Making a Positive Impact Together
February 02, 2019 - MoFo Diversity

Change From the Top

Change From the Top

Morrison & Foerster is gearing up to host its second biennial Change from the Top diversity and inclusion event, which will be held in the firm’s San Francisco office on October 10, 2019.

Change from the Top (CFTT) invites CEOs and general counsel from organizations across various industries to join MoFo partners in sharing best practices around diversity and inclusion. CFTT is designed to provide a unique opportunity for leaders across industries to discuss some of the biggest diversity and inclusion-related challenges they currently face, in the hopes of helping organizations create and sustain more inclusive work environments. The program will include three breakout sessions covering the following topics:

  • Diversity and inclusion in an increasingly global context
  • Diversity within the talent pipeline: from recruiting to board membership
  • Inclusion and how to promote/sustain a culture of allyship within your organization

These workshops will cover concrete steps that organizations are taking to diversify their workforce, and the implications of the new California board diversity requirements. The program will also feature Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism author Safiya Umoja Noble, who will present on “Algorithmic Bias”—the problem of bias influencing artificial intelligence and other systems that rely on algorithms—and what organizations are doing to identify and reduce that bias.

The steering committee for Change from the Top 2019 includes:

  • Alexis Amezcua, Litigation Partner
  • Rudy Kim, Litigation Partner
  • Fredo Silva, Corporate Partner
  • Christin Hill, Litigation Of Counsel
  • Crystal Kaldjob, Finance Associate
  • Lily Li, Litigation Associate

MoFo’s previous Change from the Top panel took place on January 30, 2017 in the firm’s New York office, with more than 100 CEOs and corporate executives in attendance.

As noted in a recent McKinsey study, companies with diverse workforces financially outperform their peers.

The 2017 event looked at ways in which corporate leaders can champion diversity within the organization, addressing such questions as:

  • How can we define diversity within a global context?
  • Do traditional notions of “leadership” stifle progress toward innovation, engagement, collaboration, and meaningful inclusion?
  • What can we do to close the gender pay gap?
  • How can we effectively address unconscious bias in the workplace?
  • How do we overcome climates of silence?
  • What best practices exist to support diverse talent in the financial, legal, technology, commodities, and communications industries?

MoFo panelists and speakers included:

  • Larren Nashelsky, chair
  • Keith Wetmore, chair emeritus
  • Purvi Patel, co-chair, Diversity Strategy Committee
  • Jamie Levitt, partner
  • Josh Klayman, of counsel
  • Dario de Martino, partner
  • Natalie Kernisant, attorney diversity and inclusion manager

Other panelists included:

  • Jon Iwata, senior vice president, marketing and communications, at IBM
  • Kimberly Lubel, CEO of CST Brands, Inc.
  • Julian Moore, senior managing director of K2 Intelligence LLC
  • Dinesh Paliwal, CEO of Harman International Industries
  • Jerome Peribere, CEO of Sealed Air Corporation
  • Danya Perry, general counsel of MacAndrews & Forbes

Change from the Top 2017

New York of counsel Josh Klayman; James Blueweiss, head of North American partnerships, Babator; New York partner Dario de Martino; diversity and inclusion manager Natalie Kernisant; and Genevieve Leveille, CEO of AgriLedger, were among the many attendees in our New York office.

Musicians from Julliard opened the evening reception.

Jon Iwata, SVP, marketing and communications, IBM; Dinesh Paliwal, CEO of Harman International Industries; and New York partner Dario de Martino shared best practices for promoting diversity.