As boards double down on growth and AI in 2026, one question demands attention: Is human capital oversight keeping pace with strategy?
Drawing on new findings from the 23rd annual What Directors Think study, this webinar examines how public company boards are approaching talent, succession, executive compensation and board composition amid accelerating technological and economic change.
We’ll explore where governance practices are advancing, where blind spots remain and how boards can more tightly link human capital oversight to long-term enterprise value.
Join us on April 2, 1:00–2:00 pm ET, to benchmark your board’s approach and identify practical steps to strengthen human capital governance in 2026.
Kira Ciccarelli is the Senior Manager of Research at Diligent Institute, the modern governance think tank and global research arm of Diligent Corporation. In her role, Kira researches and produces high-level modern governance reports, blog articles and podcasts designed to inform director decision-making and highlight best practices.
Before joining Diligent, Kira worked in a variety of data-driven research roles, including analyzing global aid funds to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and compiling a meta-analysis of political experimental findings for the Analyst Institute. She holds a BA in Public Policy from the College of William & Mary.
Becky Huddleston is a Managing Director and the Co-Leader of WTW’s Executive Compensation and Board Advisory practice in North America, focusing on advising boards and management on corporate governance and developing and implementing effective executive compensation programs. Becky has over twenty years of consulting experience advising publicly traded, private and not-for-profit organizations. Within the for-profit sector, she works with companies across a range of industries, including manufacturing, life sciences, medical equipment/technology, health care provider, insurance and fin tech. Within the not-for-profit sector, she works with membership organizations, professional associations, trade associations, health care providers and senior living organizations. Before joining WTW, Becky was a compensation consultant at two boutique consulting firms.
While Becky’s experience includes broad-based and sales compensation, her focus is on executive compensation, which involves competitive market reviews, short- and long-term incentive program valuation and design, pay-for-performance assessments, employment contracts, severance and change-of-control calculations and analyses, ownership guidelines, Intermediate Sanctions Compliance for not-for-profit organizations and Board of Director remuneration. The focus of her work is on leading and managing client relationships and engagements and interpreting and presenting the findings to clients’ senior executives and Board members to ensure alignment between corporate strategies and compensation programs.
Becky earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in business administration from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. She is a member of The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and WorldatWork and serves on WorldatWork’s Executive Rewards Advisory Council.
Anthony Goodman advises public and private company boards, including large nonprofits, foundations, membership organizations, mutual funds and family influenced businesses on a range of confidential matters. He was an honoree in the NACD Directorship 100, recognizing leading corporate directors and corporate governance experts who impact boardroom practices and performance. Mr. Goodman’s prior experience includes six years as a leader in the Board Effectiveness Practice at Russell Reynolds Associates and more than 12 years as a partner at Tapestry Networks. Before joining Tapestry, Mr. Goodman was CEO of Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) subsidiary Smythe Dorward Lambert, a boutique consultancy specializing in change management.
Melanie is research editor for Corporate Board Member magazine and the director of research for parent company, Chief Executive Group. She oversees custom and proprietary research projects across the firm’s communities of C-Suite and board members and produces actionable intelligence to provide benchmarking and best practices insights on how leadership teams and their boards can navigate current challenges and plan for the future. Melanie has been a key contributor to Corporate Board Member’s editorial programs and has led our annual What Directors Think research since joining the firm in 2015.
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