Episode 147: Beyond the Business Suit Live with Leaders Esi Eggleston Bracey, Michelle Gadsden-Williams and Keisha Smith-Jeremie

During the episode I also announce THE BEYOND THE BUSINESS SUIT RETREAT which is taking place on March 15-16, 2019 right outside of Atlanta, GA and I am so proud of what we've created and excited to share this experience with you. The registration site is live now and you can go to beyondthebusinesssuit.com/retreat for more information of what you can expect and registration details. Early bird pricing is open now — $200 off for this transformational event (until 11:59 pm ET on 12/1/18), plus and we also have some exclusive bonuses for the first people who register including a free coaching session with me and a special VIP experience during the conference with our speakers and special guests.

Esi Eggleston Bracey is a seasoned executive leader with nearly 27 years experience in general
management and brand building. She has a proven track record of success in creating, accelerating and
turning around business results across categories, sectors and geographies.

Esi currently leads the multi-billion dollar Personal Care portfolio for Unilever North America which
includes responsibility for the Hair, Skin Cleansing, Skin Care and Deodorant businesses with iconic
brands like Dove, Degree, TRESemmé and Axe as well as newly acquired Shea Moisture and Schmidt’s
Naturals.

Prior to joining Unilever, Esi held the position of President of Coty’s Global Consumer Beauty Division
and General Manager and global leader of P&G’s COVERGIRL and Max Factor brands.

An energetic and dynamic leader known for creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, she is consistently
recognized for her ability to guide organizations through brand-building excellence, agility and
operational discipline in light of competitive pressure and a rapidly-evolving marketplace.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Esi graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire with a
Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Sciences. Esi currently lives with her family in New York City.

As Managing Director of North America & Canada Inclusion and Diversity, Michelle Gadsden-Williams is responsible for further strengthening and accelerating the company’s efforts to foster an inclusive culture. Michelle joins Accenture with more than 25 years of experience as an advocate for equality within corporate America and a thought leader around diversity and inclusion. Michelle is a seasoned diversity practitioner with experience working in the consumer goods and pharmaceutical industries before transitioning to financial services in 2011.

Michelle is the former, Managing Director and Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Credit Suisse AG. She provided strategic direction, thought leadership and championed the development of an inclusive environment by integrating diversity practice into all aspects of the business. She has held positions of global responsibility in the diversity management arena by living in Switzerland for close to 10 years of her corporate career and managed staffing functions for large multi­national corporations such as Credit Suisse, Novartis and Merck & Co, Inc. Prior to her tenure at Merck & Co., Inc, Michelle has also held positions in Human Resources and Product Development at Philips­Van Heusen Corporation and Wakefern Food Corporation, both headquartered in New Jersey.

Michelle has acquired a multitude of community service awards and accolades for her work as a diversity practitioner. Most recently, she was recognized by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the 2018 Top Corporate Diversity Executives. The Reverend Al Sharpton recognized her as a 2016 honoree at the National Action Network “Woman of Power” Luncheon, an honoree at the Black Institute Awards Gala in NYC and a 2015 Ebony Magazine Power 100 honoree.

Michelle earned a B.S. in Marketing, a B.A. in Communications from Kean College of New Jersey and an M.S. in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated and the Executive Leadership Council. Michelle serves on several boards including the Jackie Robinson Foundation, the SLE Lupus Foundation and a member of the Women’s Leadership Board of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Michelle and her husband David Jamal Williams, Co­Founder and CEO of Ceiling Breakers, LLC, live in New York City.

Keisha is the Chief People Officer for Tory Burch. Prior to Tory Burch, she was Chief Human Resources Officer for News Corp, the largest news and information services provider in the English-speaking world, a position she has held since January 2013.  Prior to joining News Corp, Ms. Smith-Jeremie served as Managing Director and Global CoHead of Talent Management for Morgan Stanley.

Ms. Smith-Jeremie earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of Virginia in 1997. She has also been certified by the Hudson Institute as an Executive Career and Life Coach. Ms. Smith-Jeremie currently resides in New York City with her husband. She serves as a Director and Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee for the Eagle Academy Foundation, a charitable organization that provides transformative life outcomes for the lives of young men of color through their all-boys public schools in New York and Newark.

In 2017, while managing her day job at News Corp, Keisha successfully launched her own entrepreneurial venture sanaia, a gourmet applesauce product. Seeing a whitespace in the healthy food market Keisha has placed a bet that she’s not the only adult who loves applesauce. Her signature line infuses granny smith apples with exotic fruits and botanicals from all around the world.