Notable speakers at the 2020 Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders
The Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders, held this year from Monday, November 9 through Wednesday, November 11, features panels and fireside discussions with an array of accomplished leaders in politics, business, health and media.
Below is a list of just some of the event's notable speakers. See the full schedule here, and watch the event live on CBSNews.com.
Hillary Clinton, former U.S. presidential candidate
Former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spoke at the Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders on Monday, November 9 at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Clinton has decades of experience as a civil servant, serving as a senator from New York during a period that included the September 11 terror attacks, former President Obama's secretary of state during the Osama bin Laden raid, and first lady during Bill Clinton's presidency. In 2015, Clinton made history as the first woman to be nominated as a major party's presidential candidate.
Clinton took part in a virtual fireside chat with Melanne Verveer, executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. It was expected to be Clinton's first speaking engagement since the 2020 election.
Maria Ressa, journalist
Filipino-American journalist Maria Ressa has spent years fighting for journalistic and democratic freedom, including as the co-founder and CEO of Rappler, an online news service in the Philippines that has faced controversy as a result of its critical coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte's authoritarian rule.
Ressa was named in Time's Person of the Year 2018 cover story as one of a number of journalists from around the world combating fake news. In June of 2020, she was found guilty of cyber libel in a Philippines court, after an arrest that was widely criticized by the international community as politically motivated.
The celebrated author and writer will be speaking with CBSN anchor Elaine Quijano on Wednesday, November 11 at 10:30 a.m. ET. In the meantime, watch CBSN Originals documentary, "Fake News, Real Consequences: The Woman Fighting Disinformation," which features Ressa.
Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland
Katrín Jakobsdóttir has been serving as prime minister of Iceland since 2017, and is the second woman to ever serve in the role. She has been chairperson of the country's Left-Green Movement political party since 2013, and was named Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders in 2020.
Jakobsdóttir began her career in media before becoming a member of Iceland's parliament and served as Minister of Education, Science and Culture. She will be a part of the summit's first panel on November 9, discussing leadership with a panel hosted by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Belarus opposition leader
Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is a Belarusian politician and human rights activist who ran against the country's strongman President Alexander Lukashenko in an election that was marred by accusations of fraud.
Tikhanovskaya ran in the election in place of her husband, a fellow activist who was arrested two days after announcing his intention to run. Citing fear for her and her children's safety, Tikhanovskaya fled Belarus for Poland amid widespread national protests after official counts said she received roughly 10% of the vote to Lukashenko's 80%.
She speaks at the summit on November 9 at 8:10 a.m., in discussion with former Ecuadorian President Rosalia Arteaga.
Rosalía Arteaga, former president of Ecuador
Rosalia Arteaga served as Ecuador's first female head of state. She held the position for two days in February 1997, after the allegedly politically motivated dismissal of President Abdala Bucaram. She resigned from her role following then-National Congress President Fabián Alarcón's assumption of the role, after a power struggle. She went on to serve as vice president until 1998, and was later secretary-general of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization until 2007.
Arteaga speaks on November 9 at 11 a.m. ET in a discussion with Belarusian Opposition Leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health Organization director-general
As director-general of the World Health Organization since 2017, Ethiopian biologist and public health researcher Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is one of the many public faces in the world's battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
Ghebreyesus is the first African and first non-physician to serve in the role, having previously been Ethiopia's health minister and later minister for foreign affairs. In 2020, he was named to Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People list. He is joining the summit for a special address on immunization on November 10 at 9 a.m. ET.
Caroline Wozniacki, former professional tennis player
Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark is the former top-ranking female singles tennis player, and the first Scandinavian to hold the title. She also held the record for most WTA singles titles from 2008-2011.
Wozniacki retired after the 2020 Australian Open, after a career in which she was known for having one of the strongest two-handed backhands in the history of tennis. She will be joining a panel discussing the quality of health care for women around the world on Wednesday, November 11 at 8:10 a.m. ET, alongside UCB Chief Medical Officer Iris Lowe-Friedrich and Japanese Minister of Justice Yōko Kamikawa.
Melinda Gates, philanthropist
Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, has dedicated years and billions of dollars to charitable work through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Founded in 2000, the organization is one of the world's largest private charities.
As co-chairs of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the couple have donated an estimated $28 billion to the foundation, and most recently joined Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan in donating millions of dollars to fund coronavirus research. Gates also founded Pivotal Ventures in 2015, a group dedicated to identifying and solving problems affecting U.S. women and families. She has been ranked as one of the world's most powerful women by Forbes numerous times.
Gates is speaking at the summit on Wednesday, November 11 as part of a panel on women's lives after the global pandemic.
Julia Gillard, former Australian prime minister
Serving as head of Australia's progressive Labor Party from 2010 - 2013, former Prime Minister Julia Gillard is the first and only woman to lead the country. Before ascending to head of state, Gillard was the Australian deputy prime minister under former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
Gillard also previously served in the government as Ministers for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, and Social Inclusion. She is now a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, and uses her prominence on the world stage to support the advancement of fellow women leaders including Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
The former prime minister is speaking at a fireside chat on Wednesday, November 11, alongside former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
Bellamy Young, Actress
Award-winning actress Bellamy Young, known for playing Melody Grant in the ABC drama "Scandal," is joining the Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders on Tuesday, November 10.
In addition to being an actress and singer, Young is an ambassador with CARE, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to bettering the lives of women and girls through initiatives involving health, education, work training and disaster response. Young joined the organization in 2019 and has traveled to Rwanda to see their work firsthand.
