This does not just happen to women or PoC. I had a similar meeting when I worked at a Fortune 500 company, which is why I left that company. I was neither as well known nor published at the time, so I was unable to make the issues known. But this problem is endemic of multinational corporate culture, not unique to any one company. The attitude of hiding anything that might make the company look bad or rock the corporate boat is built into the DNA of the people promoted to management. Coverup, prevaricate, hide, and keep quiet, then the thing that might hurt the company will go away, or at least be delayed until they are retired.