2026 Leadership Breakfast Recap
The Long Game: How Women Get to the Top (And Stay There)
At The Forum of Executive Women's 2026 Leadership Breakfast, 500+ leaders from across Greater Philadelphia gathered around a theme that fit the moment: The Long Game. Lasting change in leadership gets built over decades, and it rarely moves as fast as we want.
Opening the Morning
Board Co-Parliamentarian Jessica Sharp opened the program by introducing the theme and the release of the 2026 Women in Leadership Report. Next year The Forum turns 50, and the report turns 25, so the morning looked back on a quarter century of data and ahead to what The Forum does with it.
The 2026 Women in Leadership Report
President & CEO Meg Pierce presented the findings, which show progress alongside a plateau:
- Women hold 28% of board seats at the region's largest public companies, up from 12% in 2013 but down two points from last year. This year's company set is narrower, so part of that dip may reflect the change in scope.
- Women hold 22% of executive roles and 19% of top-earner positions, both unchanged from last year.
- Eight women lead companies on the list, including two new CEOs: Lindsay Androski of Arbutus Biopharma and Lauren Ranalli of First Resource Bancorp.
- Only 25% of companies now describe the racial and ethnic diversity of their boards, down from 50% a year ago. As Pierce wrote in this year's report, progress is getting "harder to see and measure."
Lead On Initiative
Pierce also announced the Lead On Initiative, The Forum's 50th Anniversary Legacy Project and an exclusive benefit for Forum members, aimed at moving from measuring the gap in women's leadership to closing it.
Celebrating the Champions of Board Diversity
Forum member and corporate director Michelle Hong spoke about why women's representation on boards matters, drawing on research and her own path to the boardroom. She illustrated how her journey to joining the corporate boards of PECO and WSFS Financial Corporation was catalyzed through her relationships with Forum members.
Research points to roughly 30% as the level where women's impact on governance becomes clearest, and 39 companies have now reached it. Trinseo leads at 55%, and Chesapeake Utilities, Five Below, and WSFS Financial each stand at 50%. The Forum recognized all 39 as this year's Champions of Board Diversity.
Hong's advice was practical. Boards should require a diverse slate for every open seat and plan refreshment years ahead. Executives should sponsor, not just mentor. Aspiring directors should build their expertise and make their interest visible.
Fireside Chat: How Women Get to the Top (and Stay There)
The morning’s centerpiece was a conversation between Madeline Bell and moderator Tamala Edwards, a renowned multimedia journalist with work spanning across Action New Mornings, Inside Story, and ABC News. Bell started as a pediatric nurse at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 1983 and retired this fall as CEO, the first woman to hold the role in CHOP’s history. She has said she never set out to be CEO.
“I never had a plan to be CEO; I just kept saying yes to the next hard thing, and each one taught me something I needed for the one after,” Bell explained. Two pieces of her advice stayed with the room:
- Don’t chase the title. Bell urged attendees to take the role where they’re learning from someone or building a new skill, because that is what moves you up.
- Make the decision that makes sense now. Life is long, and you’ll have many chapters. You don’t need to map your whole career to make a good next move.
A Call to Action
Forum President & CEO Meg Pierce closed by asking attendees to turn the data into action:
- Require a diverse slate for every board opening, and plan board refreshment years ahead.
- Sponsor a woman leader toward a senior or board role this year.
- Track and publicly disclose the gender, racial, and ethnic makeup of your board and leadership.
- Look to The Forum's membership when you recruit. The Forum is home to a deep network of qualified women board candidates in Greater Philadelphia.
Read the full 2026 Women in Leadership Report and share it with your network.
