November 5, NEW YORK – On Tuesday, Forbes and Mika Brzezinski’s Know Your Value celebrated the fifth annual 50 Over 50 List with a luncheon presented by Cisco and hosted by HSBC at The Spiral in Hudson Yard to honor the list of women who are proving that success has no age limit. 73 of this year’s honorees attended along with 34 list alumni from previous years.
In the morning before the event, several of this year’s 50 Over 50 honorees, along with Maggie McGrath, Editor, ForbesWomen, Mika Brzezinski, Chair of 30/50 Summit, Founder of Know Your Value, Co-Host of Morning Joe, and Huma Abedin, Vice Chair of 30/50 Summit, MSNBC Contributor and Author, joined OUTFRONT Media to be featured on their Cube billboard in the heart of Times Square. Featured on the billboard were Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Jamie Cygielman, Global Head of Dolls for Mattel, Monica Lewinsky, activist and podcaster, Ada Monzon, Chief Meteorologist for WAPA TV and WKAQ Radio, Brigette Romanek, Founder & CEO of Romanek Design Studio, and Halle Berry, Oscar-winning actress and advocate and entrepreneur for women in menopause.
In welcome remarks at the luncheon, Racquel Oden, Managing Director and Head of International Wealth, Premier and Global Private Banking U.S. of HSBC, said, “It’s critical that we stay focused on what’s important – which is the next generation and continuing to drive and deliver impact. But we realize it’s not easy.”
McGrath, Brzezinski, and Abedin then opened the event with Brzezinski and Abedin led a conversation with 50 Over 50 honoree Maria Shriver, who reflected on how far women have come since her early days in journalism when maternity leave didn’t exist, pregnancy on-air was taboo, and women rarely had equal opportunities. She spoke passionately about women’s health, particularly brain health, and how her work with the Cleveland Clinic and the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement aims to advance prevention, research equity, and comprehensive care.
Shriver also shared her perspective on aging, reframing it as a source of strength and pride: “I’m very pro-aging because I’m doing it in real time—and the alternative I’m not down for. I’m proud to be my age, proud that I’m cooking on all cylinders, and unapologetic about it.”
In a conversation on career pivots with McGrath, Hillary Peterson, founder of True Botanicals, shared how a thyroid cancer diagnosis in her 30s led her to leave corporate life and reimagine skincare through a wellness lens—proving that health and beauty can coexist. She reflected on her earlier experiences in finance, noting that they gave her the confidence and business foundation to start something new. Looking back, she said, “Being over 50 is a tremendous advantage. There’s a calm and a confidence and an enjoyment I’m having now that’s infectious—and I think it’s really supporting the success of the business.”
To close out programming of the event, Forbes Chief Content Office Randall Lane joined Brzezinski on stage to announce that the 2026 30/50 Summit will take place in Abu Dhabi on and around International Women’s Day. “We take the women of the Forbes 30 Under 30 and they get to be mentored by this amazing group, but also this amazing group gets to be mentored by them. It’s a very special event with mentoring at the heart of it.” Brzezinski added, “It’s the most incredible multicultural, cross-cultural, cross-generational mentoring summit. Real, tangible relationships are made on every level there.”
Following the lunch, the honorees spent time networking, making connections, and providing inspiration to one another.