Speaking out is hard. I was shaking. Here's why I did it anyway.
A letter to my readers:
I want to acknowledge and explain a recent incident that is receiving broad press coverage, including statements from me. Additional press coverage linked below.
Earlier this week, I attended the Tiburon CEO Summit as a speaker. One of the main stage events was a "fireside chat" interview of Ken Fisher. During the interview, Mr. Fisher made a number of outrageous statements, some of which fellow attendee, Alex Chalekian, mentioned in this now viral Twitter video.
The conference has a privacy code, so that CEOs are able to speak candidly about the business opportunities and challenges they face. Because Mr. Fisher's comments are not about business issues, I chose to break the privacy code to confirm what Alex said about the interview. My quote in the Washington Post article sums up why I chose to speak out:
Thank you to all of you who have reached out with words of support. I appreciate it. I may not have responded (my inbox is in a shambles!) but I have read them all and appreciate each one.
If you're a longtime reader, you know that I am driven to make financial services a more inclusive place for women, people of color, and especially women of color. Independent of this week's event, I have been working on a series of articles featuring real stories of women's experiences in financial services. Stay tuned. I'll be sharing those soon.
Kindly,
Sonya
A sampling of the coverage:
Washington Post: These CEOs broke the rules at a secretive summit to expose a billionaire’s crude sexual comments
Bloomberg: Billionaire Fisher Shocks With Sexual Remarks, Is Bewildered Why
Investment News: Ken Fisher's crude comments drag Tiburon CEO Summit into the mud
RIA Intel: Ken Fisher’s ‘Horrifying’ Comments Lead Advisors to Break Non-Disclosure Agreements
WealthManagement.com Ken Fisher’s Sexual Comments Roil Tiburon Conference
Tiburon CEO Summit Response: Tiburon's Chip Roame Releases Open Letter to the Industry