With several women in key leadership positions, we were looking for ways to continue offering leadership development opportunities for female employees at all levels.

In 2014, the Diversity and Inclusion Team sponsored a Women in Leadership Conference for Jack in the Box corporate employees.

The day-long conference was held at our corporate headquarters and focused on the development of female employees, as well as the men who work alongside them. It consisted of various sessions led by employees and external presenters, with topics ranging from personal branding to inner strength to mentoring.

The conference kicked off with a keynote address from our Senior VP of Operations, who shared lessons she had learned throughout her career. There was also a catered networking lunch, and the event concluded with a moderated panel with members of the Diversity and Inclusion Team.

Employees found the conference to be inspiring and motivating, both personally and professionally. It was a great networking opportunity as they got to meet others in the company they may not have met otherwise. They credited Jack in the Box for promoting learning and leadership at all levels.

Following the success of the first conference, we have held two more conferences. The most recent one was planned by our Developing Women Leaders business resource group. The conference is still open to female and male employees and follows the same format of sessions led by employees and external speakers about personal and business topics, a concluding moderated panel, plus opportunities for attendees to network throughout the day. Executive presence and support is also important and achieved through their attendance and/or participation as keynote speakers.

Golda Akhgarnia