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MPWBroadsheet

Brexit Deal, SoftBank Vision Fund, Maria Butina: Broadsheet December 11

By
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
and
Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Claire Zillman
Claire Zillman
and
Emma Hinchliffe
Emma Hinchliffe
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 11, 2018, 7:46 AM ET

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Theresa May presses pause on Brexit, SoftBank adds the first female partner on its $100 billion Vision Fund, and big names converge in California for Fortune‘s Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit. Have a terrific Tuesday!

EVERYONE'S TALKING

•Next up at Next Gen.Fortune's annual Most Powerful Women Next Gen kicks off this afternoon in Laguna Niguel, Calif., where game-changers in business, tech, government, philanthropy, and the arts will gather for wide-ranging conversations about their experiences as leaders and innovators.

The main stage event gets underway with Backstage Capital's Arlan Hamilton and Microsoft's Peggy Johnson discussing how they've teamed up to take on the notorious funding gap among women and minority groups. Another must-see is Kristen's conversation with Emily Weiss, founder and CEO of Glossier, whose beauty brand represents a new kind of tech company. And I'm especially eager to hear from one of the midterms' most talked-about candidates, Stacey Abrams, who'll sit down with Fortune's Beth Kowitt to talk about her history-making bid for governor of Georgia and the election outcome that prompted her “non-concession” speech.

If you're watching Next Gen from afar, tune into the livestream of Day 1 starting at 4:20 p.m. PT and keep an eye on Fortune.com for coverage of the Summit. If you're attending in person, say hi to Team Broadsheet: Kristen, Emma, and I are all here.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

•Last call? U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May called off Parliament's vote on her unpopular Brexit deal on Monday. The vote was scheduled for today; now May plans to go back to EU leaders to ask for changes to the agreement.  BBC

•A new Visionary. SoftBank, the Japanese venture firm known for its super-sized investments in companies like Uber (and recently for its ties to Saudi Arabia), brought on the first female partner working with its $100 billion SoftBank Vision Fund. Kirthiga Reddy joins from Facebook, and SoftBank says it's "actively recruiting" more female investors.  Bloomberg

•Who's the boss? Last week, we had a report on representation of women on boards in Europe; now we have one on the chief executives. Women hold less than 5% of CEO roles in the U.S., U.K., and Europe. In the United States, the number is 6.9%, while in Denmark and Italy it's a big, fat zero. Financial Times

•No decision here. The Supreme Court declined to hear cases that would have allowed the Court to rule that states can block Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from serving patients who use Medicaid. That means a lower court ruling—in favor of Planned Parenthood—stands. NBC News

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Raquel Willis, known for her work as a transgender activist, will be executive editor at Out magazine. Julie Hendersonjoins Snap as chief communications officer. Salesforce has tapped Paula Goldman as its first ever chief ethical and humane use officer, a role that will see her develop a framework for the appropriate use of technology at the company.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

•Bye, Batali? A year after sexual assault allegations against Mario Batali, the disgraced chef is still earning money from his businesses. Batali agreed in May to let his partners buy him out, but those negotiations have been slow going. Grub Street

•Guilty plea.Maria Butina, the 29-year-old Russian spy who ingratiated herself with U.S. conservatives, is set to plead guilty in a plea deal. New York Times

•Tap the expert. As GE attempts a turnaround, a crucial force will be Paula Rosput Reynolds. The new board member "is an expert in the two business at the heart of GE’s fall from grace: utility-class power generation and insurance," Bloomberg's Brooke Sutherland writes. Bloomberg

•Melania's day one.Stephanie Grisham is a key figure in Trumpworld: deputy chief of staff for communications for First Lady Melania Trump, and one of the few left in the White House to have been with the Trumps since before Donald Trump secured the GOP nomination.  Washington Post

Today's Broadsheet was produced by Emma Hinchliffe. Share it with a friend. Looking for previous Broadsheets? Click here.

ON MY RADAR

The 'Fearless Girl' statue has a new home at the NYSE Time

[Humor] Proposal: Men listening to women for five seconds before opting to skip ahead, like on YouTubeThe New Yorker

Shades of the suffragette in Mary Poppins's grown-up Jane Banks The New Yorker

QUOTE

You could say frustration has fueled my career. 'Frustration, I Love You’—that’s going to be the name of my book.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a profile in 'The New Yorker'
About the Authors
Claire Zillman
By Claire ZillmanEditor, Leadership
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Claire Zillman is a senior editor at Fortune, overseeing leadership stories. 

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Emma Hinchliffe
By Emma HinchliffeMost Powerful Women Editor
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Emma Hinchliffe is Fortune’s Most Powerful Women editor, overseeing editorial for the longstanding franchise. As a senior writer at Fortune, Emma has covered women in business and gender-lens news across business, politics, and culture. She is the lead author of the Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter (formerly the Broadsheet), Fortune’s daily missive for and about the women leading the business world.

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