25 Voices, 25 Years continues with Trudy Bourgeois, a true champion for change. As one of the original founders of NextUp, a four-year member of our Board of Directors, and a published author, she has dedicated her career to advancing equity and inclusion in ways that reach far beyond any single organization.
When you helped start NextUp, what problem were you trying to solve, and what part of that problem still surprises you today?
When we started the Network of Executive Women in 2001, we were trying to advance the presence of women at all levels within the CPG, Retail and services industry. What surprises me is that so many of the barriers we identified at the very beginning are still present today.
What’s a moment from the early days that made you realize NextUp could become a much larger organization?
When we started attracting the attention of CEOs, I knew that the group could become large but more importantly more powerful.
Having leaders at that level engaged meant the conversations we were having could translate into real change inside organizations.
If you could give one piece of advice to today’s NextUp members navigating leadership in a very different world, what would it be?
Gain advocacy at the highest possible level within the organization’s NextUp partners. including at the board level.
Know your value. Be able to explain the link between your work and its impact on the P&L.
Don’t shrink, ever. Build your confidence and be bold.
When you imagine NextUp 25 years from now, what do you hope people say we helped make possible?
We advanced an authentic appreciation for the value and impact that inclusion has upon a company’s bottom line.
We fueled a movement of support so that no woman, of any color, feels alone and without hope.
To close out Trudy’s profile, we are taking it back to 2011, the 10th anniversary of the Network of Executive Women, where Trudy shared what the organization meant to her.
Every organization has a story, and ours is made up of the people in it. We are honored to share just a few of those voices as we mark 25 years of NextUp!
Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor, The Coca-Cola Company, our Presenting Sponsors, PepsiCo and Suntory Global Spirits, and our Premier Sponsor, Visa, for helping bring this series to life.
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