Inspiring panel discussion at RAPT Studio San Francisco
We recently attended an amazing event at the gorgeous RAPT Studio office in San Francisco: Powerful Brands and the Women Responsible.
First, kudos to RAPT for putting on this fantastic and inspirational event, part of a planned series of thoughtful panel discussions. The space was decked out in the bold event branding, setting the tone. The event was moderated by RAPT’s head of Strategy, Rachel Newell, and featured a range of creative women brand leaders and entrepreneurs.
A central discussion point was the Why: What drives us as women in business?
Ashara Ekundayo, CEO of AECreative and Co-Founder of Impact Hub Oakland spoke to connections with family, honoring our ancestors and being the best possible role model for future generations, for our own children as well as in the greater context of social justice.
Paige Grossman, VP of Design at Ancestry discussed storytelling, and engaging with the story that led to you – connecting with our family’s stories and recognizing our connections to the greater world through a network of extended relatives around the globe.
Kate Kittridge, Head of Brand at ThirdLove shared her perspective from the unique position of creating a new bra company that empowers women, with a totally customer-centric approach to both the design of their products as well as their inclusive marketing approach.
Jen Pelka, Owner of The Riddler and CEO of Magnum PR discussed her groundbreaking idea to found a new business with exclusively female investors. Her approach has been to identify and focus in on the thing you want to be the best at, and her goal for the Riddler is to be the very best Champagne bar – with great success in SF, and a new NYC location opening soon.
Robyn Sue Fisher, Founder and CEO of Smitten Ice Cream spoke about the origin of her business with a simple but ambitious goal, to create ice cream in its ideal form. She approached every element of the supply and distribution chain with that uncompromising goal guiding every step.
The discussion underscored the huge benefits of having women in leadership roles from the very beginning of a venture, to create an immersive, inclusive and dynamically successful brand.
The attendees, including many young professional women designers, were highly engaged by this compelling discourse. We look forward to future thought-provoking and inspiring events with RAPT!