CNBC Journalist Contessa Brewer Speaks with Sands Team Members as part of Women’s History Month in March

In conjunction with Women’s History Month in March, Sands invited Emmy Award-winning journalist Contessa Brewer to speak with Team Members in a virtual learning session as part of the company’s In Focus DEI Conversation Series. 

A correspondent for CNBC appearing throughout Business Day, as well as on “The News with Shepard Smith,” Brewer covers major news stories for CNBC, including the gaming industry.

During the Q&A session, she reflected on her experiences as a woman in broadcast journalism, issues women face in business, and observations from her time covering the gaming industry. 

Brewer talked about her start in television news when she had to work as both a reporter and photographer – a job normally for two people. Despite the physical demands of lugging camera gear, she was told she still had to “look the part” on camera, her first real understanding of the different expectations for women and men in TV news. She talked about the challenges of entering a male-dominated field and having to learn from experience to take charge of her personal brand and demonstrate her value to organizations because she didn’t originally realize the impact of gender barriers until mid-career. 

Brewer noted that one of the challenges women face in understanding their professional worth is a lack of public data on compensation. She talked about the need for greater transparency around pay information to help reach gender pay parity, especially as societal pressure on companies to be more transparent about gender representation and equity increases. 

She also emphasized that gender parity doesn’t have to come at the expense of other groups, noting there’s room for everyone at the top, and that research shows a diverse team helps deliver better results for companies. She cautioned that women’s equality and advancement shouldn’t be taken for granted and urged women to continue fighting for equitable opportunity and compensation.

In addition, Brewer ended with observations about the gaming industry, saying that it has been gratifying to learn about, especially the familial culture among companies and between companies and their patrons. She talked about the changing landscape with the entry of digital and being curious about how new digital players will shake up the industry dynamic. 

The In Focus Diversity Conversation Series is part of Sands’ diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program, which aims to build a collaborative and integrated environment in the workplace and at its resorts, remove systemic barriers and create opportunities for underrepresented groups. 

The In Focus session with Brewer capped Sands’ celebration of Women’s History Month, which was highlighted by spotlighting the stories of female leaders from each of the company’s regions: Jessica Helderman, vice president of U.S. tax and global tax reporting at corporate headquarters in Las Vegas; Chan Yit Foon, senior vice president of human resources at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore; and Olinda Leung, vice president of slot operations at Sands China in Macao. Each leader shared background on their careers and offered advice to other women for creating a path to success.