<p>Women have historically faced massive hurdles when aiming for the C-Suite. Some of those obstacles are deeply ingrained, while others could be easily overcome if the right set of tools were in place, a fact Nina Godiwalla knows all too well. She entered Wall Street as an outsider -- a woman and Indian American -- and left enlightened on how minorities can thrive in a male-dominated corporate culture.</p>
<p>As part of her drive to spur a national diversity initiative, Godiwalla and several elite CEOs have joined <i>The Wall Street Journal</i>'s "Women in the Economy" Executive Task Force, which produces recommendations for creating more high-level opportunities for women in corporate America.</p>
<p>After a decade working for Fortune 500 corporations, Godiwalla founded MindWorks, which provides executive leadership and diversity training. She also authored the bestseller "Suits: A Woman on Wall Street," based on her experience dealing with the subtle and overt ways that Wall Street holds back women and minorities. <i>The New York Times</i> hailed it as "The Devil Wears Prada" of investment banking.</p>
<p>She has been a keynote speaker at a variety of venues including The World Affairs Council, Smithsonian, Harvard, and TEDxHouston Conference, and she has contributed to <i>The Washington Post</i>, <i>The Wall Street Journal</i>, <i>Elle Magazine</i> and <i>Wharton Magazine</i>. In 2012, along with Barbara Bush and Sandra Day O'Connor, Godiwalla was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame.</p>
<p>With humor and honesty, Godiwalla shares her all-too-real tales from Wall Street and offers lessons on how corporations can create a culture that is more open to diversity and business professionals can become better leaders and communicators.</p>
Leadership and Diversity Pioneer, CEO of MindWorks and Best-selling Author
<ul><li><b>Step-Up, Speak-Up</b></li><li>Internationally sought-after keynote speaker Nina Godiwalla presents a thoughtful discussion on how to tackle the biggest challenges in the workplace, from leadership and diversity to career advancement. Godiwalla uniquely tailors her message to each audience, honing in a number of related issues including inclusion, leading from within, authentic leadership, and leading without authority. She also shares lessons from her enlightening decade in corporate finance as an outsider in an insider’s environment and from her bestselling memoir Suits. Her innovative, science-based strategies equip organizations with tools for developing more self-aware leaders, evening the playing field for women and minorities, and managing employee stress while increasing productivity.</li></ul>