The annual summit will bring together influential women across business, health, philanthropy and design, while honoring FreeFrom Founder and CEO Sonya Passi, philanthropist Moll Anderson and more.
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Visionary Women, the premier Los Angeles-based nonprofit social impact organization dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of women and girls, will host the annual Visionary Women Summit on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
The Summit will feature intimate conversations with notable women leaders across industries. Aerin Lauder, Founder and Creative Director of AERIN and Style and Design Director of Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv, is a business leader, philanthropist, mother and modern-day style icon whose conversation will explore legacy, philanthropy, motherhood and entrepreneurship.
Emma Grede, Founder, Serial Entrepreneur, Author and Host of Aspire with Emma Grede
Podcast, will take part in a fireside conversation exploring self-belief, leadership and her entrepreneurial journey building some of today's most recognizable consumer brands. All Summit attendees will also receive a copy of Grede's book, Start with Yourself. Grede will be joined in conversation by Rachel Zoe.
"We're invested in supporting future women leaders and this year's theme, 'The Multidimensional Woman,' celebrates the many roles, passions and experiences that shape women's lives and leadership," said Malea Farsai-Zafari, President of Visionary Women. "We are honored to bring together an extraordinary group of women whose paths span business, health, philanthropy and creativity, and whose stories demonstrate that there is no single definition of success. We hope this year's Summit inspires women to embrace every dimension of who they are, connect with one another and use their individual strengths to create meaningful change."
The Trailblazer Award will honor Moll Anderson, Emmy Award-winning host, New York Times best-selling author, Philanthropist, Lifestyle Architect, Founder of The Moll House™ and Creator of The Psychology of Home ™ in recognition of her philanthropic leadership and impact. Anderson has been recognized for her longstanding commitment to supporting women and children, including through her work with Unicef and other philanthropic initiatives.
The Visionary Women 2026 Changemaker Award, presented by J.P. Morgan, will also soon be announced.
Centered around this year's theme, "The Multidimensional Woman," the summit will present the Visionary Prize for Women's Economic Empowerment to Sonya Passi, Founder and CEO of FreeFrom. The annual $100,000 Visionary Prize recognizes and supports a leader working to advance women's economic empowerment, furthering Visionary Women's commitment to investing in high-impact initiatives benefiting women and girls.
Further, Dr. Maky Zanganeh, Co-CEO and President of Summit Therapeutics, is an innovative biotechnology executive, visionary leader and bestselling author who has been recognized by Forbes as one of the 34 self-made female billionaires in the United States. She will be joined by Andrea Feinberg, Chief Health Officer of Thrive Global, for a conversation exploring Building the Future of Health
"Each year, the Visionary Women Summit gives us an opportunity to turn inspiration into action," said Ani B. Packard, Executive Director of Visionary Women. "By bringing our community together to learn from women who are leading, creating and making an impact in different ways, we are also able to invest directly in the next generation. The Summit reflects what Visionary Women is all about - building meaningful connections, expanding opportunity and creating lasting change for women and girls."
The Summit will once again support Visionary Women's NextGen Scholars Initiative, which provides $5,000 discretionary scholarships to first-in-family college students, reinforcing the organization's commitment to supporting and investing in future women leaders. This year's program will include a dedicated NextGen Scholars Initiative pledge, along with a Charity Angels raffle benefiting the initiative.
Individual tickets are priced at $275 for members and $325 for non-members. Tables for 10 guests range from $2,650 for Silver Tables to $50,000 for Event Sponsors, with Gold Tables available for $5,000 and Platinum Tables for $10,000. Digital tribute advertisements are also available starting at $500. Tickets, tables and additional information are available at visionarywomen.com/visionary-women-summit-2026/.
Founded in 2015, Visionary Women brings together leaders across industries to inspire change, expand opportunities and drive social impact. To date, the organization has granted more than $4.7 million to support women and girls, benefiting hundreds of organizations worldwide across areas including education and training, women's health, human rights, housing, economic empowerment and the arts.
Visionary Women thanks its Summit sponsors, including the Maurice and Paul Marciano Foundation, Charlie and Moll Anderson Family Foundation, J.P. Morgan and GEARYS Beverly Hills, as well as The Wall Street Journal as its media partner.
For more information about Visionary Women, visit visionarywomen.com.
About Visionary Women
Visionary Women is a social impact organization that drives change for pressing issues facing women and girls. To date, Visionary Women has granted over $4.7 million to benefit women and girls, supporting over 370 organizations worldwide. These grants make a difference across a spectrum of needs, including emergency relief aid, education and training, women's health, human rights, housing, and the arts. Some of the organizations Visionary Women supports include: the Downtown Women's Center, Indego Africa, DIY Girls, Women for Afghan Women, Jenesse Center, Harvest Home, and the Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking. If you'd like to learn more about Visionary Women and explore membership opportunities, please email Executive Director Ani Packard ([email protected]).
Media Contact
Murphy O'Brien Public Relations, Visionary Women, 1 3107606086, [email protected], https://www.visionarywomen.com/
SOURCE Visionary Women
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