Keynote

Serena Williams embodies style, power, beauty and courage. 

The longest ranked #1, the most successful female player of the Open Era and prized WTA player of all time, Serena has overcome insurmountable odds to win 23 career grand slams. Not only is she remarkable at tennis, her success with endeavors outside of the sport include beauty, venture capital, film, television, and fashion. Her tennis ability combined with her off-court presence makes her one of the most recognizable names and faces in the world.  

Serena has won a title in all four grand slam tournaments. She has won 73 singles championships, 23 doubles championships, and was also a gold-medalist at the 2000 (doubles), 2008 (doubles), and 2012 (singles and doubles) Olympics. In 2015, Serena won four grand slams: Wimbledon, The French Open, The Australian Open, and The 2014 US Open, a feat affectionately known as the “Serena Slam”. With such accomplishments, Sports Illustrated named Serena their “2015 Sportsperson of The Year”. In 2017, Serena went on to clinch the Australian open to win her 23rd Grand Slam title.  
   
Off the court, Serena has become a highly regarded entrepreneur, investor, and fashion designer, as well as an executive producer for the critically acclaimed 2021 film “King Richard.” Her next production credit, soccer documentary COPA 71, had its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and was later acquired by Greenwich Entertainment. 

On July 10^th, ESPN premiered the first episode of IN THE ARENA: SERENA WILLIAMS, an 8-episode docuseries in which Serena shares a personal account of her most meaningful Grand Slam appearances and deconstructs the milestones of her legendary career. Each episode explores the pivotal moments in Serena’s life on and off the court, illustrating the series of steps that when reflected upon, show the incredible distance traveled over the course of her career. This premiere was be followed by ABC’s broadcast of the 2024 ESPYS, which Serena hosted on July 11^th.  

In April, Serena launched WYN Beauty in partnership with Ulta Beauty. Inspired by Serena’s locker room routine and its evolution throughout her life, WYN Beauty was developed as makeup you can move in. WYN is meant to inspire people to show up for themselves and for others.   

In 2020, Serena graced the cover of Fast Company’s Most Productive People issue and in 2019 Forbes featured Serena on the cover of their ‘Self Made Millionaire’ annual issue. In 2017, Serena established her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, which focuses on investing in women and founders of color and has built a portfolio of over 20 early-stage companies. Also in 2017, Serena launched her own clothing label, S By Serena, which premiered at New York Fashion Week in 2019. She also has partnered with KP Sanghvi on a luxury jewelry line called Serena Williams Jewelry. In November 2023, Serena received the prestigious Fashion Icon honor at the 2023 CFDA Fashion Awards.  

In the entertainment space, Serena announced a first look film and television deal with Amazon Studios in 2021, with the first project being a new self-focused documentary series. In 2018, Serena released a five-part Emmy nominated docuseries on HBO titled “Being Serena.”    

In August 2022, Williams played her final matches at the U.S Open and announced that she would be “evolving away from tennis.” The sport has always been a major part of her life, but Williams is now choosing to focus on new opportunities. In addition to her recent fashion and investment ventures, Serena has also become a published author with the release of her children’s book, The Adventures of Qai Qai. In December of 2022 Williams announced that she had teamed up with two CPG veterans to launch Will Perform, a line of clean, cruelty-free topical pain relief and daily muscle care solutions designed to reimagine recovery.   

In April 2023, she introduced her multimedia production company Nine Two Six Productions. The endeavor aims to elevate female and diverse voices through content that speaks to all. In September, it was announced that Williams joined as an executive producer through Nine Two Six Productions on the upcoming Diahann Carroll documentary, BETWEEN STARRSHINE AND CLAY: THE HIDDEN DIARY OF DIAHANN CARROLL.  

In October of 2023, Random House announced that Serena will pen two books about her life. The first will be an intimate and open-hearted memoir exploring the experiences that have shaped her life, while the second will offer rules for living that draw on her experiences as a philanthropist and advocate. Both books will be bound by an unwavering belief in the power of perseverance, overcoming adversity, and dreaming unabashedly