Irene Natividad

Last updated

Irene Natividad (born 14 September 1948 in Manila, Philippines) is an American feminist, women's rights activist, corporate director, international advocate for women in leadership positions, President of the GlobeWomen Research and Education Institute, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC whose lead programs include the annual Global Summit of Women and Corporate Women Directors International (CWDI). [1] She previously served as Chair of the National Women's Political Caucus, Chair of the National Commission on Working Women, Executive Director of the Philippine American Foundation, Founder and President of Asian American Professional Women, and Founding Director of the National Network of Asian-Pacific American Women. [2]

Contents

Life

Irene Natividad was born in Manila, Philippines, the eldest of four children of a chemical engineer. The family followed their father to several countries where he worked, including Japan, Iran, Greece and India. In 1971, she graduated valedictorian in the undergraduate class of Long Island University. [3] In 1973, she obtained a Master‘s degree in American literature and, in 1976, a Master‘s degree in Philosophy from Columbia University in New York. [4]

From 1974-1976 Natividad taught early American literature first at Lehman College of City University of New York and then at Columbia University. At the age of 26 (1974), she married Mr. Andrea Cortese, a Satellite Communications executive. Together, they have one son.

Political activities

Her political career began with the distribution of leaflets for the presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy in 1968. From 1982 to 1984, she was the Chairman of the New York State Asian Pacific Caucus, then Vice-Chair of the newly-formed Asian Pacific Caucus of the Democratic National Committee. In 1984, she supported the election campaign of Geraldine Ferraro, the first female vice presidential candidate nominated on the Democratic party ticket, and served as the campaign's liaison to Asian-American voters. [5]

She was elected as the Chair of the National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC) in 1985, making her the first Asian-American woman to lead a national political organization in the United States. [6] In 1987, she was re-elected as Chairman. Under her leadership, the caucus gathered hard data to analyze factors influencing women's congressional races and compiled an annual Survey of Governors' Appointments of Women to state cabinets. The caucus also established the first-ever Minority Women Candidates' Training Program and created the Good Guy Award honoring men who further the cause of women's rights. [7]

During the nineties, she assumed the chairmanship of the National Commission on Working Women, which works on economic equity issues affecting women through groundbreaking research and training programs, and held the role for nine years. [8]

To promote women candidates for high government-appointed positions, Natividad served as Chair of the Coalition for Women's Appointments for three Presidential administrations - for George H.W. Bush in 1998, Bill Clinton in 1992, and Barack Obama in 2008. [9] She also served as National Chair for Asian Americans and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Women for Hillary during Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2008 and 2016. [10]

Natividad has also been influential in several campaigns to increase the number of women voters in Presidential Elections in the U.S.  As Chair of the Women’s Vote Project in 1996, she led a non-profit coalition of 110 women’s groups, [11] and, in 2000, as Chair of Women Vote 2000, she focused the Coalition’s efforts on encouraging more women of color to vote.  [12]

Global Summit of Women

To promote women's economic opportunities and advancement, Natividad has convened the Global Summit of Women, star-studded forums for women in business and government globally. The first Global Summit of Women took place in 1990 in Canada, with the second taking place in 1992 in Dublin, Ireland, followed by Taipei in 1994. Since the 1997 Summit in Miami, Florida, the Global Summit of Women has taken place annually. Informally called the Davos for Women by participants, the Summit focuses on sharing best practices and working strategies that advance women’s economic status globally. In recent years, over 1,000 women from over 60 countries consistently attend each Summit, with participants ranging from Heads of State and women government ministers of various portfolios to male and female senior executives of multinational corporations to women entrepreneurs of small and mid-sized businesses.  

Over the three-decade history of the Global Summit of Women, participants have included South African President Nelson Mandela, [13] numerous sitting Presidents including Mary Robinson of Ireland, Vaira Vike-Freiberga of Latvia, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines, Michelle Bachelet of Chile, and Tarja Halonen of Finland, Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, [14] Prime of France Manuel Valls, and corporate leaders including PepsiCo Chair and CEO Indra Nooyi and Chair of MCM Holdings AG Sung Joo Kim.  

An off-shoot of the Global Summit of Women is the internationally-renowned Corporate Women Directors International (CWDI), which conducts research on women on the boards of directors of top companies globally.  CWDI is frequently cited in the global media on the topic of women on boards. [15] As Chairperson of CWDI, Natividad has authored 31 reports since 1997, including six editions of the CWDI Report on Women Board Directors of the Fortune Global 200 between the years of 2004 and 2019.  

She has also advocated for countries to take proactive measures to accelerate gender diversity on corporate boards.  Among the venues in which she has spoken on the issue include:

In addition, Natividad was invited by the European Commission to address the Committee on Women Rights and Gender Equality in 2010, as it deliberated on a measure to mandate a quota for women board directors across the EU.  

Since 2006, she has pioneered Market Opens which have gathered women in business and politics to spotlight the achievements of women in the economy through participation in over 20 ring-the-bell ceremonies at Stock Exchanges around the world. The Market Opens have taken place at NASDAQ (2006) in New York, the Toronto Stock Exchange (2008), Johannesburg Stock Exchange (2009), Madrid (2011), Istanbul (2011), Barcelona (2012), Warsaw (2012 and 2016), Sao Paolo (2012), Hong Kong (2012), Zurich (2013), Kuala Lumpur (2013), the Deutsche Boerse in Frankfurt (2013), the Euronext Paris Exchange (2014), ASX in Sydney (2014), Manila (2015), Mexico City (2016 and 2018), Ho Chi Minh City (2017), Bangkok (2017), and Bogota, Colombia (2018). [17]

Board directorships and appointments

Natividad has served on several international advisory boards for governments and policy organizations. In 2019, she was appointed by French President Emmanuel Macron to the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council, which was tasked with providing recommendations to President Macron to advance women's equality during the year of France's Presidency of the G7. [18] She has also served on Advisory Boards for G20 Engagement Groups, including the T20 (Think Tanks) [19] and W20 (Women), as a member of UN Women's Leadership for Gender Equality Forum, has been a Board Member for the Global Economic Symposium based in Germany, and the European Commission’s Network to Promote Women in Decision-Making. [20]

In the corporate arena, Natividad has served on numerous corporate and advisory boards. In 1994, she was appointed to the Board of Directors of Sallie Mae Corporation, a Fortune 100 company, by President Clinton. [21] Other board positions include advisory boards for L'Oreal France, Cigna Corporation, Wyndham International, Enterprising Women Magazine, National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), the National Museum for Women in the Arts and the International Museum of Women. In addition, she was a member of the 2012 NACD Blue Ribbon Commission on Board Diversity [22]

Awards (selection)

Resources

Gale Encyclopedia of Biography: Irene Natividad

Homepage of the Global Summit of Women [25]

Biography Irene Natividad, Homepage Globe Women [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanne Verveer</span> American diplomat (born 1944)

Melanne Verveer, born on June 24, 1944, in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, is the executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security at Georgetown University. She also holds positions as a founding partner of Seneca Point Global, a women's strategy firm, and as a co-founder of Seneca Women. Verveer co-authored the book "Fast Forward: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose" with Kim Azzarelli.

Karen K. Narasaki is an American civil rights leader and human rights activist. She most recently served as a Commissioner on the United States Commission on Civil Rights after President Barack Obama appointed her in July 2014. She is the former president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC is a Washington, D.C.–based, nonprofit, nonpartisan, civil rights organization whose mission is to advance the human and civil rights of Asian Pacific Americans through advocacy, public policy, public education and litigation. Prior to her post at AAJC, she served as the Washington, D.C. representative to the Japanese American Citizens League. Narasaki has also served as the chairperson of the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans and as the chairwoman of the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Lewis</span> American political advisor

Ann C. Frank Lewis is an American Democratic Party strategist. Lewis served as White House Communications Director in the Clinton administration and in senior roles under Hillary Clinton. She is currently the co-chair of the Democratic Majority for Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Kornbluh</span> American government official

Karen Kornbluh served as U.S. Ambassador to the OECD under President Barack Obama and as a senior official at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Federal Communications Commission under President Bill Clinton. She is an expert on communications policy, international trade and issues affecting working families. Her profile in The New York Times focused on her efforts “Fighting for Economic Equality.” She is now Director of the Digital Innovation and Democracy Initiative at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a think tank dedicated to promoting transatlantic cooperation, where she is also a Senior Fellow. She also currently serves as the Chairperson of the board of the Open Technology Fund. She was previously Executive Vice President of External Affairs at Nielsen, Senior Fellow for Digital Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, and a presidentially-appointed member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. She was a senior adviser to Barack Obama from the beginning of his Senate tenure throughout his 2008 presidential campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irene Hirano</span> American business executive (1948–2020)

Irene Hirano Inouye was an American business executive who was the founding President of the U.S.-Japan Council, a position she held ever since she helped create the organization in 2009 until her death. Hirano Inouye focused on building positive relations between the United States and Japan, and was also a leader in philanthropy, community engagement, and advancing social causes. She served on a number of prominent non-profit boards, and was chair of the Ford Foundation's board of trustees. She previously served as president and founding chief executive officer of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles from 1988 to 2008, which is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meera Sanyal</span> Indian banker and politician (1961–2019)

Meera Sanyal was an Indian banker and politician. She was CEO and chair of the Royal Bank of Scotland in India. The daughter of a highly decorated Naval officer, Vice Admiral Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani, she was involved in banking for over 30 years before stepping down from RBS to stand as the Aam Aadmi Party candidate in South Mumbai in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, which she lost. She had earlier contested as an independent candidate in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from the Mumbai South constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geeta Rao Gupta</span> Indian academic (born 1956)

Geeta Rao Gupta is a leader on gender, women's issues, and HIV/AIDS who is serving as United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues since May 2023. She previously served as executive director of the 3D Program for Girls and Women and senior fellow at the United Nations Foundation since 2017. She is frequently consulted on issues related to AIDS prevention and women's vulnerability to HIV and is an advocate for women's economic and social empowerment to fight disease, poverty and hunger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farah Pandith</span> American academic (born 1968)

Farah Pandith is an American academic of Indian descent. She was appointed the first-ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities in June 2009 by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The position was made specifically for her after she briefed Secretary Clinton about her work in the Bush administration. She had the rare distinction of being a political appointee for two Republican presidents and President Obama. When she was the Special Representative she traveled to almost 100 countries. After serving under both Secretaries Clinton and John Kerry, she left government. She said she came to Washington after 9/11 again and wanted to serve – she left after more than a decade in public service. She worked at USAID and then went to the National Security Council and then the U.S. Department of State. When she left in 2014, she returned to her home state of Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Verde</span> Spanish business and social entrepreneur

Juan Verde Suárez is a Spanish business and social entrepreneur who assisted the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign, as well as earlier campaigns of prominent Democrats such as President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Senator John Kerry, and Senator Ted Kennedy. He is currently a member of the President's Export Council, an advisory body to the White House on international trade and U.S. competitiveness in international markets, under President Biden.

Gender representation on corporate boards of directors refers to the proportion of men and women who occupy board member positions. To measure gender diversity on corporate boards, studies often use the percentage of women holding corporate board seats and the percentage of companies with at least one woman on their board. Globally, men occupy more board seats than women. As of 2018, women held 20.8% of the board seats on Russell 1000 companies. Most percentages for gender representation on corporate boards refer only to public company boards. Private companies are not required to disclose information on their board of directors, so the data is less available.

Cassandra Kelly is an international advisor, speaker, and company director. She is a founding member of the European Union's Global Tech Panel, and Chair of Treasury Corporation of Victoria. She is co-founder of Pottinger and Atomli Inc. Her thinking on disruption, diversity, philanthropy, and business leadership has been featured in articles, speeches and books. She is founder of the WomanUp program providing coaching to aspiring executive women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Eitel</span>

Maria Eitel is the founder and Chair of the Nike Foundation, which supports the work of The Girl Effect, of which she is the founder and Chair. Before founding the Nike Foundation, Eitel was the first Vice President for Corporate Responsibility at Nike Inc.

Todd G. Sears, American businessman and advocate for LGBTQ+ equality, is the founder and CEO of Out Leadership since 2010. A former investment banker and private banker, he has served as head of diversity strategy at Merrill Lynch from 2007-2008 and head of diversity and inclusion at Credit Suisse from 2008-2010. Sears started the first team of financial advisors focused on serving the needs of the LGBTQ community in Wall Street history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mi-Ai Parrish</span> American journalist

Mi-Ai Parrish is an American journalist and media executive, including former president and publisher of USA TODAY NETWORK Arizona, The Arizona Republic, a daily newspaper, and azcentral.com in Phoenix, Arizona, the first person of color in the role. The company won a Pulitzer Prize during her tenure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">44th G7 summit</span> 2018 meeting in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada

The 44th G7 summit was held on 8–9 June 2018, in La Malbaie in the Charlevoix region of Quebec, Canada. This was the sixth time since 1981 that Canada has hosted the meetings.

Irene Ovonji-Odida is a Ugandan lawyer, politician, and women's rights activist. A member of the Uganda Law Reform Commission, she contributed to the writing of the 1995 Ugandan Constitution and helped to shape the East African Community. She has worked for various charities including ActionAid and carried out election monitoring in Uganda and Tanzania. She was an elected member of the East African Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2006.

Lorraine S. McGowen is an American lawyer. She is the lead restructuring partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in the New York office. McGowen works with financial institutions, lender groups and creditor committees who want to maximize recoveries in complicated bankruptcies, out-of-court restructurings and rights controversies. She also works with investors and acquirers of distressed companies. McGowen is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Sweet</span> American business executive

Julie Terese Sweet is an American business executive and attorney. She is chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of Accenture, a multinational professional services company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Maldonado</span> American politician

Michelle Lopes Maldonado is an American business leader, former corporate and tech lawyer, and member of the Democratic Party. A Virginia resident since 1993, Maldonado has served in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2022 and currently represents Virginia's 20th district. She represented Virginia's 50th District from 2022 to 2024, and was a candidate for the U.S. Congress (VA-CD10) in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monique F. Leroux</span>

Monique Forget Leroux CC OQ is a Canadian businesswoman. From 2008 to 2016, she was chair of the board and chief executive officer of Desjardins Group.

References

  1. ↑ Gamarekian, Barbara; Times, Special To the New York (1987-11-18). "Washington Talk: National Women's Political Caucus; Carrying Word of a Women's Agenda". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  2. ↑ "Irene Natividad – WOMAN of ACTION™".
  3. ↑ "Search". No. June 24, 1971. Daily News, New York. Daily News. June 24, 1971.
  4. ↑ "Archives | The Star Online". 2014-01-06. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  5. ↑ Brozan, Nadine (July 6, 1985). "From Minority Activist to Feminist Leader". The New York Times. No. July 6, 1985. New York Times.
  6. ↑ "From Minority Activist to Feminist Leader". New York Times. No. July 6, 1985. New York Times. July 6, 1985.
  7. ↑ O'Dea Schenken, Suzanne (1999). From Suffrage to the Senate: An Encyclopedia of American Women in Politics. ABC-CLIO. p. 497.
  8. ↑ C-Span https://www.c-span.org/organization/?12139/National-Commission-Working-Women.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ "International Museum of Women".
  10. ↑ "Clinton Campaign Announces Asian Americans And Pacific Islanders for Hillary". Hillary Clinton for President Exploratory Committee. May 16, 2007.
  11. ↑ Writers, Lisa Anderson and Joseph A. Kirby, Tribune Staff (30 August 1996). "FOUR YEARS LATER, IT'S THE YEAR OF THE WOMEN". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-11-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ Newspapers, MARK HELM Hearst (18 August 1999). "CANDIDATES IGNORE BLOC OF WOMEN, STUDY SAYS". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  13. ↑ "Women rule, Mandela tells summit | IOL News". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  14. ↑ "The Prime Minister in Action". Office of Prime Minister of Japan.
  15. ↑ Carnegy, Hugh (2014-06-05). "Europe leads the way in the number of women on top company boards" . Financial Times . Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  16. ↑ G7 http://www.g7.utoronto.ca/employment/2019-labour-social-press-pack.pdf.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ↑ "Bell rings to end trading as a man's game". Women's Agenda. 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  18. ↑ "Advisory Council". Elysee. January 2019.
  19. ↑ "26 international experts make up the T20 Advisory Board". 2 March 2018.
  20. ↑ "Gender equality". European Commission - European Commission. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  21. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-01-01. Retrieved 2019-11-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  22. ↑ "National Association of Corporate Directors". www.nacdonline.org. Retrieved 2019-11-07.[ permanent dead link ]
  23. ↑ "Lifting the Burden". HuffPost. 2010-05-17. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  24. ↑ "DiversityGlobal Magazine". www.diversityglobal.com. Retrieved 2019-11-07.[ permanent dead link ]
  25. ↑ "Global Summit of Women". globewomen.org. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  26. ↑ "Irene Natividad". www.globewomen.org. 28 July 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.