Syovata Edari, trial lawyer and owner of CocoVaa Chocolatier, will be the keynote speaker at the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce’s fourth annual IceBreaker luncheon taking place Thursday, April 12, at the Kohl Center.
The Chamber announced the news today that Edari will join their first announced speaker, Gen. Marcia Anderson, who is the first African-American woman major general in the history of the U.S. Army. There will be one additional speaker to be announced next week.
“Vata embodies what IceBreaker has been about from the beginning – helping Greater Madison connect to those who yearn to be more, to seek the greater,” said Chamber President Zach Brandon in a statement. “Stories of leadership, passion and courage from a trial lawyer turned tastemaker who refused to back down when challenged by one of the world’s biggest chocolate makers will be a true inspiration to everyone who attends IceBreaker.”
After 15 years as a trial lawyer, Edari traveled to France to attend a master chocolatier course at Ecole Chocolat. Now pursuing her passion for artisanal chocolate-making on Madison’s north side, she remains an advocate for herself and others, including recently defending herself against a trademark lawsuit from Mars Inc., who claimed the CocoVaa name infringed on Mars’ CocoaVia brand of nutritional supplements.
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce has nearly 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 10,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. Presented by CUNA Mutual Group, the Chamber’s fourth annual IceBreaker will bring together 1,000 current and future business leaders at the only business event on the floor of the Kohl Center. To register, click here.
