WeSpeak Welcomes Myers, Berkeley & Williams
WeSpeak welcomed Carolyn Myers as its new Chairperson and also welcomed Tracey Berkeley and Puisne Judge Shade Subair Williams to the board.
A spokesperson said, “Effective January 2023, WeSpeak welcomes Carolyn Myers, as its new Chair, as well as two new Board Members, Tracey Berkeley, who currently serves as the Interim CEO of the Bermuda Tourism Authority and The Hon. Mrs. Justice Shade Subair Williams, Judge of the Supreme Court of Bermuda. Kathleen Faries, co-founder and outgoing Chair of WeSpeak remains on the Board.
“WeSpeak is a non-for-profit organization dedicated to helping women project their voices. Founded by women for women, WeSpeak aims to inspire women and girls to step up, stand up and speak up in any room, whether it be in boardrooms, meeting rooms, conference rooms or classrooms. We do this by hosting a range of formal training via boot camps and events, offering one-on-one public speaking coaching and providing direct access to a community of talented peers or mentors.
“It is a great honor to take on this new role. I certainly have big shoes to fill and want to commend and thank Kathleen Faries for her vision, tireless energy and leadership, not only for co-founding WeSpeak but steering us to success. I am extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish so far. The demand for our services is very high. More and more women realize that public speaking is a critical part of their career success, yet an overwhelming majority are not confident enough to speak up. This means that every day, women and girls remain in silence or are often not heard. We are on a mission to change that.”
“Our model of using trained local WeSpeak coaches to lead our Bootcamps and provide one-on-one coaching is unprecedented in Bermuda. Our events receive 95% satisfaction ratings and are often sold out in 2 days. Together with the support and generous sponsorship of our founding corporate partners, EY, Appleby, Butterfield and Chubb, our success has been made possible by the unassailable commitment of our WeSpeak Board members, coaches, and an active volunteer community of women leaders.”
The spokesperson said, “WeSpeak also welcomes Tracy Berkeley and Shade Subair Williams to the Board.
“Tracy Berkeley is currently the Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Bermuda Tourism Authority [BTA] and is the first ever female leader of the BTA. Tracy has significant history of community service and is a member of several public and private Boards, professional associations and is a 2024 CDME candidate. Prior to taking on her recent role at the BTA, Tracy served as Head of Talent & Culture at Rosewood Bermuda, led the Bermuda HR division at Aspen Re and headed the Bermuda Hospitals Board’s Human Resources and Operations team.
“The Hon. Mrs. Justice Subair Williams is a judge of the Supreme Court of Bermuda and is the first female to have been appointed to the Commercial Division of the Court. She is also the Supervising Judge of the Criminal Division and has had previous appointments as a Justice of Appeal in the Court of Appeal. Prior thereto, she served as the Registrar of the Supreme Court after her long-standing directorship in prominent law firm Mussenden Subair Limited. Justice Subair Williams is also a former Chair of the Bermuda Human Rights Commission and numerous other Statutory Boards and Tribunals.
“We are honored to have such experienced and accomplished senior women joining WeSpeak as we embark upon the next phase of our strategic journey. They will bring new dynamic, and unique perspectives given the extent of their combined professional experience.”
Kathleen Faries commented on experience as WeSpeak’s Chair since its inception: We are honored to have such experienced “It has been an incredible experience to work so closely with such a distinguished group of women and fellow board members, to not only increase the number of confident presenters and speakers across all industries and sectors in Bermuda, but to have enabled an important network of women encouraging and pushing one another to step out of their comfort zones. I would like to thank all my fellow board members for the continued commitment to this important work and I look forward to supporting Carolyn in taking the organisation forward. We are excited about the future and expanding our reach in the coming years.”
The spokesperson said, “WeSpeak’s other Board members include:
- Kirsten Beasley, Head of Bermuda Office, Willis Towers Watson [WeSpeak Vice Chair]
- Tammy Richardson, Partner Corporate, Appleby Bermuda Ltd
- Kendaree Burgess, Chief Operating Officer, Bermuda Business Development Agency
- Fiona Luck, Non-Executive Director, Lloyd’s of London Franchise Board
- Grainne Richmond, Executive Vice President, Head of Captives, AON
- Suzanne Williams-Charles, Director of Policy & Regulation Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers [ABIR]
- Laura Taylor, President, Nephila Holdings Limited
- Malika Taylor, Managing Director, Expertise Group
- Jo Stanton, Head of Finance, Tangency Capital
- Gemma Godfrey, Chief Operating Officer, The Whitfield Group
- Sarah Demerling, Partner, Corporate Finances & Funds Group Walkers Global”
