VES Reveals Speaker Lineup For Inaugural Women Who Lead Summit

The Visual Effects Society (VES) has unveiled its speaker lineup for the first Women Who Lead Summit, taking place September 4 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

The half-day event will feature two keynote conversations and two panel discussions, along with networking sessions. Its program will address leadership, career development, emerging technology, and efforts to create more opportunities for women across the visual effects and entertainment industries.

Producer Bárbara Muschietti (IT, IT: Chapter Two, Welcome to Derry) will open the summit. Brit MacRae, co-founder of entertainment technology company Kino and an executive producer of A24’s Undertone, will deliver the closing keynote.

Opening Doors for the Next Generation of Leaders, a panel bringing together executives from HBO, Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Netflix, Disney, and Warner Bros. Pictures, will feature a discussion about leadership, resilience, and developing emerging talent.

A second panel, Storytelling Empowered by Technology, will examine the effects of real-time production, immersive media, AI, and other emerging tools. NBCUniversal’s Annie Chang will moderate a conversation featuring Super 78 co-founder Dina Benadon, WetaFX visual effects supervisor Pavani Boddapati, and Promise co-founder Connie Wailan Siu.

“Our vision is to inspire a community grounded in strength, collaboration, and meaningful connections, one that supports women at every stage of their leadership journey,” said Neishaw Ali, chair of the VES Women Who Lead Committee.

The summit is part of the VES’s broader Women Who Lead initiative, launched earlier this year. The year-round program also includes peer mentorship, career-focused videos, and a dedicated newsletter.

Tickets are available through the Women Who Lead Summit website.