included such notable speakers as Oprah Winfrey, Jehan Sadat, Madeleine Albright and Barbara Walters. All conference proceeds will support scholarships to the Simmons School of Management, which offers the only MBA program in the nation designed specifically for women.
Conference corporate sponsors for 2008 include EMC, HP, KPMG, Pfizer, Goldman Sachs, Novartis, State Street, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Ford Motor Company, PINK magazine and Shattered Magazine.
Simmons School of Management Leadership Conference
