Executive Vice President, Forbes Media; Publisher, ForbesWoman, Forbes Media LLC
2023 Matrix Awards Honoree - Moira Forbes
About Moira Forbes
Moira Forbes, Executive Vice President of Forbes Media and Publisher of ForbesWoman, has conducted a series of interviews with prominent figures in business, media, and philanthropy. In a 2023 video, she hosted Forbes editors who addressed myths about the Forbes Under 30 list, stating that nominees must be under 30 and that the list is an editorial initiative, not influenced by payments. In earlier interviews, Forbes spoke with figures such as Kara Swisher, who criticized tech leaders for a lack of diversity and accountability; Christine Lagarde, who discussed the importance of confidence, energy, and generosity in leadership; and Mellody Hobson, who described money as representing security and emphasized the value of making oneself indispensable in a career. Forbes has also interviewed Tory Burch, who defined success as happiness and contributing to the world, and Adena Friedman, who said that being a working mother should not cause guilt and that gender does not define her potential. Other conversations included Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, who argued that technology has amplified women's voices, and Robin Roberts, who spoke about choosing to focus on fighting rather than fearing a health crisis. Throughout these discussions, Forbes has consistently focused on themes of women's empowerment, career advancement, and the role of leadership in driving social and economic change.
Transcript (24 segments)
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Moira Forbes0:04
My parents, I think, were a little bit surprised when at the age of seven or eight, on my Christmas list for Santa was a cash register.
Forbes is a company that is not just where I work, but it is part of my DNA. I had always wanted to be in media. I started at Forbes at a time in the company where we really were truly still a magazine company. I've always been so dedicated to how do you put more money into the hands of women. When I started ForbesWomen, it was such a fundamentally different landscape. Marketers were not devoting dollars to women. I look back and to see the progress that has been made, change is inextricably linked to everything we do day in and day out at Forbes. But I fundamentally believe that AI is going to create this extraordinary Renaissance. I see it as not just fuel in an engine, it's fuel in a rocket ship. In these times of disruption, when there is this fluidity and uncertainty, that's where the magic happens. Having ridden these waves in the media business, I'm so optimistic that momentum is only going to continue to build. There have been people that have come before me and hopefully many more generations after me that are part of growing this great legacy.
I have to make Guinness award. I feel like an eight-year-old girl again with her father, just talking about you. You just want to make him proud, and I'm so proud of you, Dad.
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Unknown2:12
Thank you.
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Moira Forbes2:17
So to the many women who have shared the stage tonight and being honored tonight, I stand here with great humility and pride. To the amazing women of New York Women in Communications, I am deeply grateful for this recognition and your relentless commitment to uplifting others.
I also would venture to guess that probably tonight I am the only woman on the stage who's never had a job interview. I am the only woman who probably has never had a resume or updated their LinkedIn profile the way they should. But I would say that my job interviews across the years, or perhaps a little earlier, they were around our family dinner table. Because at the end of the day, I wasn't just born into a business, but I was raised by it.
Since our earliest memories, my four sisters and I—say four sisters because my father had five daughters—and while that may have caused many pain points, I believe he is truly blessed and all the better for it. But in our earliest memories, we were truly active contributors to the business, not just onlookers. As children, we were put to work, truly put to work.
Every fall, for example, as we go into the season right now, I vividly remember that we gave up Saturday morning cartoons to entertain clients. The same tradition that my father and his four siblings also went through when they were kids.
What I value now is these experiences taught us more than things like the art of a firm handshake at the age of five years old, which I don't even know how that could have happened, but we were taught that, and the art of looking someone in the eye. But we also learned that genuine work is rooted in service, and in dedication, and in gratitude.
When I joined Forbes out of college, it wasn't out of obligation or expectation, it was out of passion. You heard in that video, and I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but I asked for a cash register from Santa Claus, so you can appreciate that the idea of business was so deeply rooted in me. But it quickly deepened my appreciation of journalism's powerful role and our responsibility. Carrying the Forbes name for me was an extraordinary honor and privilege, as it still is today.
But at times early in my career, it was a bit of a double-edged sword. Happy hour invites from colleagues—let's just say they weren't always thrilled to have the boss's daughter come, especially when multiple shots of alcohol were ordered. And advertisers who were buying pages in Forbes—I started my career on the sales side—you can imagine the difficulty that some of them may have had telling you that they don't like your magazine when your name is on the cover. But I was grateful for those experiences.
But I'll talk very personally tonight, because it's not always a moment that my family does this. Navigating my family's legacy was also a huge challenge for me. It was a privilege, but a challenge for me. While I always admired the success stories of my family, I really struggled in my early years to see my reflection in them.
My grandfather, for example, was a larger-than-life figure, a persona who was renowned for his charisma and his globe-trotting around the world and all of his adventures. My father, on the other hand, was driven by a profound passion for the economy and policy, eventually leading him to run two times for president of the United States. And then there was me. I was the reserved introvert. I was shy—a room like this, I was hesitant to walk in. And the only class in college that ever came close to failing was Econ 101.
So I looked at my father and I looked at my grandfather, definitions of success within their family, and I couldn't help but feel overshadowed, trying to understand where I could find my own space against these benchmarks of success.
But it was in the pages of Forbes, a name I carry with such pride and gratitude, that I was able to find this. As my father mentioned earlier, in the inaugural issue of Forbes in 1917, before women even had the right to vote, my great-grandfather started a column that was dedicated to women in business. And he boldly stated in that very first issue: 'Women will work with men in future fields where before they only worked for men.' He said that barriers to women's economic freedom will never be rebuilt. That was over a century ago. My great-grandfather's present, progressive vision had yet to be realized.
And thus, in 2006, ForbesWomen was born—our platform dedicated to women in business and leadership. And at a time when the conversations around women in business and leadership were brushed aside, or were whitewashed, or were painted in pink by so many within the industry, this endeavor was also initially dismissed as a mere passion project for the Forbes daughter. So many times I walked in the room and no one saw the appreciation of the business, but they saw it as a nice-to-do rather than a need-to-do.
But ForbesWomen was so much more. Its inception was far more significant. It was about ensuring that every single woman could see herself in Forbes. They could see women that they could learn from. They could see women that they were inspired by. And across our various media platforms around the world, we didn't just spotlight women's achievements—we hoped to challenge outdated norms of success, to defy convention, and to reshape narratives. We sought to redefine success not by conformity, but by celebrating the unique success that we all hold. And I am truly grateful to those who have contributed to that vision for the past 17 years.
In the media industry, our responsibility is to challenge norms, uplift voices, and celebrate success. That's exactly why we're gathered here tonight, and the power of the organization that's bringing us together. In a world that so emphasizes at times conformity, our differences aren't liabilities—instead, they are our most important assets.
I always go back to the wisdom—has been, if anyone in this room knows, I love Dolly Parton with all my heart. As you all should, if you don't love her the same way. But she has said in a quote that I live by: 'Find out who you are and do it on purpose.' Easier said than done.
But my hope tonight, and for all of us in this room, is to take her words of wisdom to heart as we look to navigate opportunities in our own lives and the strengths that we all hold. The strengths we'll hold to make a positive difference—our own unique superpowers—to be forces in a world that we may never have expected. And I say that because the differences that I perceived as hurdles in my own career, whether because I didn't see myself in a family before me, I didn't see myself in the business community, those eventually became the foundation for how I carved my own unique path at Forbes.
And in doing so, I realized that my journey was not so different than my grandfather. It wasn't so different than yours, in that it's finding your own voice, it's embracing those opportunities, it's finding your own path.
So with that, I want to thank all the people who inspired me to realize that vision, and all the people who I hope appreciate the power of owning your strengths, owning your differences, and leaning into those in a way that you may never have thought possible. No journey in life is a solo endeavor. I am so grateful to those in this room—and there's so many of them—who mentored me, who molded me, who had faith in me, especially in my moments of doubt, and for those who made me laugh along the way—the gift of laughter. I can't thank you enough for that.
So instead of naming all of those people in this room who played such a crucial role in my life, allow me just one minute—just one minute—to express my gratitude in words that only those in this room can understand. Prospect Street, Kitchen Suite, Firestone, a floor, Watch Hill, Stanhope Gardens, the Breakers, sales meetings and staplers, thunder and lightning, Apollo. See, there's some stories there. Wooden slats and champagne toasts. I love you all, and I'm deeply grateful for the journey with you.
Again, thank you to the New York Women in Communications, and to my Forbes family—either by blood or by shared purpose—my deepest, deepest gratitude. At Forbes, we are all custodians of this story, this brand, and I am privileged—I am so privileged to be here today, to be with you all, creating a more impactful one. Thank you again to the women in this room who inspire me, and this organization who has brought us all together. Thank you.