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Catherine St-Laurent
Philanthropic and Strategic Communications Advisor
Catherine St-Laurent is a seasoned global executive with nearly two decades of experience in philanthropy, communications, and social impact strategies. She has a diverse background having worked in sectors ranging from non-profits to strategic communications consultancies. Catherine co-founded Acora Partners and previously held key roles with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Melinda Gates' Pivotal Ventures, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She is known for her expertise in developing and managing impactful philanthropic initiatives, communication strategies, and brand positioning.
Highlights
As a member of the founding team at Pivotal Ventures back in 2015, we set out to respond to Melinda French Gates' request to go "further faster" and accelerate social progress in the United States. Today's news detailing this next chapter in her philanthropy is set to meet that promise and no doubt also dramatically advance women's power and influence globally. Melinda first stepped out to talk about access to family planning for women in developing countries in 2012 and never looked back. Now she’s in a moment where she can really have a transformative impact and be a role model for countless others. There is no one that I can think of that is better suited to do this right now.
My time this year at TED was marked by some standout talks from the likes of Kelly Corrigan, Scott Galloway, Millie Chu Baird, Daniel Lubetzky, and Kristine Tompkins.
But above and beyond the talks was the community of women I was immersed with all week. These women are fierce, they’re brave, they’re raw, they’re vulnerable, they’re loyal, they’re open-hearted, and they are unapologetically themselves. Also, they are very funny and I love a good belly laugh.
My longtime friend, collaborator, and co-conspirator Dyllan McGee and I co-hosted a gathering to celebrate women we love and make new connections and share stories and make good trouble. And it was epic.
From day 1 of starting Acora Partners I knew that Rebecca Rottenberg Goldman and I shared a common trait - we always want to support and lift up the women in our lives. As we near our 3-year anniversary, I realize just how deep that runs and how grateful I am to have built a firm that can create the spaces where these types of connections can flourish. If you know me, you know I spend a lot of time thinking about how to create purposeful and meaningful gatherings and this one was one for the books. See you next year! x
#WomenWeLove Penny Abeywardena Brooke Baldwin Nicole Bates Meredith Blake Shauna Carey Kelly Corrigan Adrienne DiCasparro Bridgit Antoinette Evans Vanessa Garrison Rachel Gerrol Lisa Cohen Gevelber Nina Gregory Denise Hamilton Anjali Kumar Dyllan McGee Amy Todd Middleton Avni Patel Thompson Chrysi Philalithes Chevenee Reavis Alex Reid Genevieve Roth Christine Weil Schirmer Tanya Selvaratnam Sandy Speicher Sehr Thadhani Anna Verghese Jocelyn Wyatt Grace Zuncic
