Good morning! Rep. Elise Stefanik is no longer in the running to be UN ambassador, General Motors is hurt by a new tariff announcement, and Billboard’s Women in Music Awards are this weekend.
– Homegrown talent. Growing up as the daughter of Korean immigrants in Los Angeles, Jenna Adler didn’t always fit in. Kids were mean, she says, and she felt the most at home listening to the radio or hanging out with artists—other outcasts who didn’t mind that her parents didn’t speak English.
That love of music and creativity led her to pursue a career at Creative Artists Agency, or CAA—and now, Adler is being honored at Billboard’s Women in Music event this weekend with the Executive of the Year award, acknowledging her influence and groundbreaking work.
A veteran of more than 25 years at CAA, Adler worked her way up from an assistant position to become the agency’s first “homegrown” woman music agent, and she now represents artists including Jennifer Lopez, Doja Cat, Charli XCX, and Chloe x Halle.
In her time at CAA, she’s watched the business evolve into a more accepting and diverse place. She was one of the first, if not the first, agents to take maternity leave, and she credits the all-male management at the company with being forward-thinking and family-friendly. Without those bosses, she says, she might not have made it back to work after her second child at all. She hopes to be able to pay it forward by helping current female employees navigate work-life balance and the trade-offs that everyone needs to make.
“We have so many new moms, and I tell them all the time, ‘Take those months off,'” Adler says of maternity leave. “I really want to be that person, because that’s what I didn’t have. I didn’t have somebody to look to and say, ‘Is this okay?’”
She’s inspired by her own sons, now 22 and 24, when she thinks about the future of women in the music industry. For her sons, it’s normal for their mom to be a high-powered executive.
“My kids are so proud of me,” she says. “And I think it’s like that in more and more and more households. More men have an open mind. So we just move all these old men out of here. But I definitely see a bright future.”
Adler has long focused on amplifying diverse voices—and, as of late, that includes her own. Though she describes herself as “rough around the edges,” she says she still dreams of her career growing bigger and bigger. And at a time when many would be taking a victory lap, she has no plans to slow down.
“I always wanted it all, I always wanted to run everything,” she says. “I asked myself when I got this honor, ‘Is this it?’ And I was like, ‘No, this isn’t it.’ I just have so much more.”
Alicia Adamczyk
alicia.adamczyk@fortune.com
The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Today’s edition was curated by Nina Ajemian. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- UN-nominated. President Donald Trump pulled his nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for U.S. ambassador to the UN, taking into consideration the already thin majority the Republicans have in the House of Representatives, which her departure would only further. Trump has not shared who he will nominate for the position. CNBC
- American automakers. General Motors, with CEO Mary Barra, took a hit after President Donald Trump announced he would place a 25% tariff on all cars not manufactured in the U.S.; the automaker’s stock fell around 7% yesterday. GM has more operations in Mexico and Canada than other American automakers, like Elon Musk’s Tesla, which saw shares rise more than 3% yesterday. AP
- DEI dismissals. Former federal workers filed a class action suit against the Trump administration, alleging that they were fired for being involved in DEI—whether or not they actually were. They also claimed that these terminations disproportionately affected employees who weren’t white men. NBC
- Late night loss. Late night TV just lost its only female host: CBS canceled comedian Taylor Tomlinson’s show After Midnight, as Tomlinson plans on returning to stand-up full time. Entertainment Weekly
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
SoundHound AI, a voice AI company, appointed Shawnna DelHierro as SVP and chief information officer. She was most recently a consultant for SoundHound and was previously chief information technology officer at Sportsman's Warehouse.
National security company Peraton named Christy Wilder chief security officer. Previously, she was an advisor to the company’s defense mission and health solutions sector.
Upshop, a SaaS provider for food retailers, named Lauren Kennedy SVP of strategic accounts. She was previously the company’s VP of customer success and training.
Main Street Sports Group named Jo Sauer general counsel of FanDuel Sports Network. Most recently, she was associate general counsel, mergers and acquisitions and strategic capital at Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Insurance provider Axcelus Financial appointed Robin Peters to its board of directors. Peters serves as head of wealth management at Schroders (Bermuda).
ON MY RADAR
What happens to health research when ‘women’ is a banned word? The 19th
‘Drop the dad, keep the baby’ is Chinese women’s new mantra Bloomberg
She inspired laws to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable. Now she’s a target New York Times
PARTING WORDS
“Create your own table, and invite others to join you.”
— Shelley Zalis, CEO and founder of The Female Quotient, gives advice to women
