Comedy, Community and Celebration at Joanna Coles’ Power 100 Luncheon in New York

What happens when you bring together some of the most influential people in the country? Just ask The Daily Beast’s Chief Creative and Content Officer Joanna Coles, who for 13 years has gathered women leaders and trailblazers for her Power 100 luncheon series—the latest of which was held Tuesday at the chic Upper West Side restaurant Marea.

“When I started this lunch I was at Cosmopolitan, and I did it because I wanted to meet more interesting women across different industries in the city,” Coles told a crowd of about 100.

“The goal is for you to all meet each other,” said The Daily Beast Chief Creative and Content Officer Joanna Coles’ at Tuesday’s latest Power 100. Sophie Sahara/Sophie Sahara

Nearly a hundred of New York City’s most influential women convened at the Upper West Side restaurant Marea for The Daily Beast Chief Creative and Content Officer Joanna Coles’ latest Power 100 luncheon. Sophie Sahara/Sophie Sahara

“The goal is for you to all meet each other,” Coles added.

And that they did. Business moguls, television personalities, and fashion icons sipped cocktails adorned with chic floral garnishes and feasted on ricotta-filled ravioli and pan-seared halibut. Among those in attendance were actresses Christine Taylor and Ali Wentworth, ABC News anchor Linsey Davis, Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, Carole Radziwill and Padma Lakshmi.

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“What I like to do is hear from people about what’s going on in their world,” Coles said in her remarks, before inviting several of those in attendance to give rousing speeches of their own.

MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle emphasized the importance of staying informed with a comical cautionary tale.

“In just a few hours, I’m going to be in charge of the backstage hair and makeup chief at my daughter’s school play,” she began. “This is a disaster because I was not informed and engaged… I didn’t read the emails, I didn’t read the godforsaken mom’s chat.”

“I think so many of us right now are not informed and engaged,” she continued, raising the stakes. “Whether it’s the news business or education or any business, people are doing good work, great things every single day, and the challenge is to trust more and care more.”

Comedian Zarna Garg and her daughter, Zoya, also drew belly laughs from the crowd. But on a serious note, Garg offered thanks to her peers in the room: “American women taught me that I have a right to use my voice, and they taught me that I have a right to my opinions,” she said.

Zarna Garg and her daughter, Zoya, at the Power100 luncheon at Marea in New York City. Sophie Sahara/Sophie Sahara

Jill Hazelbaker, chief marketing officer and senior vice president at Uber, which co-sponsored the event. Sophie Sahara/Sophie Sahara

Jill Hazelbaker, chief marketing officer and senior vice president at Uber, also emphasized the importance of supporting women. For Uber, that means building products for them—like the company’s ongoing rollout of safety features for women riders and drivers.

“One of the things that I find so inspiring about the work that I get to do is the work that we do for earners,” Hazelbaker said. “We have 9 million people in more than 70 countries… one in five of them are women.”

“When we build products for women, our entire platform becomes better and safer,” she added.

Hazelbaker said she was inspired by the women seated in front of her.

“It is such a privilege to be in this room to see so many women who lead and who build and who walk with such purpose and grace,” she said.

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Comedy, Community and Celebration at Joanna Coles’ Power 100 Luncheon in New York

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