New York Women in Communications (NYWICI), the premier organization for female communications professionals, will celebrate its 2021 Matrix Awards virtually on October 18, 2021 at 12pm ET. This year marks the 51st anniversary of the Matrix Awards. The awards will honor eight extraordinary women who exemplify excellence, the courage to break boundaries and steadfast commitment to champion the next generation of trailblazers, creatives and communicators.
This year’s event will be emceed by Hallie Jackson. Jackson is the NBC News Senior Washington Correspondent and Host of MSNBC’s “Hallie Jackson Reports“. The event will feature a lineup of notable voices who will speak on behalf of this year’s honorees.
Additionally, a private, in-person cocktail event will be held this November at Pier Sixty to honor the 2020 and 2021 Matrix Awards honorees.
Honorees and speakers
The 2021 NYWICI Matrix Honorees include:
– Yamiche Alcindor, Host of WASHINGTON WEEK, PBS, White House Correspondent, PBS NewsHour
– Awkwafina, Actor
– Maggie Haberman, Washington correspondent for The New York Times
– Judith Harrison, Executive Vice President, Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Weber Shandwick
– Hoda Kotb, Co-anchor, NBC News’ TODAY and co-host, TODAY with Hoda & Jenna
– Dawn Ostroff, Chief Content & Advertising Business Officer, Spotify
– Amanda Richman, North America CEO, Mindshare
– Marisa Thalberg, Executive Vice President, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer, Lowe’s
The 2021 NYWICI Matrix Speaker Presenters include:
– Nikole Hannah-Jones, Staff Writer, New York Times Magazine, Presenter for Yamiche Alcindor
– Bowen Yang, Actor, Presenter for Awkwafina
– Katie Rogers, White House correspondent for The New York Times, Presenter for Maggie Haberman
– Gail Heimann, CEO, Weber Shandwick, Presenter for Judith Harrison
– Maria Shriver, TODAY Special anchor, Presenter for Hoda Kotb
– Shari Redstone, Chairperson, Viacom CBS, Presenter for Dawn Ostroff
– Wenda Harris Millard, Vice Chairman, MediaLink, Presenter for Amanda Richman
– Bobby Berk, TV Personality from Netflix’s Queer Eye and design guru, Presenter for Marisa Thalberg
Additional speakers
In addition, a lineup of different voices will speak on behalf of various honorees including: Kristen Bell, Actress; Dax Shepard, Actor and Host, Armchair Expert Podcast; Jody Gerson, Chairman, Universal Music Publishing; Camila Cabello, Singer-songwriter; Marvin Ellison, Chairman and CEO, Lowe’s; Jason Wu, Fashion Designer; Leigh Anne Tuohy, Real Life Mother from “The Blind Side” and Motivational Speaker; Iris Apfel, Fashion Designer and Icon; Leonard Lauder, Chairman Emeritus, The Estée Lauder Companies; Joy Mangano, Inventor, Entrepreneur and TV Personality; Rebecca Minkoff, Fashion Designer; Bob Pittman, Co-Founder of MTV and iHeartMedia, as well as other industry leaders.
The 2021 NYWICI Matrix Awards will also feature a special performance by nineteen-year-old award winning pianist Daniela Liebman.
Supporting the next generation of media professionals
In addition to showcasing the Matrix honorees, NYWICI’s 2021 college scholarship recipients will also be honored at the event. To date, NYWICI has awarded more than $1.7 million in scholarships to support young women and their academic and professional pursuits.
“The 2021 Matrix Awards provide an opportunity to celebrate incredible women who have demonstrated adaptability, innovation and growth during uncertain times, while further driving NYWICI’s mission of uplifting and supporting women across all sectors of the communications industry,” said Ashley Miles, President of NYWICI and Founder & CEO of Franklyn West. “The women we’re honoring this year were chosen due to their ability to successfully lead organizations in the face of adversity, covering the bold stories that matter and making a significant impact to their organizations and the industry at large.”
The 2021 Matrix Awards will be hosted by Bloomberg Media. It sponsored by Lowe’s, Spotify, Disney and Weber Shandwick, among others. Makeout is the 2021 Production Partner.
“The 2021 Matrix Awards Honorees share Bloomberg Media’s spirit of restless innovation and bold-thinking as the past year called for exceptional leadership,”said Anne Kawalerski, Chief Marketing Officer of Bloomberg Media. “We’re honored to host the Matrix Awards again to recognize these inspiring women in the communications industry.”
How the Matrix Awards celebrate women in communications
Since 1971, the Matrix Awards have been held annually as the signature event of NYWICI to celebrate and recognize outstanding women leaders. These remarkable women will join a roster of distinguished past Matrix Award recipients such as Gloria Steinem, Toni Morrison, Meryl Streep, Anna Wintour, Nora Ephron, Halle Berry, Geena Davis and Padma Lakshmi, to name a few.
This year, the Matrix Awards will feature a video presentation highlighting the NYWICI #WOMENHEARD campaign. The campaign is a powerful research-driven platform and call-to-action initiative that is addressing the dramatic departure of women from the workforce at an alarming rate due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The #WOMENHEARD initiative is also creating opportunities for women to reclaim their professional and personal roles and encouraging sustainable growth over a lifetime. NYWICI offers a series of digital symposium events featuring leaders and visionaries in the communications industry. It also offers the organization’s annual Student Bootcamp. NYWICI’s mission is to empower women in the communications field at every career stage to reach their full potential and navigate the ever-changing landscape of communications. NYWICI promotes professional growth and inspires members to achieve and share success by actively encouraging leadership and professional development, as well as networking opportunities that connect women who connect the world.
In the spirit of inclusiveness, NYWICI is opening access to this year’s virtual Matrix Awards event on October 18 for anyone who would like to attend. However, NYWICI is asking attendees to donate to the organization when they register. Donations from the Matrix Awards go to support NYWICI operations. They also go to a full range of scholarships and educational programs for women.
To learn more, register, donate or explore sponsorship opportunities, please visit NYWICI.org.
About New York Women in Communications
New York Women in Communications is dedicated to promoting the highest standards throughout the industry and to providing education and leadership for the next generation. Founded in 1929, the not-for-profit association has more than 2,500 members—from senior executives to students and entrepreneurs to young professionals. Members represent a variety of communications disciplines. NYWICI’s mission is to support women at all levels of their communications careers, to help define the future of communications and stay ahead of the industry’s ever-changing landscape. The organization’s membership encompasses senior executives and other experienced communicators from a wide range of enterprises, as well as young professionals and students. NYWICI empowers women across communications disciplines to reach their full potential by promoting their professional growth, inspiring them to achieve and share their successes and helping them navigate the evolving and converging world of communications.
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