Taylor Swift will be honored with the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award during The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Women in Entertainment breakfast gala in Los Angeles. The magazine announced the selection on Wednesday, highlighting Swift as a key figure in the entertainment industry. The event is scheduled to take place alongside the release of the publication’s Women in Entertainment issue, which features the highly anticipated Power 100 list of influential female executives and talent.
The award, established to honor Sherry Lansing, the first woman to head a Hollywood studio and former CEO of Paramount Pictures, recognizes trailblazers and philanthropists in media. Previous recipients of this distinction include Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Adele, and Viola Davis. Greta Gerwig, a four-time Oscar-nominated director and writer, will present the award to Swift at the gala. The event is presented by founding sponsor Lifetime and title sponsor Lilly.
Maer Roshan, editor-in-chief of The Hollywood Reporter, praised Swift for challenging an industry that has often underestimated women. Roshan noted that Swift succeeded artistically and commercially while also reclaiming ownership of her catalog. According to Roshan, Swift has set new terms for future artists and became the world’s most popular musician while supporting many others along the way.
Sherry Lansing expressed her pride in presenting the award to Swift, stating that the musician has paved the way for women in music. Lansing highlighted Swift’s dedication to taking ownership of her career and her generous commitment to giving back, calling her an extraordinary talent and a remarkable role model.
Greta Gerwig, who will present the award, is known for directing and co-writing the global phenomenon Barbie. That film earned eight Oscar nominations and won for best original song. Her other notable works include Lady Bird, Little Women, and the upcoming Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, which is set for a global theatrical release on February 12, 2027. Gerwig has also acted in films such as Frances Ha, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.
Lilly, the 150-year-old company serving as the title sponsor, will use the platform to spotlight its commitment to women’s health. The company is working with the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative to improve the portrayal of breast cancer and other chronic diseases in film and television. Additionally, Lilly will partner with Black Health Matters to bring mobile mammogram screenings to neighborhoods across Los Angeles for three days.
Approximately 40 high school juniors and seniors from The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program will attend the breakfast. This program, now in its 17th year, pairs young women from underserved Los Angeles high schools with powerful female executives. Over 300 students have participated in the initiative, which is a joint venture with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and the Entertainment Industry Foundation.
At the upcoming event, more than $500,000 in university scholarships will be presented to high school seniors in the program. These scholarships are provided by The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation and Lifetime. The program has awarded over $16 million in scholarships since its inception, with support from partners including Chapman University, Loyola Marymount University, and WME. New supporters for this year include the UTA Foundation, Warner Bros., and Waymo.
Target has also been announced as the new leading partner of the mentorship program. Through a grant to the Entertainment Industry Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters, Target will help sustain resources such as mentor matching, test preparation, and career development opportunities. Lifetime, the founding sponsor, has contributed nearly $2.5 million in scholarships over the past nine years, continuing its long-standing partnership with the initiative.
The announcement follows a series of recent accolades for The Hollywood Reporter. Last month, the publication won a Daytime Emmy for its video roundtable series, Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter. In 2026, the magazine also received a record 20 SoCal Journalism Awards and 96 nominations at the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards. It further earned the 2026 Webby People’s Voice Award for best entertainment website and an American Society of Magazine Editors award for best cover.
