As part of our “Women on Wednesdays” series, please join American University's Women & Politics Institute for a virtual conversation with Kweilin Ellingrud, senior partner of McKinsey Global Institute and Head of Diversity and Inclusion for McKinsey globally, who will discuss her new book,“The Broken Rung: When the Career Ladder Breaks for Women--and How They Can Succeed in Spite of It” (co-authored with Lareina Yee and María del Mar Martínez). WPI Executive Director Betsy Fischer Martin will facilitate the discussion. Details and registration here.

The Broken Rung explores how, despite being highly educated, women face a major barrier early in their careers: fewer are promoted to manager compared to men. Finding this “broken rung” as more pervasive than the glass ceiling in holding women back from career success, the authors offer strategies for overcoming it and fulfilling your potential. Order the book here

Kweilin is a director of the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) and leads Diversity and Inclusion for McKinsey globally. She has broad experience redesigning operating models in financial services and beyond to increase operational efficiency and effectiveness through process redesign, digital, and analytics. She also works with multilateral organizations, global philanthropies, and companies on how to move towards gender and racial equality. She previously led McKinsey’s Life Insurance Practice in North America.

At MGI, Kweilin has led research on gender equality (Power of Parity), racial equity, generative AI, the future of work, productivity, and sustainable and inclusive growth. She is a frequent speaker at global conferences and is a contributing columnist for Forbes. She is also the co-author of the book The Broken Rung to help women navigate their careers.

Kweilin is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She previously worked full-time for two years at a Boston nonprofit helping women entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses through microfinance. Growing up, Kweilin spent a number of years in China, Ecuador, France, and Japan, living with local families and learning the local language.

ABOUT BETSY FISCHER MARTIN
Betsy Fischer Martin is an Emmy-winning journalist and former TV news executive. Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Women & Politics Institute at American University and a faculty member in the School of Public Affairs, where she teaches courses on campaigns and elections. In the fall of 2023, she was a resident fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics where she conducted a weekly seminar on the presidential election. During her earlier career in television news, she spent 23 years at NBC News serving as the longtime Executive Producer of Meet the Press with Tim Russert and as the Managing Editor of NBC News Political Programming.

A native of New Orleans, Fischer Martin did her undergraduate and graduate work at American University in Washington, DC. She is a cum laude graduate of their School of Public Affairs and earned a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from the AU School of Communication.

She currently serves on the Global Board of Directors of the International Women’s Forum and is the immediate past president of its Washington, D.C. chapter. She is also a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Young Global Leader alumna of the World Economic Forum, and a member of APCO Worldwide’s International Advisory Council.

This event is “open to all” and participation is not limited based on any individual’s personal identity or characteristics, including but not limited to race, color, national origin (or shared ancestry), religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.

“Women On Wednesdays”: The Broken Rung with Kweilin Ellingrud and Betsy Fischer Martin