The stages are struck and the Croisette is much quieter, but the momentum from Cannes is just beginning. To our speakers, sponsors, partners, members, and everyone who spent time with us at the Festival, thank you. Your presence, perspectives, and willingness to show up for one another made this one of our most memorable experiences yet.
Over the course of the week, She Runs It hosted four conversations that looked at leadership from different perspectives.
At Fearless Voices, hosted by Basis Technologies and TelevisaUnivision, Ashley Travis, Laurie Lam, Brian Monahan, and Noor Hassan reminded us that fearlessness isn’t the absence of fear. It’s choosing to move forward even if you’re terrified. Their personal stories of resilience, vulnerability, and purpose inspired all of us to express our own voices and create space for others to do the same.
At She Runs It. He Gets It. hosted by Teads, Lauren Hanrahan and Jonathan Mildenhall, Anika Kaulius and Justin Claassen, Mollie Spilman and Jeremy Helfand, and Christine Cotter and Phil Gaughran showed us what authentic partnership looks like. Through honest conversations about trust, communication, and allyship, they reminded us that gender equity isn’t a women’s issue. It’s a leadership issue, and everyone benefits when people intentionally champion one another.
Our signature Best of the Badass Bosses luncheon was as energetic and inspiring as ever. Jen Wilson, Natalia Ball, Jenny Rooney, Sheila Mulligan, and Sherene Hilal challenged us to rethink what makes a great leader. Their stories weren’t about titles or bravado. They were about resilience, curiosity, authenticity, and the courage to trust your instincts. Our executive mentors kept those conversations going over lunch, sharing their own experiences and advice with attendees. Thanks to our incredible hosts and partners: Adweek, EX.CO, Screenvision Media, SiriusXM, Weber Shandwick and WunderKIND Ads.
We closed the week with Index Exchange and Lift As You Climb, where Lori Goode, Jessica Ling, Suzie Reider, and Amy Thorne reflected on career pivots, self-doubt, sponsorship, and paying success forward. Their message? None of us gets where we are alone, and one of the greatest responsibilities of leadership is paving the way for others.
Thanks also to Givsly and Jackie Lyons, Chief Planning Officer at Havas Media and She Runs It Foundation Board member, for once again making She Runs It a beneficiary of Karaoke for Causes. It was a joyful reminder that some of the best moments in Cannes happen when people come together for fun and philanthropy.
Most of all, thank you to the entire She Runs It community. Whether you spoke on stage, joined the audience, volunteered behind the scenes, made a new introduction, engaged with our social content, or simply cheered us on, you helped make the week remarkable.
Cannes may be over, but the conversations, connections, and momentum we’ve built together are only beginning. I can’t wait to see where they lead us.
