Critical Conversations

May 2023
The Bridgewater community welcomed Gary Mendell, founder and CEO of Shatterproof, a national nonprofit focused on reversing addiction, for a conversation about mental health, substance use disorder, and ending stigma. Moderated by Chief Human Resources Officer Sarah Fass, the two shared personal stories and ways our communities can get involved to help those touched by this disease.
April 2023
Professor Yoshino returned to Bridgewater for a conversation about his new book, why he thinks cancel culture is failing us, and his perspective on one of the major obstacles to effective allyship: the fear of saying the wrong thing.
June 2022
Justin G. Nelson, Co-Founder & President of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) joined Co-CEO Mark Bertolini for a conversation on the work that NGLCC is doing to support LGBTQ-owned businesses across the country.
May 2022
To celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga spoke to our community about prioritizing people, the “decency quotient,” and navigating career decisions.
April 2022
Rich Lesser relayed lessons learned from his work in advancing diversity and inclusion efforts as the leader of Boston Consulting Group.
March 2022
An Independent Director on Bridgewater’s Operating Board of Directors, Margo shared stories of big breaks throughout her career and advice particularly relevant to women working in underrepresented fields.
March 2022
President of Barnard College and Independent Director on Bridgewater’s Operating Board of Directors discussed her career and the “spotlight” effect as part of Women’s History Month.
February 2022
Dr. Lomax engaged in a fireside chat with Bridgewater’s Chief Diversity Officer, Alan Bowser, discussing Dr. Lomax’s personal story as well as UNCF’s mission to serve as a “talent machine.”
November 2021
The Bridgewater community recently hosted Dr. Peter Singer, co-founder of The Life You Can Save, for a discussion on effective altruism and how donors can consider whether how they give is making the most positive change possible.
June 2021
Glennda Testone, the Executive Director of The LGBT Community Center of New York City, joined us this Pride Month to explore the topic of gender identity, the experiences of the transgender and nonbinary communities, and how to ensure inclusion for all members of our community.
May 2021
To further explore dimensions of inclusion, our community recently gathered for a three-part series that further explored confidence. Featured in the series were co-authors of The Confidence Code, Claire Shipman and Katty Kay, as well as Bridgewater leaders who all shared advice on how to find the right balance of confidence for professional success.
March 2021
Morgan Stanley’s Vice Chairman of Global Wealth Management and Managing Director Carla Harris joined the Bridgewater community to take part in the firm’s celebration of Women’s History Month. Among her many pearls of wisdom, Harris encouraged the audience to cultivate forms of “currency” that each individual has the ability to control — one’s performance, relationships, and authenticity.
February 2021
As a capstone to the firm's Black History Month celebration, Dr. Thomas spoke to the Bridgewater community about his passion for advancing Black excellence, recounting both personal experience and decades of research as a leading expert on organizational behavior.
February 2021
Afsaneh Beschloss shared reflections on her decades-long career in finance which has spanned leadership positions at many leading institutions, including RockCreek, where she is Founder and CEO.
December 2020
One of the first women to work at the NYSE, Kinney discussed how her willingness to take risks and care for others propelled her to become president of the world’s largest stock exchange.
October 2020
As a former CEO, and now board member for Verizon, Nordstrom’s, and more, Shellye Archambeau’s advice and expertise is in high demand. In the latest installment of our Distinguished Speaker Series, the author of “Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers and Create Success on Your Own Terms” joined Bridgewater staff for a powerful conversation on courage, candor, and resilience.
August 2020
Bridgewater’s Distinguished Speaker Series welcomed Hollywood producer Brian Grazer. Named one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People in the World,” Grazer co-founded Imagine Entertainment with cinema legend Ron Howard in 1986 and is responsible for iconic titles like Splash, Apollo 13, and A Beautiful Mind.
July 2020
Shamil Idriss, the CEO of Search for Common Ground, joined Bridgewater’s Head of Corporate Engagement Robyn Shepherd in a conversation covering his perspective on the dynamics of conflict, the state of conflict in the world today, and peacebuilding approaches that anyone can apply to their own lives.
June 2020
Bridgewater recently hosted industry leader and longtime client and friend, Raytheon CIO Robin Diamonte. In a discussion hosted by Bridgewater Client Advisor Jessica Oleson, Diamonte talks about her journey to the top and the role of leadership in advancing Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace.
February 2020
Harlem Children's Zone's president, Geoffrey Canada, sat down with Bridgewater Founder Ray Dalio to express the importance of investing in the country's youth at an early age, which Canada has done for over 30 years. "My mission is to help, at minimum, an additional million children in this country," he said.
October 2019
As CEO and Co-Founder of Ellevest, a digital platform designed to encourage more women to invest, Sallie Krawcheck has seen first-hand the impact that financial literacy and access to markets can have on a woman’s life. She sat down with the Bridgewater community to discuss the research that helps guide her company’s mission.
September 2019
As an autistic adult, Robison spoke to the Bridgewater community about neurological diversity and living in a world that doesn’t always support his way of processing or thinking — and how sometimes what seems like a barrier can create a competitive advantage when placed in an inclusive and supportive environment.
June 2019
Through a range of examples, Professor Yoshino described the reality that many people, particularly in the workplace, likely experience the demand to cover some aspect of who they are. In his talk he identified practical strategies to help interrupt implicit signals underlying those demands.
June 2019
The former CEO of Aetna visited Bridgewater where he encouraged an increased investment in healthcare for Americans, saying that it could “save our economy and our nation."
May 2019
The author and former Wall Street executive — who overcame significant personal challenges in her own life — encouraged audience members to take charge of their own success, finding a path even when none seems to exist.
March 2019
In a discussion on the interlocking and overlapping identities within groups, Davis spoke about the need to both acknowledge our imperfections and redefine terms like “masculinity” as a key building block for engaging in meaningful progress on Diversity and Inclusion.
February 2019
Bridgewater’s Black Network hosted Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick for a discussion on the principles that helped shape his career journey as part of our Black History Month celebration.
December 2018
An expert on implicit bias and part of the team that created The Implicit Association Test, Dr. Mahzarin Banaji recently visited the Bridgewater community to dig into the research behind unconscious bias, explaining its inevitability and how to alleviate its effects.
November 2018
The former Vice Chairman and CFO at Goldman Sachs spoke about his journey to the top, expounding on the risks of “pretending” at work.
August 2018
Bestselling author Susan Cain shares how shifting cultural dynamics have resulted in environments that reward qualities attributed to extroverts as well as some examples of how to optimize the contribution of introverts in the workplace.
June 2018
Andrea Jung, President and CEO of Grameen America, discussed her rise to becoming the longest-serving female CEO in the Fortune 500 while leading Avon Product, and the impact and influence that business leaders have on today’s social landscape.
June 2018
The Academic Dean at Harvard Kennedy School, Iris Bohnet, led the Bridgewater community in a presentation about what it means to have management systems that foster both diverse and inclusive practices.
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