Thank you to everyone who tuned in to watch our 20th Anniversary virtual gala on November 12, 2020. It was truly incredible to gather with the Upwardly Global community, new and old, in celebration and recognition of the immigrants that make this country what it is today. We had an exceptional program full of light, laughter and commitment, and you can watch it all – again or for the first time – here:
Guest Speakers
Michael Bloomberg
Keynote Address, Founder, Bloomberg LP & Bloomberg Philanthropies / 108th Mayor of New York City / Founder, New American Economy
Wes Moore
CEO, Robin Hood
Honorees
Julie Sweet
CEO, Accenture
for Driving Innovation
Hikmet Ersek
President and CEO, Western Union
for Forging Connections
O.C. Tanner
Leadership and Staff
for Championing Inclusion
How our Honorees are Supporting Immigrants, Refugees and America
As the CEO of Accenture, Julie Sweet has been a powerful advocate for closing skills gaps in the digital economy and making progress on workforce inclusion, diversity, and equality. Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud, and security. The company’s 506,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries.
Hikmet Ersek enables individuals and families to connect and support each other across 200 countries. Hikmet draws on his international background to speak out publicly for the rights of migrants, refugees, and under-represented populations worldwide.
O.C Tanner develops strategic employee recognition and reward solutions that help people accomplish and appreciate great work. Its leadership and staff work with thousands of companies to build positive workplace cultures based on the appreciation of diverse talents, and sets an example with its commitment to hiring and advancing refugees.
Fireside Chat on the Future of Work, Immigrants & our Shared Future
Jeremy Robbins
Executive Director, New American Economy
Jina Krause-Vilmar
President and CEO, Upwardly Global
Featuring Special Guests
Negin Farsad
Comedian
Tony Goncalves, Master of Ceremonies
Head of Sales and Distribution, WarnerMedia
Michael Tello
DJ
Gala co-Chairs
Tony Goncalves, Head of Sales and Distribution, WarnerMedia
Suzette Brooks Masters, Center for Inclusion and Belonging
Jeremy Robbins, New American Economy
Pranav Ramanathan, Board Chair + Coacharya & Ellipsis
Ganesh Betanabhatla, Board Member + Ramas Capital Investment
Kathy Taylor, Board Member + Taylor Executive Search
#ImmigrantsAreUs Campaign
Featuring:
Ebony Beckwith, Salesforce
Torry Berntsen, Standard Chartered
Stan Bergman, Henry Schein
Krishan Bhatia, NBCUniversal
Andrew Chau, Boba Guys
Pascal DesRoches, WarnerMedia
Farooq Kathwari, Ethan Allen
Ursulina Ramirez
Amra Sabic El-Reyess, Columbia University
Dr. Jan Vilcek, Vilcek Foundation
Tali Farhadian Weinstein, New York University
Unshackled Ventures
We Thank Our Sponsors
Global Visionary
Diversity Champion
Inclusion Luminary
Wendy Zimmermann and Steve Cutler
Joshua Winter and Sandhya Rao
Bridge Builder
Pranav Ramanathan
Ganesh Betanabhatla
Tammi Ling
Kathy Taylor and Terry Atkinson
Tali Farhadian Weinstein and Boaz Weinstein
Tony Goncalves
Community Ally
Nikki Cicerani and Vicente Gonzalez
Katherine Lipton and Alex Lipman
Todd Harding and David Lassiter
Winita Lau and Gnana Kumar Kanisan
Harit and Reena Talwar
Zegar Family Fund
David and
Vicki Ho
Jayne Lipman and Bob Goodman
Special thanks to
well said. NYC
Taylor Made Experience
Falcon Events
Chk12
Daniel Lawrence Abrams
Aaron Alexander
Connect