Role-Based, Off-the-Record Conversations with Your Peers
No slide decks. No sales pitches. Just candid, confidential dialogue with other public company directors who understand your responsibilities—because they share them.
Each peer exchange is organized by board role to ensure participants are aligned by perspective and priorities. Facilitated by seasoned experts, these sessions are designed to help you:
Sessions are confidential (no press, no recordings)—built entirely around the real challenges you and your fellow directors are facing now.
Choose the session that fits your role:
Lunch will be served during these sessions.
To help the company stay ahead of disruption, boards must be willing to challenge long-held assumptions—starting with their own. Doing so is imperative to mitigating risks and navigating uncertainty. In this session, directors will share practical ways boards are adapting their oversight approaches, surfacing better questions for management, and strengthening decision-making. You’ll leave with strategies to help your board stay agile, focused and future-ready
Director, EY Americas Center for Board Matters
Board Member, HYPR, Quantexa and SecurityScorecard; Former Board Member, AMD and NACD; Retired EVP of Innovation and Technology, IBM
Board Member, Annaly Capital Management, Otis Worldwide Corporation and Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings
Board Member, Eversource Energy
In today’s fast-moving environment, CEO succession planning isn’t just about continuity—it’s about preparing the company for what’s next. This interactive session will use real-world CEO transitions to explore how boards can better align future leadership profiles with shifting strategy, culture and external pressures. You’ll learn how to spot early signals that change is needed—and how to turn a leadership handoff into a strategic inflection point.
Board Member, 1800Flowers.com and Byrna Technologies
Board Member, Allegion, Group 1 Automotive and Grail Inc.; Former CHRO, Merck & Co.
EVP – Board and C-Suite Services, APTMetrics
Board Member, Allegion, Group 1 Automotive and Grail Inc.; Former CHRO, Merck & Co.
Join us as we recognize outstanding directors and boards who are setting the standard for modern governance. This year’s honorees exemplify the courage, impact and independence boards must demonstrate to lead through change and serve all stakeholders effectively.
2025 Honorees:
Panel featuring our 2025 Board Leadership Award Honorees
How do effective boards stay relevant when the world around them keeps shifting? In this candid conversation with this year’s award recipients, you’ll hear how the best boards evolve—without losing their footing. From managing short- and long-term trade-offs to aligning with the C-suite and adapting to stakeholder demands, these honorees will share what’s worked, what they’d do differently, and how they’re preparing for what’s next.
Moderated by:
Editor-in-Chief & Chief Content Officer, Chief Executive Group
Global Co-CEO and Board Member, AlixPartners
Close out the day by connecting with fellow directors and celebrating this year’s award honorees. Enjoy drinks and conversation, honoring the boards and leaders setting the pace for governance excellence.
Kick off the day with small-group conversations on high-interest board topics. Each roundtable is hosted by a subject-matter expert or practitioner and designed for candid Q&A, idea exchange, and peer learning on issues shaping the next board agenda.
This discussion will explore the business case for sharing your story and leadership lessons in order to establish a defensible brand asset that returns sustained value to you and the brands you represent. We’ll consider steps you can take now in order to make the most of expectations that current and future AI advancements will make personal brands and original content more critical than ever. Share and discuss concrete strategies that directors and management teams can apply to boost brand trust and credibility, differentiate from competition, and grow shareholder value. Takeaways: Understanding key authority strategies and how to leverage your personal brand as your #1 Growth Asset.
Chief Marketing Officer, Forbes Books
Cyber headlines are everywhere—but what is hype and what is reality? This roundtable cuts through the chatter to share grounded, actionable insights from real-world cyber security leaders. Walk away with practical ways boards are bolstering cyber resilience today.
Director, Financial Services, Office of the CISO, Google Cloud
Senior Director of Global Risk & Compliance, Google Cloud
This year’s proxy disclosures were a reflection of 2024 compensation actions—and the world has changed a lot since those decisions were made. This discussion will focus on emerging compensation trends in response to tariffs, ESG pushback, an increased focus on executive security, designing incentives to address macroeconomic volatility, and more.
Managing Director, FW Cook
Effective board leadership doesn’t happen by chance. It requires ongoing evaluation, accountability and, when necessary, course correction. In this session, we’ll explore how directors can ensure their board and committee leaders are driving strong governance—and what to do when they aren’t. You’ll gain practical insights into:
Board Member, Armstrong World Industries and Amentum Holdings
Director, PwC Governance Insights Center
Board Member, MSCI and CSX
Director, PwC Governance Insights Center
As AI capabilities expand, boards are under pressure to provide meaningful oversight—yet few have clarity on how, or who, should lead. Drawing on new insights from What Directors Think and firsthand governance experience, this session will help you:
You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of the board’s role in guiding responsible AI adoption—before others define it for you.
Board Member, ZoomInfo; Former Chief Privacy Officer and VP, Google
Executive Director, Diligent Institiute
Board Member, Credit Suisse Funds, Chief Data Scientist, Numerati® Partners LLC
Board Chair, DocuSign; Board Member, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Sana Biotechnology; Former CEO, Frontier Communications
Choose a focused, expert-led session for a deeper dive into today’s most urgent governance challenges.
Are you ready for the first call from an activist? This interactive simulation will walk you through the anatomy of a modern activist campaign—from initial outreach to public escalation to final resolution. You’ll gain a 360-degree view from legal, banking, and communications experts on how to:
Partner, Sidley Austin
Managing Director and Global Co-Head of Shareholder Engagement and M&A Capital Markets, J.P. Morgan
Co-Chief Executive Officer, Kekst CNC
With daily headlines exposing the risks of flawed data, AI models drifting, and regulatory missteps, AI governance is no longer theoretical. In this interactive simulation, directors will step into a scenario where something has gone wrong—data misuse, reputational fallout, or a regulatory inquiry—and the board must act. Working through the lens of the TRUST framework, participants will apply principled decision-making to triage the issue, evaluate oversight gaps, and explore how boards can lead with speed and intention.
CEO and Founder, Global Data Innovation; Author, Trust: Responsible AI, Innovation, Privacy and Data Leadership
Choose a focused, expert-led session for a deeper dive into today’s most urgent governance challenges.
Financial risk isn’t always loud—but it’s always present. One vendor default or banking failure can cascade into major balance sheet disruption. This session equips directors with practical tools to:
Learn how to build a more financially resilient organization and protect your bottom line—even when markets are strong.
Partner, DLA Piper
Vice Chair, Cohen Group
With today’s high-stakes deals, board oversight of M&A has never been more critical. This session will focus on how directors can add real value—from weighing transformative acquisitions to steering a sale process. You’ll explore:
Board Member, KORE Wireless and Blackline Safety
Chairman of the Americas and Global Chairman of Corporate, Linklaters LLP”
Board Member, True Blue Inc., Port Blakely Companies and Bakkt
Board Member, Lucid Motors and The Woodlands Financial Group
A second Trump term is already transforming the workforce policy landscape—with big implications for board oversight. From DEI and labor relations to executive pay and immigration, directors must stay ahead of legal, reputational, and financial risks tied to employment practices. This session will help you:
Shareholder and Board Member, Littler
Office Managing Shareholder, Littler
Shareholder & Co-Chair, Workplace Policy Institute, Littler
Shareholder, Littler
Investor scrutiny is intensifying—and directors can’t afford missteps. From executive pay to evolving disclosures, boards often assume they’re in sync with shareholders when they’re not. This session will examine:
Deputy Director, Council of Institutional Investors
Partner, Meridian Compensation Partners
Leader, U.S. Center for Corporate Governance, BDO
From ESG and human capital disclosures to compliance risk and cross-border enforcement, the SEC’s regulatory playbook is evolving fast. In this fireside discussion, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce will unpack:
Walk away with a clearer view of the regulatory road ahead.
SEC Commissioner
EVP and Chief Legal, Risk and Regulatory Officer, Nasdaq
Nasdaq
Disruption isn’t a threat—it’s an opportunity. In this energizing closing keynote, legendary author James Patterson and leadership expert Dr. Patrick Leddin share lessons from their new book, Disrupt Everything. Together, they’ll explore:
Leave inspired to shake up the status quo and lead what’s next—with purpose and courage.
Author, The 5-Week Leadership Challenge; Co-Author, Disrupt Everything; Global Leadership Practice Leader, FranklinCovey
World’s Best-selling Author; Co-Author, Disrupt Everything
