FORTUNE Announces Premier Leadership Community for Executive-Track Professionals

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, FORTUNE Media announced the newest tier in its slate of premium offerings. Launching on October 5, FORTUNE CONNECT is a membership community for mid-career professionals—executive track, rising fast and leadership bound—who are looking for the knowledge, inspiration, and allies they need to successfully lead in a stakeholder and purpose-driven world. Our platform combines self-guided learning, best-in-class journalism, and weekly networking events for a manageable, yet meaningful experience.

FORTUNE's expert business journalists have been leading the conversation that informs the C-Suite community for decades. Now, FORTUNE CONNECT will bring those conversations to the C-Suites of the future. FORTUNE CEO Alan Murray says, "The world of business is changing at an accelerating rate, and companies need help preparing tomorrow's leaders. FORTUNE CONNECT is our answer to that challenge. It provides executives on a leadership track with an opportunity to learn from the very best in business, and it gives them a grounding in the principles of purpose-driven business, stakeholder capitalism and inclusive leadership."

The FORTUNE CONNECT curriculum has been curated by a team under the guidance of award-winning race, culture and leadership journalist Ellen McGirt. She explains, "FORTUNE CONNECT was conceived and launched in a world facing enormous and urgent issues—global health, racial inequity, climate, as examples—a shared burden increasingly born by the business community. If you're a smart, dedicated, curious professional in the middle of your career, what do you need to know—who do you need to meet?—that would help you shift that burden into an opportunity to make lasting change? The FORTUNE CONNECT experience is an always-on conversation about the role business must play in the world now, with inspiring people we believe hold a piece of the puzzle. And, I expect, Fellows may even have some fun." 

FORTUNE CONNECT Fellows will also have exclusive access to livestreams and video on demand of FORTUNE's conferences, including the FORTUNE CEO Initiative and FORTUNE Global Forum virtual conferences (Oct. 26-27). Participants of FORTUNE's MPW NextGen conference (Oct. 13-14) will receive trial FORTUNE CONNECT memberships, and all FORTUNE CONNECT Fellows will be able to stream the conference live. Confirmed MPW Next Gen speakers include Diane von Fürstenberg, Founder and Co-chairman, DVF Studio, LP and Talita von Fürstenberg, Designer, TVF for DVF; Kathryn McLay, President and CEO, Sam's Club, Walmart; Jennifer Siebel Newsom, First Partner, California; Newsha Ghaeli, Co-founder and President, Biobot Analytics, and Mariana Matus, Co-founder and CEO, Biobot Analytics; and Chelsea Clinton, who will be moderating a panel.

In order to bring an array of expertise to our new platform, FORTUNE is partnering with Accenture, Genpact, IBM, Salesforce, and Workday—five companies with demonstrated success in developing strong and effective leaders. As founding FORTUNE CONNECT Knowledge Partners, they will be supporting hundreds of their own high-performing executives by making them Fellows when the platform launches in October.

Knowledge Partner Quotes

Accenture's Chief Leadership & Human Resources Officer Ellyn Shook says "At Accenture, our people are our most important source of differentiation, so providing them with experiences to continuously learn and build their skills is an essential part of our culture. Through FORTUNE CONNECT, rising leaders will forge stronger connections and learn from one another to lead with compassion, lead responsibly, and innovate with purpose—ultimately, driving positive change for both their organizations and broader society."

"Genpact is passionate to help the next generation of critical thinkers develop the skills needed to adapt, rise, and thrive as individuals, leaders, and catalysts for social good," says "Tiger" Tyagarajan, President and CEO of Genpact. "With tailored courses, coaching, and mentoring, Fortune CONNECT will turn today's high-potential executives into tomorrow's most successful leaders. We're excited to support this meaningful initiative as a knowledge partner and be part of this growing community."

"At Salesforce, we are committed to talent development and fostering the next generation of leaders. We believe that increasing access to development opportunities for our rising talent will help shape the future of our company—and our industry," says Angela McKenna, Senior Vice President of Talent Experience at Salesforce. "With the help of FORTUNE CONNECT, we can deepen our commitment to our leaders by broadening our reach, creating meaningful connections and providing new professional development opportunities to inspire change in what leadership means and how it's experienced." 

"Workday puts employees first—always and without exception. As part of that, we're continually seeking out innovative ways to develop next-generation leaders in this extraordinarily dynamic time," says Ashley Goldsmith, Chief People Officer at Workday. "With FORTUNE CONNECT, our leaders will be challenged to expand their perspectives, build new peer networks, and grow purpose-driven leadership capabilities required to be greater changemakers at Workday and in the world."

For more information about FORTUNE CONNECT, visit www.fortune.com/connect.

For more about FORTUNE's conferences, visit www.fortuneconferences.com.

About FORTUNE  
FORTUNE drives the conversation about business. With a global perspective, the guiding wisdom of history, and an unflinching eye to the future, we report and reveal the stories that matter today-and that will matter even more tomorrow. With the trusted power to convene and challenge those who are shaping industry, commerce and society around the world, FORTUNE lights the path for global leaders-and gives them the tools to make business better. www.fortune.com  

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SOURCE FORTUNE Media