Thursday, June 15, 2017

Kamala Harris's 'hysteria'

FOLLOW
subscribe
SEND TIP
June 15, 2017

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Valentina (@valzarya) here. I ponder Arianna Huffington’s lack of response to an Uber board member’s sexist joke, Avon’s CEO is rumored to be retiring, and we meet the first Latina CEO in the Fortune 500. Happy Thursday!

EVERYONE'S TALKING

A bolt of energy. In March 1967, five-year-old Geisha Jimenez fled Castro-led Cuba to the U.S. Fifty years later, almost to the day, she made business history, becoming the first Latina CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Now 55 and known by her married name, Williams, she runs PG&E Corp., the $17.7 billion parent of the venerable Pacific Gas & Electric Co, the utility that powers much of Northern California. I profiled Williams for our Fortune  500 issue and, in reporting the story became—to put it mildly—fascinated by her. And not just because she (like me) is an immigrant and started off school not speaking any English.

Williams is taking over at PG&E a time of accelerating change in her industry. She must deal with aggressive renewables targets—California requires that 50% of utilities' power be generated by renewable sources by 2030—as well as an increasingly complex energy ecosystem. (Utilities are becoming as important for their ability to receive power from other entities as they are for their ability to produce and distribute their own juice.)

But if anyone can handle change, it's Williams. She played a crucial role in transforming PG&E's electricity business into a leader in clean energy. During her tenure as president of the business unit (her role before becoming chief), PG&E connected more solar rooftops and supported more EVs than any other energy company in the U.S. and reached its 2020 target—to generate 33% of its electricity from renewable sources—three years early. Read my full profile of Williams here: Fortune

.
 
.
 
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

The silence is deafening. While a sexist joke made by Uber board member David Bonderman quickly went viral Wednesday, Arianna Huffington, a fellow director who was in the room when it was made, simply laughed it off. It's a troubling reaction from the woman who has taken a leadership role during the company's investigation and attempt at cultural reform, and one who has previously said that she was "committed to making whatever changes are necessary" at Uber. Fortune

Avon lady's leaving? Avon CEO Sheri McCoy is expected to step down after failing to turn around the beleaguered cosmetics retailer, according to WSJ sources. Terms of the chief's departure are still being worked out and no final decisions have been made; it is not clear who will succeed her. Wall Street Journal

Poetess-in-chief. The Library of Congress has named Tracy Smith its new poet laureate, the nation's highest honor in that field. Smith, who has published three volumes of poetry and collected plenty of prestigious awards (including the Pulitzer Prize), says she plans to take poetry to communities that haven't had regular access to it. Fortune

 Margo's making moves. Mattel CEO Margo Georgiadis told investors that she would get the ailing toy maker back on track by placing firmer bets on emerging markets, increasing the pace of toy development, and focusing more on the digital play experience. "It is time to reinvent this company because of where the world is headed," Georgiadis told Fortune's John Kell in an interview Wednesday. Fortune

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Harvard University president Drew Gilpin Faust will step down next June. EMILY's List has appointed Emily Cain as its new executive director. President Trump said he would nominate Jessica Rosenworcel to fill a Democratic seat on the Federal Communications Commission. Publicis has appointed Carla Serrano as its new strategy chief and Veronique Weill as general manager.

.
content from Deloitte
Inclusion for talent retention
The majority of respondents to a Deloitte survey say they would leave or consider leaving an organization for one that has more of the inclusive aspects they desire.
Read More Here
.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

 Harris 'hysteria.' CNN political analyst Kirsten Powers called out former Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller for his use of the word "hysteria" to describe Sen. Kamala Harris' (D-CA) interrogation of AG Jeff Sessions during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Tuesday. Powers fired back: "How was Sen. Kamala Harris hysterical?" She then pointed out that she behaved similarly to another (male) Senator, but that in Miller's view, "he wasn't hysterical, she was." Fortune

At least they're trying? Fox News parent 21st Century Fox has launched a new women's initiative. Called Women@Fox, it aims to help women gain skills and/or mentorship to allow them to rise through the ranks. A launch day panel featured 20th Century Fox Film chairman and CEO Stacey Snider and Fox Television chairman and CEO Dana Walden. Hollywood Reporter

 Yellen's not sayin'. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen dodged a question about whether she would serve a second term at the helm of the central bank if asked to stay on by President Donald Trump. "I have not had conversations with the president about future plans," she said. Bloomberg

Share today's Broadsheet with a friend:
http://fortune.com/newsletter/broadsheet/

Looking for previous Broadsheets? Click here.

.
ON MY RADAR

Margaret Atwood annotates season 1 of 'The Handmaid's Tale' New York Times

Ivanka Trump calls for national unity after Virginia shooting  Fortune

A tribute to Rolling Stones muse Anita Pallenberg Evening Standard

Katy Perry woke up. She wants to tell you all about it. New York Times

.
.
QUOTE

Looking at Uber, I see opportunity and potential. I don't see a fire.
Bozoma Saint John, Uber's new chief brand officer
.
EMAIL Kristen Bellstrom
subscribe
share: TW FB IN
.
This message has been sent to you because you are currently subscribed to The Broadsheet
Unsubscribe here

Please read our Privacy Policy, or copy and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.fortune.com/privacy

All products and services featured are based solely on editorial selection. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.

For Further Communication, Please Contact:
FORTUNE Customer Service
3000 University Center Drive
Tampa, FL 33612-6408

Advertising Info | Subscribe to Fortune

In defense of 'hysterical' Kamala Harris

FOLLOW
subscribe
SEND TIP
June 15, 2017

By now, you’ve no doubt heard the sexist “joke” that TPG Capital co-founder and Uber board member David Bonderman told Tuesday during an all-staff meeting about an investigation into Uber’s cultural issues, including claims of sexism and sexual harassment.

But to recap, fellow board member and media mogul Arianna Huffington was pointing out that adding a female board member increases the odds of bringing on an additional woman. Bonderman laughed off the evidence. “Actually, what it shows is that it’s much more likely to be more talking,” he said, according to an audio recording obtained by Yahoo.

There is—of course—a stereotype that women, when in the same room, do nothing but gab, gab, gab. But, as Huffington Post‘s Emily Peck points out, there’s research that shows it’s actually men who can’t shut up.

A 2012 study by professors at Princeton and Brigham Young found that among 94 groups of five people—with varied gender make-ups—men talked far more than women at meetings.

"The study shows that men will dominate the conversation if there are more men than women in the group, and they dominate by a lot," one of the study’s authors, Tali Mendelberg, said in an interview. "When you have just two women in the group, those women are much more silent than men are."

So not only did Bonderman show poor taste and even worse timing—factually, his statement was wrong. And his joke served as further proof since he interrupted Huffington to make it.

@clairezillman

.
EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

On Wednesdays, we wear white
Women in Iran are wearing white headscarves and white clothing every Wednesday to protest a law that forces women to wear a head covering. 
BBC
.
Risking it all
Washington Post correspondent Souad Mekhennet talked to Fresh Air's Terry Gross about her new memoir I Was Told to Come Alone. In it, Mekhennet writes about how she's risked kidnapping and imprisonment to report on extremist groups, such as ISIS and the Taliban.
NPR
.
THE AMERICAS

Speaking from experience
Following the shooting in Virginia on Wednesday that injured Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) tweeted her support of her former colleague and later released a statement saying the shooting "is an attack on all who serve and on all who participate in our democracy." Giffords was herself the victim of an assassination attempt in 2011.
Fortune
.
Kudos to Kirsten
On CNN Tuesday night, a former Trump campaign aide Jason Miller said Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Cali.) had acted "hysterical" in her questioning of Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Political analyst Kirsten Powers pressed Miller on why he'd used the word in reference to Harris and not in regards to a male senator, who questioned Sessions just as aggressively. Another commentator said that hysterical was a gender-neutral term, to which Powers shot back: "And yet, it's just women that usually are called hysterical."
Fortune
.
Eyes on 2025
Accenture (which sponsors this newsletter) pledged yesterday to reach full gender parity in its workforce by 2025. The professional services giant is already well on its way; as of this year, the company is 40% female, surpassing an earlier goal to reach that percentage by 2020.
Fortune
.
content from Accenture
What a daughter needs to hear
What's the best advice Accenture Managing Director Jeffrey Russell gives his daughter, Maggie? See his tips on equality and his suggestion for men in the workplace wanting to understand and close the gender gap.
WATCH THE VIDEO
.
ASIA-PACIFIC

Cutting ties with Taiwan
On Monday evening, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela announced that he was establishing diplomatic ties with China and breaking with Taiwan, saying he was "convinced this is the correct path for our country" given China's size. Panama is the second country—after the small African islands of Sao Tome and Principe—to split with Taiwan since the election of President Tsai Ing-wen, but she remained resolute in the wake of the news, insisting that Taipei will never bow down to threats and intimidation from Beijing and is determined to uphold its sovereignty.
Washington Post
.
Passed over
When the United Nations selected its new secretary general last year, former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark was considered a strong contender, especially with the groundswell of support for a female leader. But Antonio Guterres of Portugal got the job instead. "I won the public vote, I won the social media scene, I won the staff votes—all of that, but it didn't matter at all," says Clark, concluding that the security council "wasn't looking for someone like me...an independent-minded leader, who looks at the evidence and makes decisions accordingly."
The Guardian
.
IN BRIEF

Avon CEO Sheri McCoy is expected to step down, report says
Fortune
Harvard's first female president is leaving
The Cut
'I felt like one of my father's songbirds, let out of its cage': driving as a woman in Saudi Arabia
Guardian
Irish abortion rates are down and it could be because more women are buying illegal pills online
Buzzfeed
.
.
PARTING WORDS

"I understand the powerful and necessary role poetry can play in sustaining a rich inner life and fostering a mindful, empathic, and resourceful culture."
—Tracy Smith, who on Wednesday became the new U.S. poet laureate
.
EMAIL Claire Zillman
subscribe
share: TW FB IN
.
This message has been sent to you because you are currently subscribed to The World's Most Powerful Women
Unsubscribe here

Please read our Privacy Policy, or copy and paste this link into your browser:
http://www.fortune.com/privacy

All products and services featured are based solely on editorial selection. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.

For Further Communication, Please Contact:
FORTUNE Customer Service
3000 University Center Drive
Tampa, FL 33612-6408

Advertising Info | Subscribe to Fortune