Silicon Valley Leadership Group debuts ‘Inclusive Conversations’ series at the 2020 Annual Virtual Forum


Featured Guests Include Flex CEO, Revathi Advaithi, 
Google’s Chief Diversity Officer, Melonie Parker, and California State Assemblymember Chris Holden

San Jose, CA – October 29, 2020 – Google’s Chief Diversity Officer, Melonie Parker, Flex CEO, Revathi Advaithi and California State Assembly Member Chris Holden have been announced as feature guests for the Leadership Group’s Annual Virtual Forum as part of the inaugural series of SVLG’s Inclusive Conservations. The talks will launch this October 30th as part the Leadership Group’s Annual Virtual Forum and focus on areas of racial justice, representation and equity in both the corporate and legislative spheres as well as identity in the executive space.

“We’ve got racial sensitivity training getting rolled back at the federal level and our own set of local issues that remind us how much work is needed right now around diversity and inclusion. We need some real dialogue backed by action and we need it now. Which is why we’re launching these much-needed, action-oriented dialogues in Silicon Valley on diversity and equity,” said CEO Ahmad Thomas. “Our guests are a fantastic example of the voices that can speak to our business leaders for the moment we’re in.  Diversity is one of our organization’s core values and more broadly in this competitive economy, it’s a critical business imperative.  We have made a major commitment to expanding representation of people of color throughout Silicon Valley – and that includes on our panels.”

The three one-on-one talks featured in this first SVLG Inclusive Conversations series will be:

Inclusive Conversations: Talent at the Top – A discussion with Melonie Parker, Google’s chief diversity officer on the connections of creative ideation to representation and busting the myth of the drought of diverse top talent. Melonie will be interviewed by Minda Harts, best-selling author of The Memo: What Women of Color Need to Know to Secure a Seat at the Table.

Inclusive Conversations: Representation with Legislation – A dialogue with Assemblymember Chris Holden about the recent passage of AB979 and where the legislature goes from here when it comes to inclusion. Assemblymember Holden will be interviewed by Peter Leroe-Muñoz, General Counsel and SVP of Technology & Innovation at the Leadership Group.

Inclusive Conversations: Strictly Boardroom – An interview with Flex CEO Revathi Advaithi on her route to running a $24 billion global company, the boardrooms of Uber, BAE and Catalyst as well as the lessons learned about identity when playing among the pinnacles of power in Silicon Valley. Revathi will be interviewed by Ahmad Thomas, CEO of the Leadership Group.

Preceding Inclusive Conversations will be the nation’s top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci in a candid, important conversation on the state of the Covid-19 pandemic with Leadership Group CEO Ahmad Thomas. Following the conversation, Dr. Fauci will join an expert panel with Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody and COVID-19 Testing Officer Dr. Marty Fenstersheib for a discussion on COVID at the local, regional and state levels.

Rounding out the program will be the Spirit of Silicon Valley Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors an individual who’s had a transformative impact on our greater community. This year’s recipient is AMD CEO, Lisa T. Su for her incredible leadership turning AMD into a global trailblazer and her local commitment to Silicon Valley as Co-Chair of San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo’s Silicon Valley Recovery Roundtable. Aart De Geus, CEO of Synopsys will moderate a Fireside Chat with Lisa after she accepts the award.

WHEN & WHERE:
Friday, October 30, 2020
9:00 am – 11:15 am
Zoom Virtual Event

TICKETS:
Admission tickets on sale HERE. Attendees will be sent conference links after registering.


MEDIA REGISTRATION:
To register at no charge, media should click HERE. Select “Enter Promotional Code” and enter MEDIA-AL20. Registered media will be sent a conference link on October 29, 2020.

About the Silicon Valley Leadership Group
The Leadership Group is an organization of nearly 350 of Silicon Valley’s most dynamic and accomplished companies. Founded by David Packard of Hewlett-Packard, the SVLG has worked to address issues that affect the economic health and quality of life in Silicon Valley for over 40 years. SVLG members collectively provide nearly one of every three private sector jobs in Silicon Valley and contribute more than $3 trillion to the worldwide economy. For more information, visit svlg.org.

*None of the speakers or panelists are receiving funds or donations to appear at this event.

Contact: Pam Kelly
pkelly@svlg.org
(408) 483-2410

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