Role-Based, Off-the-Record Conversations with Your Peers
Corporate Board Member’s Board Committee Peer Exchange is consistently rated the most valued part of the Summit because it’s where the real conversations happen. No slides. No scripts. No press. Just you and your fellow public company directors tackling the issues you decide matter most.
Each group is intentionally small and curated by board role and company size to ensure the conversation is both relevant and inclusive. Facilitators help guide the flow, but the agenda comes from you.
The result: candid, practical, peer-tested insights you can take straight back to your board—shared in an environment designed for real problem-solving.
Peer Exchange groups include:
Ahead of the Summit, we’ll gather your input to shape each committee’s discussion topics—so every session reflects what you are navigating right now.
Activism today is faster, more data-driven, and more strategic than ever. Activist investors are scrutinizing capital allocation, board composition, succession planning, and strategic clarity long before a proxy contest becomes public. Some boards are earning trust and credibility. Others are signaling vulnerability without realizing it.
In this candid fireside conversation, a leading activist will walk through how they evaluate companies and boards: what signals suggest strength, what signals suggest vulnerability, and how a thesis takes shape. We’ll explore where boards most often misread investor sentiment, how quickly patience can erode, and what separates companies that withstand pressure from those that invite it.
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
After hearing the activist’s perspective, take 15 minutes with your table to pressure-test your own board’s blind spots. If an activist showed up tomorrow, what would be their first critique of your company’s oversight of strategy, risk, AI, or capital deployment? And, what one question should your board add to its next agenda to strengthen oversight in that area?
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.
Geopolitics is no longer a background risk. Great-power competition, regional conflict, sanctions, and industrial policy are reshaping global markets in ways that directly affect corporate strategy, supply chains, capital flows, and regulatory exposure. For boards, geopolitical risk is no longer an external headline; it is an embedded strategic variable.
In this candid fireside conversation, Ambassador Marc Grossman will bring a diplomat’s lens and a strategist’s perspective to the global dynamics most likely to shape board agendas in 2026 and beyond. The discussion will examine how geopolitical forces are influencing market access, cross-border investment, cybersecurity, regulatory regimes, and operational resilience—and what directors should be asking management as the global landscape continues to fragment and realign.
Vice Chairman, The Cohen Group; Oksana Koltko Rosaluk, Partner, DLA Piper LLP
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.
With fellow directors at your table, you’ll break down key takeaways to identify the 5 leading indicators your boards should be tracking to prioritize your geopolitical risks in the coming year. What are the must-have geopolitical KPIs your board should monitor, and how is this information going to come to the board?
Boards are navigating a risk environment that is increasingly nonlinear, interconnected, and fast-moving. Yet many oversight models remain anchored in static dashboards, periodic reviews, and assumptions that may no longer hold. In this interactive session, directors will examine how risk oversight must evolve as strategy and disruption collide more frequently. Drawing on new research from Corporate Board Member and the EY Center for Board Matters, we’ll explore where boards stand today—and where oversight practices may need to shift.
Through interactive, engaging exercises and table discussion, participants will put together their own action plan by exploring questions such as:
This session is designed to spark candid peer dialogue and practical reflection—so you leave with at least one action item you plan to bring back to your own boardroom.
The Board Leadership Awards celebrate the directors and boards who aren’t just meeting governance expectations—they’re resetting them. These honorees embody the discipline, foresight, and conviction required to guide companies through uncertainty while creating value for shareholders, employees, customers, and communities.
At a moment when strong board leadership matters more than ever, we’re proud to spotlight the individuals and boards who are shaping what exemplary governance looks like today.
Editor-in-Chief & Chief Content Officer, Chief Executive Group
Global Co-CEO and Board Member, AlixPartners
Panel with award honorees
This conversation brings together the directors who are redefining what exceptional board leadership looks like today. These honorees have guided companies through crisis, transformation, leadership transitions, and moments when the stakes couldn’t be higher—while maintaining clarity, discipline, and a steady hand.
In this fireside chat, they’ll share the practices and principles that shape their decision-making: how they challenge assumptions without destabilizing teams, align the C-suite and culture, balance real-time risk with long-term strategy, and model the kind of judgment that strengthens performance under pressure. Their experiences offer a practical playbook for any director looking to elevate their impact and lead more confidently in an era of constant change.
Join fellow attendees for some festive networking as we celebrate our award honorees together in-person!
Editor-in-Chief & Chief Content Officer, Chief Executive Group
Global Co-CEO and Board Member, AlixPartners
Gather with director peers and subject matter experts to explore pertinent board issues in a small group setting to allow for ample Q&A and idea sharing. Topics to be announced.
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
AI is no longer just generating insights — it is making decisions. Across industries, algorithms are allocating capital, adjusting pricing, approving transactions, managing supply chains, and triggering operational shifts at machine speed. Autonomy is quietly moving from pilot projects to enterprise infrastructure. For boards, this is not a technology story. It is a paradigm shift in oversight.
When decisions are distributed across models rather than concentrated in executives, what changes about accountability? How should directors think about risk appetite when systems can act before humans intervene? Where do guardrails belong — and who owns them?
This opening session will challenge directors to rethink oversight for a world where AI doesn’t just inform management judgment — it increasingly becomes part of it. The question isn’t whether autonomy is coming. It’s whether boards are prepared for what it means.
Board Member, Armstrong World Industries and Amentum Holdings
Director, PwC Governance Insights Center
Board Member, MSCI and CSX
Director, PwC Governance Insights Center
AI is accelerating the cyber threat landscape in ways few governance models were designed to handle. From AI-assisted social engineering and autonomous attack chains to compromised training data and emerging quantum implications for encryption, the foundations of digital trust are shifting. The pace and complexity of threats are increasing, while response windows are shrinking.
In this interactive working session, directors will step through real-world scenarios that illustrate how AI is reshaping both offensive and defensive capabilities—and what that means for board oversight. As autonomy scales and encryption standards evolve, what long-term resilience questions should boards be raising now?
Through structured table discussions and “pause-the-incident” moments, directors will examine how oversight must adapt as AI and cyber become inseparable—and leave with clearer expectations for management preparedness in 2026 and beyond.
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
Designed for deeper engagement, these small-group sessions challenge directors to apply insights to realistic governance scenarios. Through facilitated case studies and simulations, you’ll examine how decisions play out in practice—and leave with practical ideas you can use immediately.
Description to come
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
Description to come
CEO and Founder, Global Data Innovation; Author, Trust: Responsible AI, Innovation, Privacy and Data Leadership
Description to come
CEO and Founder, Global Data Innovation; Author, Trust: Responsible AI, Innovation, Privacy and Data Leadership
Designed for deeper engagement, these small-group sessions challenge directors to apply insights to realistic governance scenarios. Through facilitated case studies and simulations, you’ll examine how decisions play out in practice—and leave with practical ideas you can use immediately.
Description to come
Partner, DLA Piper
Vice Chair, Cohen Group
Description to come
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
The SEC’s Enforcement Division is entering a new chapter—bringing sharper scrutiny to disclosure accuracy, internal controls, executive conduct, cyber reporting, and the role of boards in oversight failures. Expectations for directors are rising, particularly where risk signals were visible but governance failed to respond.
In this session, we will unpack what regulators are prioritizing for 2026–2027 and what boards should be doing now to prepare. Through behind-the-scenes insight, you’ll learn how investigations are triggered, where disclosure gaps become enforcement actions, and what warning signs directors tend to overlook.
This is not a policy update. It’s a practical discussion about where oversight breaks down—and how boards can strengthen governance before issues escalate.
Deputy Director, Council of Institutional Investors
Partner, Meridian Compensation Partners
Leader, U.S. Center for Corporate Governance, BDO
Executive compensation is one of the fastest ways for a board to earn investor confidence—or ignite investor frustration. But behind every headline, Say-on-Pay dip, or activist letter sits a series of judgment calls that look very different depending on who’s watching.
In this scenario-driven session, Meridian Compensation Partners will walk through a real-world composite case involving a CEO pay decision with competing pressures around performance, culture, retention, and investor expectations. Along the way, we’ll pause for reactions from an institutional investor and an experienced compensation committee chair—highlighting where boards see alignment, where investors see disconnects, and where unintended consequences emerge.
With table reactions and “pause-the-case” decision points, this session brings to life how compensation decisions actually unfold—and the questions directors must ask to avoid unforced errors in the year ahead.
SEC Commissioner
EVP and Chief Legal, Risk and Regulatory Officer, Nasdaq
Nasdaq
Boards are composed of accomplished leaders—yet even the most experienced directors are vulnerable to predictable cognitive traps. Overconfidence. Groupthink. Escalation of commitment. Deference to expertise. Avoidance of uncomfortable truths.
In this thought-provoking session, a leading behavioral decision scholar will explore why highly intelligent people systematically make flawed decisions under pressure—and why governance environments can amplify those dynamics. From risk oversight to CEO succession to strategic inflection points, we’ll examine the psychological patterns that quietly shape boardroom judgment. This conversation reframes governance risk through the lens of human behavior—revealing why awareness alone does not prevent failure.
Author, The 5-Week Leadership Challenge; Co-Author, Disrupt Everything; Global Leadership Practice Leader, FranklinCovey
World’s Best-selling Author; Co-Author, Disrupt Everything
In every boardroom, there are moments when the issue is clear—but the path forward is uncomfortable. Underperformance lingers. Strategic doubts go unspoken. Evaluation feedback surfaces concerns that never fully resolve.
In this interactive session, directors will examine where candor breaks down in real governance moments: CEO succession readiness, executive performance concerns, strategic drift, and board dynamics that discourage dissent. Through structured table exchanges and practical scenarios, we’ll explore what distinguishes boards that move from awareness to action—and how to create conditions where difficult conversations strengthen oversight rather than stall it.
Author, The 5-Week Leadership Challenge; Co-Author, Disrupt Everything; Global Leadership Practice Leader, FranklinCovey
World’s Best-selling Author; Co-Author, Disrupt Everything
AI is not only reshaping the enterprise—it is beginning to reshape the boardroom itself.
From activism preparedness and geopolitical stress-testing to enterprise risk monitoring, directors are exploring how AI can sharpen oversight and surface blind spots. But new capability brings new responsibility: where does AI enhance judgment—and where does it risk distorting it?
In this interactive capstone session, you’ll work through real board-level scenarios tied directly to the themes of the Summit, examining how AI can responsibly strengthen governance while defining the guardrails needed to preserve accountability, confidentiality, and independent judgment. This is not a technology demo. It’s a director-to-director working session designed to leave you with clarity about where AI can elevate board oversight—and where it must be governed as rigorously as the enterprise it supports.
Author, The 5-Week Leadership Challenge; Co-Author, Disrupt Everything; Global Leadership Practice Leader, FranklinCovey
World’s Best-selling Author; Co-Author, Disrupt Everything
As we close the Summit, this final session turns two days of insight into concrete action. At your tables, you’ll identify the one question your board needs to start asking in the next 90 days—and the one action you personally will take before your next meeting. A rapid share-out will capture the most resonant commitments from across the room, sending you home with clarity, momentum, and a sharper sense of your board oversight responsibilities.
Author, The 5-Week Leadership Challenge; Co-Author, Disrupt Everything; Global Leadership Practice Leader, FranklinCovey
World’s Best-selling Author; Co-Author, Disrupt Everything
Come ready to share challenges, compare oversight strategies and trade lessons with peers navigating similar pressures.
Audit Committee Exchange
From evolving disclosure requirements to AI risk oversight, the audit committee’s scope continues to expand—while expectations around accuracy, ethics, and internal controls have never been higher. This off-the-record session gives audit chairs and members a chance to compare approaches to managing external auditor relationships, cybersecurity readiness, audit committee workloads, internal reporting, and emerging financial risk.
Compensation Committee Exchange
Today’s comp committees are under increasing scrutiny—not only for pay-for-performance alignment, but also for how executive incentives reflect evolving priorities around risk, culture, human capital, and long-term value creation. In this session, compensation committee members and chairs will exchange views on evolving incentive structures, performance metrics, DEI-related targets, shareholder engagement, and how comp intersects with succession planning and CEO evaluation.
Nominating & Governance Committee Exchange
With heightened focus on board composition, refreshment, committee mandates, and ESG-related responsibilities, the nominating & governance committee plays a critical role in shaping long-term board effectiveness. This session offers committee members a private forum to discuss recruitment strategies, onboarding and director education, committee evaluation practices, shareholder expectations, and how to evolve governance practices to stay ahead of risk and disruption.
Chairmen & CEOs Exchange
Whether you’re a non-executive chair, lead director, or sitting CEO, this conversation is for the most senior voices in the boardroom. You’ll engage in a candid peer dialogue around topics like managing the board/management boundary, building trust across leadership transitions, ensuring alignment on strategy and risk, and leading through external pressure—whether from activists, regulators, or the media.
General Counsel Exchange
The GC’s role as board advisor and governance steward has never been more critical—or more complex. In this session, public company GCs will gather to discuss boardroom dynamics, director engagement, disclosure challenges, regulatory developments, and how legal teams are helping boards navigate emerging areas of risk like AI, cyber, and ESG litigation. A private, practical forum to sharpen judgment and compare strategies with those who walk the same tightrope.
