Cynthia ‘Cindy’ Owyoung
Founder and CEO of Breaking Glass Forums
Cynthia is also the Founder of Breaking Glass Forums, developing strategies to accelerate diverse leadership and inclusive organizations. She has established and led diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives for over 15 years as an executive at organizations in multiple industries, including Charles Schwab, GitHub, and Yahoo!. Cynthia is known for driving cultural transformations, integrating a diversity and inclusion lens into all aspects of a company from talent management to product development.
She has been recognized for her influence and thought leadership by Entrepreneur Magazine as a 2021 100 Women of Impact, on the Top 100+ Remarkable Women in HR in 2021 by Canvas, North America’s Most Influential D&I Leaders in 2020 by Hive Learning, and the Global Diversity List 2020. A sought-after speaker, Cynthia has been featured on TEDx, the Conference Board, and USC’s Center for Effective Organizations, among others. She has been interviewed for multiple podcasts and articles, including the Huffington Post, LinkedIn’s Talent Blog, and Diversity Woman Magazine.
Prior to her calling in human resources, Cynthia launched a strategic planning consultancy, increasing the capabilities of nonprofit and for-profit organizations in organizational development, brand marketing, and business strategy. She also built a decade-long career as a Brand Strategist for leading global brands and advertising agencies, developing campaigns for Microsoft, Levi Strauss, and Apple.