Charleston Reporter

The Segra Club at Riley Park recently hosted the Thrive Luncheon, where over 100 women business leaders gathered to discuss how gender gaps impact women across various industries and career stages. Attendees listened to expert presenters specializing in human resources, workforce development, and equity advancement. The event aimed to shed light on the data behind these gaps and provide insights from real-life experiences.

Celeste Granger, Senior Vice President of Programs & Initiatives at the Charleston Metro Chamber, opened the luncheon with a presentation on the impact of pay gaps on women and women of color. Kenya Dunn, Founder & CEO of The Power Filled Woman, moderated a discussion with Rachael Georgas, Director of Human Resources & Workforce Analytics at Sonepar, and Kimberly A. Gertner, Associate Vice President of Human Resources and Employee Success at the College of Charleston.

Three main themes emerged from the panel discussion:

1. **The Importance of Resource Groups**: Panelists emphasized leveraging employee resource groups as a supportive environment for discussing challenges and overcoming them.

2. **Be Prepared and Ask for What You Want**: Women were encouraged to prepare thoroughly when discussing promotions and salary increases, understand their value to an organization, and confidently ask for what they want.

3. **Gaps Need to Be Addressed on a Corporate Level**: Businesses need to gain knowledge and training on compensation inequalities to create change within their industries.

Since its inception, Thrive has aimed to create connections, provide information, and inspire action among women business leaders in the region. The next event in this series is Thrive Circles: Asking for a Promotion on July 18. This small group session will focus on preparing for salary negotiations and building confidence in self-advocacy.