Vital Voices Hosts 24th Annual Global Leadership Awards in NYC, Celebrating Extraordinary Women Leaders
Hosted by Bozoma Saint John with special appearances from Sec. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Diane von Furstenberg, Sophia Bush, Michelle Rodriguez, Abby Phillip, and more
Vital Voices Global Partnership held its 24th Annual Global Leadership Awards at the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) in New York City. The event brought together global leaders, philanthropists, and changemakers to honor women whose work is reshaping industries and driving progress worldwide. Marketing executive and entrepreneur Bozoma Saint John served as the evening’s host.
The night recognized women confronting some of humanity’s most urgent challenges — from climate change and economic inequality to digital safety. This year’s honorees were: Dame Donna Langley, Chairwoman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, who received the Trailblazer Award, presented by Ariela Suster; Susie Wolff, Managing Director of F1 Academy, who was presented with the Icon Award by Sophia Bush; Tracy Chou, Founder and CEO of Block Party, and Seyi Akiwowo, activist and founder of Glitch, who jointly received the inaugural Susan Wojcicki Tech for Impact Award, presented by Esther Wojcicki; and Shirin Musa, Founder of Femmes for Freedom, presented by Abby Phillip, and forest conservationist Farwiza Farhan, presented by Michelle Rodriguez, who both received Global Leadership Awards.
Vital Voices President and CEO Alyse Nelson opened the evening by reflecting on the organization’s decades-long work: “Over the past three decades, Vital Voices has been quietly building a global network of once-in-a-lifetime leaders who consistently dare and dream and do what others believe is just impossible. These are the leaders this world needs, and the women across our network — 49,000 women across 195 countries — are poised to create generational change, but they cannot do it alone.”
Vital Voices co-founder and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton closed the program with a pointed message: “I don’t think that we could’ve imagined that the mission of Vital Voices would be even more critical today than when we started nearly 30 years ago. The attacks on women’s voices, women’s rights, women’s opportunities, and our full participation in society have weakened democracies and strengthened the hand of authoritarians. This is not by accident but by design. Tonight’s honorees are part of the resistance to that growing repression. Through their resilience and determination, they have refused to accept the status quo or efforts to turn the clock back.”
A significant moment of the evening was the introduction of the Susan Wojcicki Tech for Impact Award, established to honor the legacy of the late former YouTube CEO, Vital Voices mentor, and technology advocate. The award, presented by Susan’s mother, Esther Wojcicki, will be given annually to women who use technology to address the world’s most pressing issues through innovation and policy. “It’s been almost two years since we lost Susan, but she lives in my heart every minute of every day,” said Esther Wojcicki. “I’m grateful to Vital Voices for helping us carry Susan’s legacy forward through this award.”
Other notable voices throughout the evening included Diane von Furstenberg, Vital Voices co-founder, who said from the stage: “Vital Voices is the ultimate network of badass women who dream big, solve problems, and spread kindness. If we’re going to overcome the many, many challenges we’re facing in this world, we need more leaders who know how to turn darkness into light.”
Highlights from the honorees and presenters:
Accepting the Trailblazer Award, Donna Langley reflected on persistence in the face of obstacles: “It will always feel like our momentum is uncertain. Obstacles will remain the only constant, and the urgency for change will continue to grow. Pushing forward when progress is stalled, and discouragement creeps in, is when the work matters most.”
Sophia Bush, presenting the Icon Award, spoke to the urgency of Susie Wolff’s leadership: “Susie’s leadership isn’t just inspiring, it’s urgent. She’s answering what society could look like if leaders chose to center the next generation, and she’s clearing the way for those who come next.” Wolff, in accepting the award, noted the broader momentum behind women’s sport: “I think it’s a testament to where women’s sport is right now — when we get the people with power backing us, when we get the investments, we’ve shown what’s possible. I know firsthand how powerful it can be when women stand up for other women and when we create chances.”
Michelle Rodriguez, presenting the Global Leadership Award to Farwiza Farhan, said: “Young leaders like Farwiza show us what’s possible. She pushes for greater inclusion and insists that women’s voices be reflected in any policy that affects them. She’s proving despair isn’t an option when there’s so much to fight for.” Farhan, accepting the award, called for women to be centered in climate solutions: “If we are serious about climate change, we need to be serious about who shapes the solutions. Women must be in every room where decisions are made. We must design solutions with women as equal partners from the very beginning. The solution is simple: invest in women.”
The two inaugural recipients of the Susan Wojcicki Tech for Impact Award each addressed the power and responsibility of 기술.
Tracy Chou said: “When so much of the tech industry is driven by the relentless pursuit of profit, it can feel like the outcomes of Big Tech are inevitable, that it’s too powerful for us to sway the course. Whether we are the creators of technology or consumers of it, we have the power to make sure it serves us.” Seyi Akiwowo added, “I want young people to know that online harm is not inevitable. That dignity, safety, and care are not luxuries. They are non-negotiables. The tech we have today has been designed, and that means that it can be redesigned.”
Abby Phillip, presenting the Global Leadership Award to Shirin Musa, observed, “So many of the women Vital Voices supports didn’t plan to be leaders. They came into this from their experience or out of sheer necessity. When adversity struck their lives, they didn’t just have the courage to advocate only for themselves or just to survive; they chose to go further and advocate for others.” Musa, accepting her award, spoke to the intersection of migration and human rights: “When we think about migration, we have to think about integration and emancipation because women and girls everywhere, migrants or not, deserve to own our own bodies, our minds and our basic human rights.”
Special appearances during the evening came from Sec. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Diane von Furstenberg, Sophia Bush, Michelle Rodriguez, and Abby Phillip, among others. Notable attendees included Huma Abedin, Stacey Bendet, Tina Brown, Laura Brown, Georgina Chapman, Julia Fox, Ashlyn Harris, Bianca Lawson, Iman, Tonya Lewis Lee, Nicole Ari Parker, and Tanya Taylor.
The event’s co-hosts were: Huma Abedin, Fabiola Beracasa Beckman, Laura Brown, Elizabeth & Bruce Buchanan, Lili Buffett, Sali Christeson, Stéphane de La Faverie, Sarah Harden, JR & Kathleen Kerr, Karlie Kloss, Gisel Kordestani, Tonya Lewis Lee, Cindi Leive, Rachelle Hruska MacPherson, Alyse Nelson, Kristina O’Neill, Abby Phillip, Marc Pritchard, Deborah Rutter, Bozoma Saint John, Megan Smith, Catherine St-Laurent, Selina Tobaccowala, Jennifer Tuft, Diane von Furstenberg, and Sherrie Westin.
The Global Leadership Awards serves as Vital Voices’ flagship annual fundraiser in support of its mission to identify, invest in, and amplify women leaders addressing the world’s greatest challenges.
About Vital Voices Global Partnership
For more than 28 years, Vital Voices Global Partnership has invested in women leaders working to solve the world’s most pressing problems. Acting as “venture catalysts,” the organization identifies leaders with bold visions for change and partners with them to turn those visions into reality — providing long-term support to grow their skills, connections, capacity, and visibility. Since its founding in 1997, Vital Voices has directly supported more than 49,000 women changemakers across 188 countries. Alumni of the program include Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, U.S. Youth Poet Laureates, prime ministers, and breakthrough social entrepreneurs.
Photo credit: Getty Images for Vital Voices Global Partnership
