Ad Club’s Women’s Leadership Forum stays alive amid DEI pushback

Instead of game-day crowds, Gillette Stadium played host Tuesday to conversation, networking, and reflection as the Ad Club held its annual Women’s Leadership Forum.

The day-long event featured speakers, fireside chats, panel discussions, and a small business marketplace offering services from wellness to retail. Attendees heard from leaders across industries, each sharing personal and professional journeys. 

Barb Reilly, CEO and president of the Ad Club, said the forum was created to give women a space to discuss workplace challenges and build meaningful connections. The organization hosts more than 30 events annually focused on networking, education, advocacy, and professional development. 

Since its launch in 2016, when roughly 50 to 75 people attended, the forum has grown to draw more than 1,000 participants, Reilly said. 

This year’s event comes as many companies are reassessing DEI commitments after the Trump administration passed an executive order dismantling DEI programs. 

Reilly said she began hearing from some partners last year who were hesitant to support initiatives explicitly labeled as DEI. 

“It was really hard to hear,” she said. “It was a tough year, so we softened up all of our events last year, because we knew the corporate climate was much more difficult.”

Even so, Reilly emphasized that the Ad Club did not abandon its core mission. 

“We didn’t shy away from doing the things that are the right things to do,” she said. “We just knew it was a tougher market.” 

That commitment, Reilly said, made continuing the forum especially important. 

“As difficult as the year has been, this one is the one that everyone really needs,” she said. “We have a very large population of women in the marketing industry, and they need it more than ever.” 

This year’s theme, “Unbound,” encouraged attendees to define success on their own terms. 

“Success is defined differently by every woman, and it’s up to you to figure out what that success is,” Reilly said. “You should be unbound by other thoughts, and think about your own and what you want.” 

She added that the theme also reflects broader concerns about the current moment. 

“I’ve been around the industry for a long time [and] feel very lucky that I have career choices and choices in my life,” Reilly said. “They are, to me, expected. We’re in a time right now where that’s being challenged.” 

For many attendees, the forum offered both inspiration and practical insight. 

Jenn Sanders, senior manager of digital content strategy at the Massachusetts Port Authority, said a recurring theme among speakers was the need to embrace unexpected opportunities — even when they require “self-transformation.”  

“In this day and age, transformation like that is a really interesting thing a lot of us are grappling with in our careers,” she said. 

Among the featured speakers was Nadia Murad, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the founder of Nadia’s Initiative, which aims to rebuild communities in crisis and advocate globally for sexual violence survivors. During her fireside chat, she emphasized resilience and belief in progress. 

“All of you this morning decided to come here because you still believe in a better world, because you still have faith,” she said. “It’s really moments like this that empower me.” 

Reilly said the connections formed at the forum are not just personally meaningful but professionally essential.

“We don’t market to machines. We market to humans,” she said. “Business grows when we have a community that is lifting each other up.”

Elizabeth Hagele, associate director at GroupeConnect, said the event strengthened her sense of connection to Boston’s professional community.

“I’ve learned that I probably can’t do a solo mission across the South Pole,” Hagele said, referring to Monet Izabeth, a featured speaker who became the first American woman to ski solo to the South Pole. “But you know what? It really inspired me to just, in my day-to-day, to challenge myself and challenge the status quo.” 

Tory Navarro, senior vice president of analytics at Allen & Gerritsen, said the forum offered a valuable break from her work routine. 

“I kind of like to get out of the day-to-day and just hear everyone’s stories, especially different backgrounds, different experiences,” she said. “[It] reinfuses energy into what we do.” 

For Desiree DiIeso, senior vice president of media at Team Lewis, one takeaway stood out: the importance of slowing down. 

“We are such a hustle and bustle culture by nature, and sometimes you need to just step back and let yourself think,” she said. 

As companies navigate a changing approach to DEI, Reilly said spaces like the Women’s Leadership Forum remain essential.

“If we can connect people who might not otherwise meet,” she said, “then we’ve done our job.”

Editor’s note: The Boston Globe was among the sponsors of the forum. The Globe, like Boston.com, is a subsidiary of Boston Globe Media Partners.