Tennis legend and women’s rights advocate Billie Jean King will take the stage at Forbes and Know Your Value’s second annual 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi in March.
Huma Abedin, vice chair of the summit, made the announcement Tuesday on “Morning Joe.”
“It’s very exciting that we have sports icon and champion of equality, Billy Jean King, joining us in Abu Dhabi. We are so thrilled,” said Abedin. “Not only is she one of the greatest of all time female tennis players, but she’s also an activist athlete, which puts her in a league of her own.”
The event, in celebration of International Women’s Day, will bring together women from the Forbes “Under 30” and “50 Over 50” communities, along with other world leaders across politics, finance, social entrepreneurship and beyond.
The summit will be headlined by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Other speakers include education activist Malala Yousafzai, journalist and activist Gloria Steinem, actress Catherine O’Hara, ballet dancer Misty Copeland and more.
King, 79, is known as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She is also a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient for her advocacy for women in sports and LGBTQ rights. During her career, King won 39 Grand Slam titles and led the fight for equal pay in tennis.
Know Your Value founder Mika Brzezinski described King as “someone who has spent her lifetime fighting tireless for equal rights and equal pay.”
Brzezinski also noted that King has also dedicated her life to mentoring a new generation of women to fight for gender equality.
Mentoring will also be a main focus at the 30/50 summit. Aside from unparalleled networking, women across generations will forge new bonds that will advance them at work – and beyond. At last year’s summit, Clinton and Brzezinski separately connected with several attendees for one-on-one mentoring sessions.
At last year’s summit, Abedin noted on “Morning Joe” that the most meaningful part of the event was the mentorship element.
“And so this year, there is going to be a second full day of programming…It’s called the Teach and Learn Day. And it is going to be centered around mentoring, and it will include additional one-on-one sessions with key panelists [including Brzezinski and Clinton],” said Abedin, adding she too would be participating. “We’re also going to have targeted networking time where women can come together and meet somebody they’re interested in talking to — one of the panelists, or the speakers …It will be a full day. It will be a packed summit.”
