Shared recording

Women’s Leadership and Influence in Public Affairs

PAFI - 24 September 2026 - 04-28-30 PM.mp4 · 39:27 · 3 speakers

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Key takeaways

  1. Speaker 2 identified adaptability and listening to underrepresented or “silent” voices as core public-affairs leadership capabilities.
  2. Policy and technology discussions should explicitly assess impacts on women, families, and other stakeholder groups.
  3. Allyship should include asking women for their views, amplifying their contributions, advocating when they are absent, and giving actionable feedback.
  4. Speaker 2 advised women leaders to communicate feedback clearly and adapt it to different audience communication styles.
  5. Speaker 2 described the 2010 Haiti recovery effort as a key example of public affairs aligning business, government, and community interests.
  6. No formal decisions, assignments, or deadlines were established during the session.

Key moments

  • Cultural intelligence discussion
    Speaker 2 explains how her international background shaped her ability to connect across contexts.
  • Adaptability in public affairs
    Speaker 2 identifies adaptability as the primary leadership capability amid geopolitical shifts.
  • Women-centred policy analysis
    Speaker 2 calls for examining how AI, trade, and policy shifts affect women and families.
  • Allyship guidance
    Speaker 2 details how men can actively support women’s advancement.
  • Feedback and communication styles
    Speaker 2 recommends actionable feedback tailored to audience communication preferences.
  • 2010 Haiti career story
    Speaker 2 recounts the public-affairs effort that led to recovery support and a business-continuity approach.
  • Influence principle
    Speaker 2 advises professionals to begin with the other party’s interests and the problem to solve.
  • Audience question on women’s policy barriers
    An audience member asks about epistemic barriers, publishing bias, and intersectional representation.
  • Audience question on sexual minorities
    An audience member asks about inclusion and invisible barriers affecting sexual minorities.
  • Session close
    Speaker 2 leads a power pose and closing affirmations.

Decisions made

No explicit final decision was identified.

Proposals & suggestions (not confirmed decisions)

  • Policy leaders should begin discussions by asking how a topic will affect different stakeholder groups, starting with women and families. — suggested by Speaker 2. Outcome: Presented as Speaker 2’s recommendation; no formal decision.
  • Men should support women by asking for their views, amplifying their contributions, advocating for them when absent, and providing constructive feedback. — suggested by Speaker 2. Outcome: Presented as leadership advice; no formal decision.
  • Women leaders should give direct, specific, constructive feedback and tailor it to recipients’ communication styles. — suggested by Speaker 2. Outcome: Presented as leadership advice; no formal decision.
  • Young policy professionals should frame influence around the other party’s interests, opportunities, and problems rather than self-interest. — suggested by Speaker 2. Outcome: Presented as closing advice; no formal decision.
  • Women facing policy barriers should continue to show up, use their voices, seek allies, and frame advocacy around opportunities or problems. — suggested by Speaker 2. Outcome: Advice in response to an audience question; no formal decision.

Topics discussed

Cultural intelligence and inclusive leadership

to 04:14 Speaker 1, Speaker 2

Speaker 2 linked her experiences in Canada, Nigeria, and the United States to cultural intelligence, empathy, and connecting across differences. The speakers discussed these capabilities as important for leadership and for responding to a generational focus on workplace culture and leaders’ impact on others.

Geopolitics, sovereignty, and public-affairs adaptability

to 08:15 Speaker 1, Speaker 2

Speaker 2 argued that adaptability is now the primary capability expected in public affairs. She referenced the Quebec referendum, the movement of banking activity from Montreal to Toronto, and current sovereignty debates as illustrations of broader shifts requiring leaders and organisations to meet stakeholders where they are.

Women, policy impacts, and allyship

to 15:43 Speaker 1, Speaker 2

The speakers discussed the effects of AI, trade, and policy changes on women and families. Speaker 2 described efforts to avoid “mannels,” urged policy leaders to consider women’s circumstances, and called for men to actively support women through listening, amplification, advocacy, accountability, and constructive feedback.

Constructive feedback and communication styles

to 19:34 Speaker 1, Speaker 2

Speaker 2 encouraged more direct, actionable feedback rather than a “compliment sandwich.” She said leaders should adapt feedback to audience styles, describing “what,” “why,” “who,” “how,” and “not that” people.

Career-defining Haiti recovery work and leadership lessons

to 26:16 Speaker 1, Speaker 2

Speaker 2 recounted work following the 2010 Haiti earthquake while at Verizon, including pursuing an MOU to support recovery. She attributed the outcome to expertise, relationships, trust, prior public-private partnership work, and willingness to take on an emerging policy area. She also reflected that she wished she had used her voice earlier and found similarly situated women sooner.

Advice on influence for policy professionals

to 28:32 Speaker 1, Speaker 2

Speaker 2 advised young policy professionals to build influence by focusing first on what is in it for the other person or party, the problem to solve, and the human collective rather than self-interest.

Audience questions on women’s policy barriers and sexual-minority inclusion

to 38:09 Speaker 1, Speaker 2, Speaker 3

Audience members asked about epistemic and publishing barriers affecting women in policy, intersectional feminism, and the future of inclusion for sexual minorities. Speaker 2 urged persistence, voice, allyship, strategic framing, and equity-focused policy conversations. She stated that she could not predict a timeline for eliminating invisible barriers.

Closing power pose

to 39:26 Speaker 1, Speaker 2

Speaker 1 thanked Speaker 2, who closed the session by leading attendees in a power pose and affirmations.

Important questions

  • How has Speaker 2’s diverse experience shaped her journey? — asked by Speaker 1
    Answered Speaker 2 said her experiences across Canada, Nigeria, and the United States developed cultural intelligence, human connection, contextual awareness, and the ability to connect otherwise disconnected people and ideas.
  • Are cultural intelligence, inclusion, empathy, and the ability to connect dots an “x factor” in policy and public-affairs work? — asked by Speaker 1
    Answered Speaker 2 said this is not merely an x factor but “the factor,” particularly as younger professionals increasingly assess workplace culture and leaders’ impact on people.
  • How are geopolitics, trade, and technology transforming public-affairs work and leadership? — asked by Speaker 1
    Answered Speaker 2 identified adaptability as the number-one capability, said leaders must listen to the silent majority, and argued that public-affairs organisations must meet professionals and stakeholders where they are.
  • How should leaders factor women’s disproportionate exposure to policy and technology shifts into their work? — asked by Speaker 1
    Answered Speaker 2 said leaders should ensure unheard voices are represented, avoid all-male panels, offer accessible programme timing, and begin policy analysis with the impacts on stakeholder groups, especially women and families.
  • What role should allies play as mentors, sponsors, and supporters of women? — asked by Speaker 1
    Answered Speaker 2 said men should continue participating, ask women what they think, amplify their contributions, support them when they are absent, and provide constructive feedback.
  • How should women leaders give feedback in the workplace? — asked by Speaker 1
    Answered Speaker 2 advised direct and actionable feedback, with the approach tailored to whether the recipient is primarily motivated by what, why, who, or how.
  • Which moments shaped Speaker 2’s career, and what strategies supported her influence during the Haiti response? — asked by Speaker 1
    Answered Speaker 2 identified the 2010 Haiti earthquake response while at Verizon. She cited expertise, relationships with leaders, organisational trust, facts and data, government relationships built since Katrina in 2005, and willingness to take on an emerging public-safety policy area.
  • What does Speaker 2 wish she had done differently? — asked by Speaker 1
    Answered She wished she had used her voice earlier and found women with similar experiences sooner so they could combine their voices around policy advancement.
  • What capability should young policy professionals, particularly women, build? — asked by Speaker 1
    Answered Speaker 2 said influence should start with what is in it for the other person or party, the problem to solve, and the human collective rather than the individual’s self-interest.
  • How can women overcome epistemic and publishing barriers in policy and legal fields, and improve intersectional representation? — asked by Speaker 3
    Answered Speaker 2 advised women to keep showing up, find and use their voice through written, oral, social-media, or AI-supported channels, seek allies, find joy, and frame policy advocacy around opportunities or problems in a way recipients can receive.
  • How long will it take for inclusion conversations and conditions to improve for sexual minorities? — asked by Speaker 3
    Partially answered Speaker 2 said she did not know the timeline. She said invisible barriers may always exist for someone, but expressed optimism based on growing recognition that equity-based policy matters, younger generations’ access to information and data, and a projected wealth transfer to women.

Important numbers & facts

  • 2010 — Speaker 2 identified the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 as a career-defining event while she worked at Verizon.
  • 2005 — Speaker 2 said government relationships supporting the Haiti response had begun as far back as Katrina in 2005.
  • five years — Speaker 2 described the period between Katrina in 2005 and the Haiti earthquake in 2010 as five years of relationship and public-private partnership building.
  • fifty minutes — Speaker 2 referenced an earlier government official’s statement that it took a woman fifty minutes to fetch water.
  • ten to fifteen years — Speaker 2 said the largest wealth transfer known to man is expected within the next ten to fifteen years.
  • $74,000,000,000,000 — Speaker 2 cited estimates for the projected wealth transfer and said a large majority of that money is expected to transfer to women.

Speaker highlights

Speaker 1

Main points

  • Facilitated a discussion on cultural intelligence, women’s leadership, geopolitics, influence, feedback, career development, and inclusion.
  • Connected Speaker 2’s comments to generational changes in expectations of workplace culture and leadership.
  • Asked Speaker 2 about the effect of geopolitical and technological shifts on public affairs, how women are affected, the role of allyship, career-shaping moments, and advice for young policy professionals.
  • Moderated audience questions and closed the session by thanking Speaker 2.

Positions

  • Suggested that empathy, inclusion by design, and the ability to connect diverse experiences may be an “x factor” in policy and public-affairs work.
  • Characterised actionable feedback as preferable to vague feedback.
  • Suggested that secure leadership includes accepting that others may initially approach an associated male colleague as the decision-maker.

Questions raised

  • Whether diverse experience and the ability to connect dots are key differentiators in policy and public affairs.
  • How geopolitical, trade, and technology shifts are changing public-affairs leadership.
  • How to account for disproportionate effects on women.
  • How allies can mentor, sponsor, and support women.
  • Which moments shaped Speaker 2’s career and what she would have done differently.
  • What capability young policy professionals, especially women, should develop.

Speaker 2

Main points

  • Said her cross-cultural background created cultural intelligence and the ability to connect with people and contexts at a human level.
  • Described adaptability as the leading capability required in contemporary public affairs.
  • Called for policy leaders to assess impacts on women, families, and other stakeholder groups, particularly in discussions of AI, trade, and technology.
  • Reported that the Public Affairs Council no longer holds “mannels” and seeks inclusive participation and family-compatible programme timing.
  • Advocated for male allyship, including asking women “What do you think?”, amplifying their ideas, advocating for them in their absence, and offering constructive feedback.
  • Encouraged women leaders to provide direct, specific feedback while adapting communication to the recipient’s needs.
  • Recounted the 2010 Haiti earthquake response at Verizon as the moment that clarified her understanding of public affairs as connecting business, government, and community.
  • Advised professionals to exercise influence by beginning with the interests, opportunity, or problem facing the other person rather than self-interest.
  • Answered audience questions by advocating persistence, voice, allyship, strategic communication, equity-focused policies, and attention to outcomes.

Positions

  • Women’s empathy and discernment are valuable leadership capabilities, while Speaker 2 stated respect for all genders and sexes.
  • Adaptability and listening to the “silent majority” are essential in changing geopolitical conditions.
  • Policy conversations should start with the impact on stakeholder groups, with women as a useful starting point because this also considers families.
  • Women’s advancement depends in part on active support from men, and men should remain involved in conversations about women’s advancement.
  • There will likely always be invisible barriers for some groups, but failure to overcome barriers should become less acceptable.
  • Equity-oriented policies and future wealth transfers to women may contribute to changing how society addresses barriers.

Speaker 3

Main points

  • Asked about epistemic barriers in policy, including recognition of women’s knowledge, seriousness afforded to it, and publishing bias affecting women authors in policy and legal fields.
  • Asked how women in policy can increase representation and address intersectional barriers affecting women of colour and people across gender identities.
  • Asked how long inclusion discussions may take to extend beyond heterosexual men and women, and described off-record acknowledgement of barriers facing sexual minorities due to social stigma.

Positions

  • Stated that intersectional feminism is integral to policy and that women of colour have historically been ignored in policymaking systems.
  • Stated that social stigma can prevent political figures from discussing barriers affecting sexual minorities on the record.

Questions raised

  • How can women overcome epistemic barriers and publishing bias in policy and legal fields?
  • How can women in policy increase representation and overcome intersectional barriers?
  • How long will it take for inclusion discussions to fully include sexual minorities, and when will conditions improve for them?

Follow-ups

  • Continue discussion of how AI, trade, and other policy shifts affect women, families, and underserved stakeholder groups.
  • Further examine strategies to address epistemic barriers, publishing bias, and intersectional representation in policy and legal fields.
  • Continue equity-focused discussion of barriers affecting sexual minorities and other minority groups.