Cincinnati Regional Chamber and 5/3 Bank Present: Leadership Symposium
Date: December 10, 2025
Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location
Music Hall
This year’s Fifth Third Bank Leadership Symposium theme is “Leading Across Abilities: Integrity & Innovation for All.” The Symposium is the Cincinnati region’s largest and most impactful annual business event dedicated to advancing belonging and inclusion. Bringing together professionals, community leaders, and organizations, the symposium features renowned local and national thought leaders who share insights, innovative ideas, and actionable strategies to create meaningful change. Through inspiring keynote addresses, engaging panel discussions, and interactive workshops, the event empowers attendees to foster inclusivity in their personal lives, workplaces, and communities. The symposium catalyzes collaboration and progress, driving Cincinnati to a region where everyone belongs.
About the Speaker
This year’s keynote speaker is Haben Girma. She is the first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School and is an award-winning advocate, author, and keynote speaker. She earned the Helen Keller Achievement Award, reached Forbes 30 under 30, and President Obama named her a Champion of Change. She believes disability challenges are opportunities for innovation, sparking new technologies that move society forward. Haben travels the globe teaching organizations how to build stronger, resilient, and more connected communities. Her bestselling book, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, takes readers on adventures around the world, including building a school in Mali, training with a guide dog in New Jersey, climbing an iceberg in Alaska, and fighting for blind readers at a courthouse in Vermont. Warm, funny, thoughtful, and uplifting, this captivating book shows how we can resist isolation and find the keys to connection. The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, TODAY Show, and Stephen Curry have all praised the book. A spellbinding speaker, her keynotes have touched the stages of Apple, Bottega Veneta, Disney, Gartner, Google, Microsoft, Oxford University, and many more. Her engaging presentations ignite audiences to make positive changes in their communities. TIME included her as a speaker in TIME100 Talks. In 2023 she became one of the first leaders appointed to serve as a Commissioner for the World Health Organization’s new Commission on Social Connection. Haben was born and raised in California, where she currently lives. She travels with her Seeing Eye dog Mylo. He often falls asleep during her keynotes.
