Israel, Iran Warn More to Come After Missile Barrages - podcast episode cover

Israel, Iran Warn More to Come After Missile Barrages

Jun 13, 202533 min
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Episode description

Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

Iran fired hundreds of missiles in retaliation for Israel’s airstrikes that targeted Tehran’s military and nuclear infrastructure, broadening a conflict that threatens to engulf the region and roil global markets.

Israel said it identified missiles launched from the Islamic Republic and reported explosions from interceptions and falling debris from incoming projectiles. An Israeli official said US forces are helping to intercept the Iranian missiles. The Iranian attack, which Tehran said entailed hundreds of ballistic missiles, is the most forceful step yet by Tehran since Israel’s overnight raids killed top Iranian generals and badly damaged key military infrastructure.

While it’s unclear if Israel’s air defenses have been pierced, markets took another hit from the surge in tensions. US stocks fell to new session lows, oil prices extended their gains above 7%, while the US dollar and gold rose.
This episode features:

  • Gregg Roman, Executive Director of the Middle East Forum
  • Dana Stroul, Senior Fellow and Director of Research at the the Washington Institute for Near East Policy
  • Jay Neveloff, Partner and Chair of Real Estate, US at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
  • Elissa Sangster, Chief Executive Officer of the Forté Foundation

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Speaker 1

Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News. This is Bloomberg business Week Daily reporting from the magazine that helps global leaders stay ahead with insight on the people, companies, and trends shaping today's complex economy. Plus global business finance and tech news as it happens. The Bloomberg Business Week Daily Podcast with Carol Masser and Tim Steneveek on Bloomberg Radio.

Speaker 2

Latest headlines Iran firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel. All of Israel's under fire. The military of Israel says it does come hours after Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian nuclear and ballistic facilities, killing senior officials, including the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

Speaker 3

I just want to point out that our blog, and these are folks that have been following this situation so closely, our editorial team, they are pointing out that the rapid pace of the Iranian retaliation against Israel, with missiles now fired hours after Israel's airstrikes, our team pointing out stands in contrast to previous episodes with Tehran. In some of those tit for tat moments, it was a matter of weeks and a lot of rhetoric before there was a

military response. Their point is this was a pretty quick response. We're talking in less than a twenty four hour period.

Speaker 2

Yeah. They note that the ball is now again in Israel's court, and the question is will it see this as a response it can tolerate, or will it soon hit iron again. In turn, we want to bring in executive director of the independent nonprofit a Middle East Forum, a Greg Roman. The Middle East Forum works too, in its own words, focus on ways to defeat radical Islam, work for Palestinian acceptance of Israel, develop strategies to contain Iron and deal with the great advances of anarchy. Greg

joins us as I mentioned from Philadelphia. Greg, good to have you back on the program. The Forum oat with a piece yesterday before these strikes that says, quote, the greater strategic risk is not a decisive Israeli strike, but allowing a nuclear Iran to feel immune behind its own deterrent. So, in your view, were these strikes warranted?

Speaker 4

These strikes were warranted, and as its ambassador Bolton said, the plan for this to take place was actually going all the way back to April. But President Trump asked Prime Minister net Niahu to give him a sixty day window to be able to lay away Israeli strikes or the plan for is really action against the Iran And on day sixty one, Israel decided how to act on its own and unilaterally go after Iran's nuclear missiles program,

nuclear weapons and missile program. The reason being that those sites that you're now seeing of Iranian missiles falling on Tel Aviv in civilian areas, if any one of them had a radiological, chemical, biological, or god forbid, nuclear device, tel Aviv might no longer be with us anymore. So Israel decided how to act fast, had to add at first, and it will not stop until the entire Iranian enrichment, nuclear and missile program has been eradicated.

Speaker 3

Do you see Israel acting as a proxy for the United States here? Obviously, the US and the President Trump that is, has been certainly working with a mission to get some kind of deal when it comes to nuclear capabilities in Iran.

Speaker 5

That has certainly been a goal.

Speaker 4

I don't see this as a proxy. I see as a partner to the US's national security interests. For the better part of for presidential administrations, the Iranian nuclear program

is supposed a threat to the United States. However, the chosen tool for the US has been diplomacy, especially since the two thousand and three Iranian freeze on its nuclear weapons program, the military elements of not the civilian elements of it, but new intelligence that came into the United States and the DIA, the Defensive Intelligence Agency, at the beginning of May, showed that the Iranians were one week away from a nuclear weapon, and a comparable report from

the Viennese the Austrian intelligence agencies said that Iran was actively marching towards a bomb. Now this is a European ally of the United States and Israels saying this.

Speaker 6

Not the US nor Israel.

Speaker 4

And I think what really finally encapsulated the US position of seeing Israel as a partner to have it willingly kinetically strike Iran's nuclear program was when Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth said on Tuesday that he believed that Iran was developing a nuclear weapon.

Speaker 3

Can I ask you, I mean, Tim and I kind of we have this conversation or some of us do, like, who is it that determines who should have nuclear capabilities? I mean, I know, if you go back. I remember studying college the concept of nuclear deterrence, right, you have it, I have it. Nobody uses it because we know what the outcome is. Israel is widely believed, some say, to possess nuclear weapons.

Speaker 5

So how was it that we decide Iran shouldn't. I'm playing a little.

Speaker 3

Bit Devil's advocate here, but I'm trying to understand how peace actually happens in the world.

Speaker 4

Well, now, with the Iran being a signator to the Non Proliferation Treaty the NPT, and also Israel not being a signator to that treaty, just under international law, Iran had an obligation to not develop a military weapons program. But beyond that, I think it was just the common sense. Israel has never instigated nor started a war that it wanted to be able to do in terms of offensive capability to either try to take more territory or to try to impinge on the rights of countries that didn't

attack it first. Unless you look at nineteen sixty seven, where you had seven Arab armies getting ready to invade Israel, and yes they had a preemptive strike at that time. But if we look back in nineteen eighty one, when they struck the Iraqi reactor two thousand and seven, when they short the Syrian reactor a now June of twenty twenty five, it was an attempt to stop a program whose sole design.

Speaker 6

Was to destroy the Jewish state.

Speaker 4

So I think Israel, with its strategic ambiguity that it's had for the last sixty years with this nuclear program, still maintains the right to have that in so far as it relates to the fact that the Jewish people, amongst maybe the Armenians and a few others, have been one of the only victims of a worldwide genocide attempt by a dictator. Wherein the Iranians prior to nineteen seventy

nine had peaceful relations with Israel. So the Iranian intents was to create a niclar device to destroy other state. The Israeli intent for this program is to be able to defend its state from destruction.

Speaker 2

Greg, How is Israel going to know when Iran's nuclear program has been destroyed to its uh in a way that the country sees is sufficient.

Speaker 4

Well, there's three different indicators through Ellen Sigan and human first electronics intelligence think of satellite reconnaissance being able to actually see not just the images that you can take with a deep range camera on the surface of Iran's program, but also what you can do through different sort of thermoscopic imaging. The second, in terms of signal intelligence, Israel had indicators that Iran had reactivated an explosives line which was meant only for the purpose of being able to

create a detonation device for fissile material. In terms of human intelligence, Iran has had a deep penetration of its Government of Security Organs GREG and of its nuclear program by Israeli intelligence.

Speaker 6

I think discreet indicators will give it a sign.

Speaker 2

We only have a minute left here, but another headline crossing at least two Israeli fighter jets have been shot down over Iran. That's, according to NA also a headline the US is helping Israel down Iran's missiles. A US official tells Axios. First your reaction to the two Israeli fighter jets being shot down over Iran.

Speaker 4

I think Israel Hennis plans in place through a sixty six y nine rescue unit on countries which border Iran and reps even in the country to attempt to rescue those pilots. And in terms of the US helping Israel with its missile defense. This is something that's placed in April and October of last year. And President Trump had a promise this morning that he would further assist Israel with its efforts to down Iranian missiles targeting the Jewish state.

Speaker 3

Hey, listen, just got about thirty forty seconds here, Greg, You know, it feels a little complicated, messy. Israel worried about its state, as you have said, at a time when it continues to push back it seems on a Palestinian independence state. I mean, just got about thirty seconds. Where are the lines drawn? Where are the fair lines? Just quickly?

Speaker 6

Well, right now, there are no alliance that draw.

Speaker 4

The ambition for the Palestinians to have their own state die with October seventh when Hamas brutally murdered over one thousand Israeli civilians and military members alike after that daring, dashing, brazen attack.

Speaker 6

But yeah, the.

Speaker 4

Idea for there to be an independent Palestinian state might take place after the Iranian is dealt with and you have Pelstonian people who want to have peace with Israel rather than violence.

Speaker 3

All right, time will certainly tell Executive director of the Independent nonprofit Middle East to Forum. Greg Roman joining us here. We continue to watch the headlines and the market selling off on this Friday. This is Bloomberg Business Week Daily.

Speaker 1

You're listening to the Bloomberg Business Week Daily Podcast. Catch us live weekday afternoons from two to five e's during it. Listen on Apple Karplay and Android Otto with the Bloomberg Business app, or watch us live on YouTube.

Speaker 3

Right now, we want to get to Dana Stroll to get her view specifically and what we've seen over in the Middle East. She is Senior Fellow and Director of Research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Joining us from Washington, d C. Dan, just your initial thoughts. We've been talking non style here at Bloomberg our last two hours, but really all day here at Bloomberg, starting in the wee hours and really yesterday afternoon and into

the late night hours last night. What's first and foremost on your mind right now as you watch the activities between Iran and Israel.

Speaker 7

Well, first of all, I think this is very different from what we saw last year. And in both April and October of last year, Israel did strike inside Iran, but in both of those cases it was one night. It was a couple wave of air strikes and it was over. This is different right now, the Israeli government is talking about a campaign, so we're talking about days,

if not weeks. The target set is expansive, up to twenty senior Iranian officials, missile strikes around the Supreme Leader Ayatola Hamiene's residence, as well as nuclear installations, military installations.

Speaker 8

Air defense, etc.

Speaker 7

So an expansive campaign, and Israel clearly has been preparing for this very a long time.

Speaker 8

So going to go on for a while.

Speaker 2

Yeah, I want to talk a little bit about your experience. You served during twenty twenty one to twenty twenty three. You were Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East. It's the Pentagon's top civilian official with responsibility for that region. Did you ever think when you were in that position that in our lifetimes we'd see a conflict such as this between the US and Israel. I mean, excuse me, between Israel and Iran.

Speaker 7

No, Frankly, there's a lot that we've seen since October seventh that I would not put on my bingo card.

Speaker 8

We generally had views about.

Speaker 7

Iran's support for terrorist proxies Hesbalala and Lebanon, Hamas and Gaza, the militias in Iraq and Syria, Iran's client state Syria, but charl asad, all of that is basically collapsed at this point.

Speaker 8

So I would not have predicted any of that.

Speaker 7

The idea that we'd have Israel striking inside Iran twice last year, a multilateral air defense coalition standing up to defeat Iran's attack last year, none of that are scenarios that we actively planned for when I was in the Pentagon.

Speaker 8

And so now fast.

Speaker 7

Forward to today, we have, you know, in a situation where the past five presidential administrations, both Republican and Democratic, have looked at and contemplated military action against Iran and its nuclear program and have decided to pursue diplomacy and negotiations instead. And every president says the military option is on the table, and we have never seen a US president decide to execute that military option, and yet today we have Israel doing it.

Speaker 2

Israel certainly has the capabilities to defend itself against these strikes, as we've seen play out over the last few hours. But I'm curious if you think the threat to Israel right now is existential.

Speaker 7

I do not think it is existential yet, but it's serious. So Israel has since October seventh been under threats from multiple threat from multiple fronts, and they all relate back to Iran. And what we're seeing, even in the less than twenty four hours since Israel initiated it strikes inside Iran is waves of ballistic missile strikes after that drone strike that was defeated earlier this morning.

Speaker 8

So I believe as we speak, the third wave of Iranian ballistic missiles as targeting Israel.

Speaker 7

And we know that there are some injuries, and we know that some of those ballistic missiles have actually impacted in downtown Tel Aviv. And so part of the question right now is how long can Israel effectively defend itself by itself. We have US military air defense on the ground in Israel, and we know that there are ballistic missile defense capable Navy destroyers on their way to the

Eastern Mediterranean to support the active defense of Israel. So we, I think, can reasonably assume that if this goes on for a really long time, Israel would be under strained to defend itself by itself. And the big question is what the Trump administration is going to do to put skin in the game.

Speaker 5

What do you think it's going to do?

Speaker 6

Well.

Speaker 7

We've seen indications that the Trump administration has already authorized certain kinds of military support, whether it's deconflicting airspace, whether it's working alongside the Jordanian Air Force and the Israeli Air Force this morning to defeat those one hundred attacked rones that are on launched from Iran.

Speaker 8

And again, we do.

Speaker 7

Haves military on the ground in Israel actively participating in air defense. And now we're putting more US posture, more military capabilities on the ground in the Middle East. So that's a serious signal of commitment from the Trump administration.

Speaker 2

Commitment is one thing, but an all out conflict between the US and Iran is a different thing. Do you see the possibility of that escalating there? Given the support that the US has committed, we are on the.

Speaker 8

Knife's edge of escalation.

Speaker 7

So right now we are seeing Israel execute a very precise, very deliberate, very well planned operation.

Speaker 8

The reports of collateral.

Speaker 7

Damage are very minimal at this point, and right now there have been no Israeli deaths, but it looks like the Iranians have targeted civilian centers in Israel, and whether or not Israel feels compelled to expand its target set, how Iran responds to that. There's no question that this

could escalate. And of course there are tens of thousands of US forces across the Middle East, five big air bases, a ton of energy infrastructure across the Middle East, and the Iranians might decide to target that as well.

Speaker 5

Dana, None of this happens in a vacuum.

Speaker 3

And I just think about the last couple of years, right Hamas on Israel, Israel on Palestine, and then there were other outbreaks, if you will, and I'm just trying to understand this. On top of it, We've had Oman's government come out saying Israel's actions were reckless and would undermine regional security. Other Arab states echoed those comments, including

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. I think about the United States just in the Middle East region, and it seemed like everything was let's.

Speaker 5

Make deals and let's forge forward.

Speaker 3

Help me understand kind of where we are in the Middle East and who is I really want to understand who's aligning with whom and what the implications of that are, and then later on China Russia. Like I keep going back to kind of how we started at two pm Wall Street time, help me understand how this is all being carved up in terms of relationships potentially well.

Speaker 7

Such an important issue and such an important challenge. So I think the theme of President Trump's visit when he went to those three golf countries was business deals, commerce and a future based on transit, actionalism and economic interests. And what he's certainly heard from those Gulf countries is this region has been at war for a very long time, and it's been in a really intense period of war since October seventh. And war is not good for business.

It's not good for our economic growth. So we want to calm things down and focus on diplomacy. But none of those leaders would say that Iran is not the driver of instability in the Middle East. Iran has an illicit, illegal nuclear weapons program. In fact, just on Monday this week you had the IAEA come out and say there is no possible civilian explanation for the nuclear steps that

Iran is taking. We have that deadline coming up at the Security Council in New York for whether sanctions on Iran for its nuclear steps will snap back into place. And it's Iran who funded Hasbalah and armed and trained Hisbala in Lebanon.

Speaker 8

Hamas and Gaza.

Speaker 7

Made sure that bsharl Asad in Syria could survive as long as he did, dropping chemis weapons, barrel bombs, torturing and starving his own people. It's Aron who is arming and directing and funding the Huthis and Yemen and militias in Iraq, all of whom do not have at heart piece or regional stability as a priority for any of these terrorists. Militias are proxy non state actors.

Speaker 3

You're going to have to come back at some point, Dana, Thank you so much. Dana Stroul joining us.

Speaker 1

This is the Bloomberg Business Weekdaily Podcast. Listen live each weekday starting at two pm Eastern on Apple Cocklay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business App. You can also listen live on Amazon Alexa from our flagship New York station. Just say Alexa, play Bloomberg eleven thirty.

Speaker 2

So, just so everybody knows, we've been planning to talk about commercial real estate at exactly this moment, but this is the news business. Things change quickly. We have with us Jay Neveloff, partner and Chair of Real Estate US at the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, where he folks is on commercial and residential projects throughout the US. We're talking development, We're talking financing, We're talking everything. Jay

joins us here in the Bloomberg Interactive Brokers studio. We are going to talk real estate, Jay, but I kind of want to bring everybody into our conversation that we were having a little earlier. As you walked into the studio, I pose the same question to you that I asked Dana Stroll, who is Senior Fellow and Director of Research

at the Washington Institute for a Near Policy. She did serve for several years as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, which is the Pentagon's top civilian official with responsibility for the region. I asked her if she'd I asked you the same question that I asked her, which was, did you ever think you'd live to see the day where we'd see an escalation such as this between Iran and Israel? And you said you did.

Speaker 9

But my response was most definitely. It was only a matter of time before Israel had to take the offensive and neutralize the weapons that are in Iran. This is an ideal time to do it. President Trump has made it clear that he's going to be supporting Israel. But President Trump is looking for a lasting piece, and I believe, as I believe President Trump believes that the way to get to a lasting priest is to stand up to bullies, to stand up to things that countries that aren't abiding

by nuclear proliferation treaties. And I think that's what we saw, and I think that we're going to continue to see. The goals got to be to have a lasting piece, and what we've been doing appeasing hasn't worked in the past. Hopefully this tact will be successful.

Speaker 3

You know, it's interesting and I think you know, you're a business leader. I'm assumed you're very involved in your community, and I'm just curious, you know why. You know, you've obviously watched the situation at least, and I'm sure you have folks that you talk back to in Israel, you know, talk to us about you know, kind of your vantage point in you know, this situation.

Speaker 9

I actually right before I came on, was texting with one of my colleagues who is in Israel with a husband for a family event. They were we were talking about whether she's going to be able to get out of Israel come back to the United States. And right now the airspace is closed and they have a variety of flights. It's difficult to live under the constant threat. And I know that Israel's had tremendous defenses, They've had success with the Iron Dome. But we've got to do

We've got to take a different tack. What we've been doing for the past decade plus two decades hasn't worked. They need a lasting piece and hopefully this will be attack to get there.

Speaker 2

So we should note that this is all connected to the markets in the global economy. We spent a good portion of our program talking about what was happening with markets, what was happening with oil. The FED is meeting next week. If we see a spike in oil prices, we could see the rate path for the Federal Reserve change. In your position advising clients on real estate matters, you think a lot about interest rates. How do you look at a situation like this actually affecting your business world.

Speaker 9

I believe that the impact of the stock market over the past several months that we've seen with the volatility and yes it went down, that it came back up. I know today the market's down by a material amount. Those are reasons to invest in real estate. And I think that we're seeing that we talked about, or you mentioned a new name of our firm. We merged about a week ago, so a part of a big global firm.

And what I'm seeing and that I did not expect to say, is a tremendous interest in inbound investment in the United States real estate. You have seen, I have seen, and we're only in a position for the past two or three weeks where we're meeting with other clients where we're interacting The inquiries that I'm getting for inband investment from firm clients, the bigger firm clients surprised me.

Speaker 1

It didn't.

Speaker 9

It didn't surprise me. It would not have surprised me if I thought about it, because I see that real estate and is getting a greater allocation of investment funds from private equity funds, from family offices. New York real estate, Gateway City real estate is more stable than the stock market, and that's what we're seeing.

Speaker 3

Well, that's interesting because we've had a lot of conversations today where folks are saying, okay, and we're asking is the USN investible right? And we're seeing a reallocation of assets overseas. Some are saying it's just a rebalancing after many years of just so much money flowing into the United States, and so it's a reallocation of you know, kind of rebalancing of your portfolio. Do you think that's the case or you are saying, oh wow, saying that you're seeing money come in.

Speaker 9

I'm seeing money come in. And I actually believe, and I say this to my clients regularly, that this is the unique opportunity in time to invest in equity and real estate. What you're I'm seeing that people need to transact. People who are in deals with loans that have protured or almost maturing, right, they need to transact. The values are low. They need to bring in new money into these There's a lot of money that's on the sidelines

waiting to go into real estate. And I'm a buyer in this market.

Speaker 5

One thing I'm going to ask you, oh.

Speaker 2

Wait, a hold on a buyer in commercial residential, but you can't. We can't just say commercial, but commer but class A, class B. I mean, there's so many fine.

Speaker 9

We could be specific through the classes, but in jet and concept, I'm a buyer. I believe that there is a need to do something with deals. People at private equity funds are turned out because of COVID and everything else. Lenders are coming back, the commercial banks are coming back into the market. The alternative lenders have been big in the market, and I think we're going to see a shift from from people focused on debt to people focusing on equity.

Speaker 3

What I want to ask you to is, in terms of the uncertainty that we've seen in our world, uh oh to say since almost the beginning of the year, but certainly since President Trump took office, I am curious that whether or not you are seeing certain in real estate projects, commercial real estate projects.

Speaker 5

Not happen because of that uncertainty.

Speaker 3

You're saying money's coming into the United States, But I am curious whether or not things have slowed down because of the uncertainty.

Speaker 9

One of the things that's happened that you've seen a slow down is evaluating new development deals and that's probably a direct result of the tariffs and how the tariffs keep changing. But it's hard for a lender, it's hard for an investor to come up with a budget that they can be comfortable with and projections. So I see a number of people sitting on the sidelines on development deals, including lenders.

Speaker 2

You do see that, Okay, Jay, You've spent a lot of time working with the Trump with President Trump over the years. Are you still in touch with him right now?

Speaker 7

No?

Speaker 2

When did to explain the relationship for people who aren't familiar with the work that you've done for the president?

Speaker 9

I would say that I was his primary real estate lawyer for a few decades.

Speaker 2

But when did you still work for the Trump organization?

Speaker 6

Now?

Speaker 2

Work with the Trump organization now? I don't.

Speaker 9

I actually live next door to one of the sons on one of the golf courses, but I was supposed to be more involved in the businesses during the first administration, and it just made sense for me not to speak speak with him directly. But yes, it was a long standing the relationship. I've worked on most of his real estate deals and it was a terrific experience.

Speaker 3

One last question, and we've got to unfortunately get back to certainly the day's events. But I do wonder, Jay, in this environment, do you feel like there is you know, on a day, we're again a twenty four hour news cycle that just stuff just keeps coming at us, and it's difficult for business leaders to make decisions. Do you see that the environment is getting more certain or uncertain in this environment?

Speaker 5

In terms of real estate, I think the for you guys, yeah, but I think about in general.

Speaker 9

Yeah, I can do it with through my eyes. I think interest rates have stabilized. You're able to underwrite deals based on that. Seen and interest rates are go hand in hand. And again I think the dynamics of deals are they need people need to transact, and I think the environment. We've seen real estate values hold steady during uncertainty about tariffs and the stockwalker going down, and I just believe I'm bullish on real estate.

Speaker 3

It's a hard asset, right and longer term to hold up today, Yeah, yeah it is.

Speaker 5

Stockwalks gold is up, yeah.

Speaker 3

Yeah exactly, but seen as a safe haven. And so hopefully we can have you come back at a more calmer time. But we appreciate you kind of as we have to kind of navigate a lot on this Friday, Jay Naveloff. He is a partner and Chair of Real Estate of US at the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer.

Speaker 5

Joining us here in studio. Do come back.

Speaker 1

You're listening to the Bloomberg Business Week Daily Podcast. Catch us live weekday afternoons from two to five East during Listen on Applecarplay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app, or watch us live on YouTube.

Speaker 5

A lot going on this week.

Speaker 3

We did also know that recently the US Supreme Court revived a job bias lawsuit bought by a woman who says she suffered so called reverse discrimination because she's straight, in a ruling that makes it easier to bring similar cases to trial in parts of the country now. The justices unanimously said a federal appeals court was wrong to require workers in majority groups, including white people, men, and heterosexuals, to meet a more difficult test than others that have

historically faced discrimination. Just some of our backdrop when it comes to the changing workplace landscape. Curious to see what our next guest has to say about this and where women are in all of this. Alisa Sankster is Chief executive officer at the Forte Foundation, joining us today from the annual Women's NBA Leadership Conference that is being held in Denver, Colorado. Alisa, good to have you here with us.

Tell us about what you are hearing and what's top of mind in terms of some of the subjects at the conference, considering our backdrop, our macro backdrop when it comes to women and others in today's society and workplace.

Speaker 10

That's great, thanks, Carol. Yeah, it's wonderful to be here here at this NBA Women's Leadership Conference. We really are talking a lot about advancement for women. We're talking about

the investment in that MBA. Many of the women attending are about to embark upon that journey in a full time MBA program, and they're excited about their potential for business leadership and looking forward to the next two years learning about that and building a network and community of other business leaders that they can move forward with into leadership. So it's a really great group that we've gathered.

Speaker 2

How's the pipeline looking right now. We spent some time at Cisco Live twenty twenty five earlier this week, and we spoke to Franktseutas, who handles a lot as an executive chief, People, Policy and Purpose officer at the company in addition to other roles too. And one question that we asked her was just about why there aren't more female executives right now in the C suite. I'm curious your thoughts on that.

Speaker 10

Sure, I think there's a lot of data from the NBA outcomes that we have here showing how women are lagging behind you. So, as usual, we've seen some mixed results. We know that that NBA is an investment that pays off in terms of salary by about fifty one percent increase for both men and women, but we also know that the pay gap narrows. And I think to your question, the things that we see in women post MBA. They have fewer direct reports, they have a budget that is

smaller that they manage compared to their male counterparts. They're not getting as many promotions, and they're you know, more levels away from the CEO. And I think all of those things are important for companies to track and pay attention to. So what is it that is holding women back, especially women nbas who are this great talent pool for

future leadership? And business and companies need to, you know, really build systems that help to track and make sure there is a movement towards the top for those women.

Speaker 2

One thing that we wanted to talk to you about is what we've seen come from companies, at least publicly, in the wake of the way that these DEI programs have become essentially verbonden at these companies thanks to what the Trump administration has said publicly about them and in fact the way that he has tried to root out

DEI programs. And what we've learned from our Bloomberg News reporting and from talking to folks is that, well, we're not necessarily changing the way that we're We're not necessarily changing this stuff a lot. What we're doing is we're changing the way that we talk about it. We're making these programs more inclusive. Maybe we're changing the names. What are you hearing and how does that affect your world?

Speaker 10

Yeah, it's a great question because over the years, we really have seen the pendulum swing from one end to the other and everywhere in between. And we're really focused as an organization, and I think many of the companies

we talk to focused on inclusion, opportunity, for all. We spent yesterday talking a lot about how to make the systems fair and how to focus more on the outcomes of the work we're doing and creating these inclusive work environments where everyone does feel represented, valued, respected, and that

that's important. And I think all companies and all employees want a place that as diverse perspectives and backgrounds, but they also want everyone to feel, as I said, respected and valued as they work every day, and that is for majority and minority groups.

Speaker 3

Melyssa, is it harder? I mean, in today's environment.

Speaker 8

It is harder. It's not.

Speaker 10

It's not impossible, and it's hard because you go every day and it feels maybe a little heavier than it used to feel. And no one wants to go to work feeling that kind of heaviness. But there's hope, and there's a way forward, and there's lots of great things that we can do, and not to dwell too much on the past, but to look to the future and how can we make things better, and how can we make things that adhere to the rules that are being put out there, but also that still get the good work done.

Speaker 3

Listen, So glad we could find some time to connect with you on what's been a super super busy day. Good luck with everything at the conference. Alissa Sangster. She's chief executive officer of Forte Foundation. Joining us from Denver, Colorado.

Speaker 1

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