Lead Director, ScanSource; Board Member, GMS Inc; Former CEO, Sonoco Products Company
As founder and Managing Director of Peter Browning Partners, LLC, a board advisory service, Peter has a wide range of experience in business. Beginning as a sales trainee, he spent 24 years with the Continental Can Company, including President of two different divisions, last serving as Executive Vice President – Operating Officer. He joined National Gypsum Company in 1989, and in September 1990, was elected Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of National Gypsum Company, seeing the company through and out of bankruptcy.
He joined Sonoco Products Company, (a $5 billion global packaging company)
in November 1993 where he last served as President and Chief Executive Officer, before retiring in July 2000. In March, 2002, he was appointed Dean of the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte where he served until May 2005.
He is a native of Boston, MA. A 1963 graduate of Colgate University with an AB in history, he earned his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1976. The Harvard Business School prepared a case study regarding his success in effecting changes at Continental’s White Cap Division. A case study has also been written on his experience at National Gypsum for use at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Since 1987, he has served on the board of directors of fourteen publicly traded companies during which time he has served as Chairman and CEO, CEO, non-executive chair, lead director and chairs of audit, compensation, and governance/nominating committees. Recent board service include ten years at Wachovia Corporation, sixteen years at Lowes Companies, sixteen years at Nucor Corporation where he served as non-executive chairman and lead director, fourteen years at EnPro Industries and most recently twenty years at Acuity Brands last serving as lead director.. At present he serves as the lead director of ScanSource, Inc. and is a member of the board of directors of GMS,Inc. In January, 2013, he joined the board of the private company Equilar, the leading provider of compensation and governance data, as lead independent director stepping down June of 2022
In the fall of 2004 Board Alert Magazine selected Peter as one of eight “Outstanding Directors of the Year” for his role in the successful CEO transitions at Lowe’s and Nucor. He is also the 2009 recipient of Boston University’s “Gislason Award for Leadership in Executive Development.”
He was selected for the “2011 and 2012 NACD Director 100 List” (the list of the most influential people in corporate governance in the boardroom).
On December 6, 2023 in New York City The National Association Of Directors honored him with their Life Time Achievement Award during their annual Directorship 100 Recognition Gala.
The Nucor Corp. 2014 Annual Report noted: “This year also marks Peter Browning’s final year on the board of directors. I cannot say enough about the tremendous value Peter brought to Nucor during his 15 years as a director….. Peter sets the standard by which other public company directors are measured. His knowledge of corporate governance, outstanding judgment and excellent interpersonal skills are second to none…‘’
In April 2010, his chapter “Leadership in the Corner Office: The Board’s Most Important Responsibility” was published in the Jossey-Bass and Center for Creative Leadership book titled “Extraordinary Leadership: Addressing the Gaps in Senior Executive Development”.
He is the coauthor (with his business partner William Sparks) of “The Director’s Manual: A Framework for Board Governance” published by Wiley in February 2016.
He is a lifetime member of The University of Chicago, Council on the Booth Graduate School of Business; and served on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Manufacturers.
Peter is married and has four children and seven grandchildren, currently living with his wife Kathy in Charlotte, NC.
9:30 – 10:20 am
Leadership Legacies: Timeless Advice from the C-Suite to the Boardroom
Chief Executive Officer, The Chicago Network
As the CEO of The Chicago Network, the premier organization of Chicagoland’s most influential women leaders, Maria Doughty leads with deep personal purpose. She is an ambassador for the organization and its purpose of empowering women to lead and its mission to connect women for personal and professional growth, advance communities, and support and inspire the next generation of women. Having joined in April 2020, she successfully led the organization through the global pandemic, developed a new strategic plan, digitally transformed the operations, rebuilt the employee team, maintained the organizations fiscal stability, and increased member engagement.
Maria brings significant industry experience in highly regulated areas, including insurance and financial services. She is a skilled regulatory compliance, governance, enterprise risk management, litigation, public policy, and government affairs strategist. She has considerable board director knowledge in the non-profit and insurance industry association areas.
She is the board President of the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a group of member entities throughout Illinois that provide services for persons experiencing domestic violence. Maria is a board member of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a nonprofit body dedicated to increasing knowledge and engagement in global affairs. She is a current board member and the past board President of the Latino Policy Forum, an organization that provides policy analysis and information in the pursuit of fair housing, education, and immigration laws for the Latino community. She was recently appointed as a Special Advisor to the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession. Maria holds a gubernatorial appointment as Co-Chair of the State of Illinois Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities Task Force, whose purpose is to reform existing employment systems via implementation of Employment First, a law addressing subminimum wage, housing, and transportation.
Maria has been on numerous regulatory boards in the insurance sector, including the Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund (audit committee member), the National Conference of Insurance Guaranty Funds (audit and finance committee member), the Minnesota Joint Underwriting Association (audit and finance committee member and personnel committee chair), the Illinois Insurance Association (board chair, member of audit and finance committee), and the Wisconsin Insurance Alliance.
She previously served as the Director of Public Policy and Regulatory Examinations for Allstate Insurance Company. She oversaw the public policy team and engaged with the CEO and Senior Executive Leadership Team surrounding local, state, and national issues. In this role, she educated and influenced legislators, regulators, and other stakeholders, saved the company millions of dollars in potential fines, oversaw the legal and compliance issues surrounding ESG reporting, and helped manage public opinion on critical ESG-related issues. Maria also led the regulatory examination team and oversaw market conduct examinations and other regulatory investigations countrywide.
While at Allstate, Maria managed complex class action litigation, was the chief legal counsel for Allstate’s Midwest field operations and served as the chief counsel for the Claims Department responsible for managing the claims legal issues nationally. She supervised challenging regulatory crises resulting from catastrophes, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires. Maria also counseled the field operations team to identify loss cost and compliance opportunities.
Maria received her BA in Political Science and Psychology from Emory University and JD from Emory University School of Law. She did post-graduate work as a Robert T. Jones Scholar at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Being the daughter of Italian immigrants, Maria has a strong work ethic, an ability to foster collaboration, and an appreciation for community service. She enjoys traveling, hiking, ballroom dancing, and gardening. She lives with her husband and has two grown sons.
12:25 – 1:15 pm
Sustainability Under Fire – How Do Boards Find the Right Balance?
Former Chief Financial Officer, Enron
Andy Fastow was the Chief Financial Officer of Enron Corporation from 1998 through 2001. In 2001, Enron filed for bankruptcy protection. As a result of the bankruptcy, $40 billion of shareholder wealth and retirement savings was destroyed, thousands of people lost their jobs, and many businesses and institutions in Houston and elsewhere were adversely affected. In 2004, Mr. Fastow pled guilty to two counts of securities fraud, and was sentenced to six years in federal prison. Andy is the only Enron executive that has taken full responsibility for his actions, and he has repeatedly and publicly expressed remorse. In addition to serving his prison sentence, Mr. Fastow forfeited far more money than he ever earned at Enron. He is credited with being the individual most responsible for helping to recover $6 billion for Enron shareholders.
Andy Fastow has been invited to speak at schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Rice, University of Texas, University of Houston, Dartmouth, Tufts, and USC. He was the keynote speaker at the United Nations conference on responsible business practices, at the FBI’s Advanced White Collar Financial Crimes conference to train agents, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and the American Accounting Association annual conferences, and the Financial Times’ Outstanding Directors conference, and to many other groups and businesses around the world.
Mr. Fastow lives with his family in Houston, Texas. He currently serves as a Principal with KeenCorp, an artificial intelligence software firm, and he consults with Nonexecutive Directors, Management, Hedge Funds, and Auditors, in order to identify potentially critical finance, accounting, compensation, and cultural issues.
2:25 – 3:25 pm
The Board’s Ultimate Cautionary Tale: Lessons From Enron’s Former Finance Chief
Retired Host, Inside America’s Boardrooms; Co-Founder, Corporate Board Member
TK Kerstetter is the founder and CEO of Boardroom Resources, a Diligent Company since 2017, Co-founder of Corporate Board Member, and recently host of “Inside America’s Boardrooms which was filmed at the New York Stock Exchange. “Inside Today’s Boardrooms” is the premier boardroom and governance webshow for boards of directors, senior executives, GCs, and corporate secretaries of public companies. In 2019 Kerstetter also launched Diligent’s “Inside Europe’s Boardrooms” and “Inside Australia’s Boardrooms” which recently were incorporated into “Inside Today’s Boardrooms”. He is also credited in 2017 with organizing the Next Gen Board Leaders now managed by Diligent and Spencer Stuart. The Next Gen Board Leaders is a community of board members in their 30s and 40s who meet to improve boardroom processes and share corporate director experiences.
Prior to launching Boardroom Resources in 2015, Kerstetter served as Chairman of NYSE Governance Services and President of NYSE Board Member after the New Your Stock Exchange acquired Board Member Inc. where he served as Chief Executive Officer and built the nationally recognized brands Corporate Board Member and Bank Director. He currently sits on the Diligent Institute’s board and serves as a senior fellow for The Conference Board.
Prior to board education work, Kerstetter served as president and director of the now $20 billion Nasdaq-listed WSFS Financial Corporation spanning a 20-year banking career. A graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program, he was the recipient of the university’s Outstanding Alumni Award and was inducted into IUP’s Sports Hall of Fame.
9:30 – 10:20 am
Leadership Legacies: Timeless Advice from the C-Suite to the Boardroom
Board Chair, Hewlett Packard Enterprise; Board Member, GM, Merck and KKR; Former CEO, Former CEO, Lucent Technologies
Patricia Russo is chair of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company. She served as lead director of the Hewlett-Packard Company Board of Directors from 2014 to 2015. She was independent lead director of the GM Board of Directors from March 2010 to January 2014 and in 2021 she was re-appointed to that role. She also served as CEO of Alcatel-Lucent S.A. from 2006 to 2008; Chairman and CEO of Lucent Technologies, Inc., from 2003 to 2006; and President and CEO of Lucent from 2002 to 2006.
Russo is also a director at General Motors, KKR Management LLC, and Merck & Co. Inc.
9:30 – 10:20 am
Leadership Legacies: Timeless Advice from the C-Suite to the Boardroom
Board Chair, DocuSign; Board Member, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Sana Biotechnology; Former CEO, Frontier Communications
Maggie Wilderotter is a seasoned executive who, as CEO, has led both Fortune 500 companies and start-ups in her career. In addition, she has extensive Board leadership serving on over 35 public company and 14 private company Boards of Directors.
Today, Maggie serves on the public boards of Costco Wholesale Corporation, Sana
Biotechnology, and is Board Chair at DocuSign. She serves on the private boards of Tanium, and Sonoma Biotherapeutics. In addition, Maggie is also a Senior Advisor to a number of
companies including Accenture, Okta, the Blackstone Group, Atairos Private Equity, Sixth Street Partners, American Century Investments, Celonis, Garden City, GEP, SHRM and she Co-Chairs the Bank of America Executive Mentor Program with CEO Brian Moynahan.
Maggie was Chief Executive Officer of Frontier Communications from November, 2004 to April, 2015, and then Executive Chairman of the company until April, 2016. During her tenure with Frontier, the company grew from a regional telephone company with customer revenues of
less than $1 billion to a national broadband, voice and video provider with operations in 29 states and annualized revenues in excess of $10 billion.
Previously, her career included being the Senior Vice President of Global Business Strategy and ran the Worldwide Public Sector at Microsoft. Before this, she was President and CEO of Wink Communications Inc., Executive Vice President of National Operations for AT&T Wireless Services Inc., Chief Executive Officer of AT&T’s Aviation Communications Division, and a Senior Vice President of McCaw Cellular Communications Inc.
Maggie previously served on the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) as both Vice Chairman and Chairman during her 4-year tenure ending in 2014. Mrs. Wilderotter also served until January, 2017 on the President’s special Commission responsible for a recommendation report to the new President of the United States on Enhancing National Cybersecurity.
Her educational credentials include a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the College of the
Holy Cross. She has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the Stevens Institute of Technology and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Rochester.
9:30 – 10:20 am
Leadership Legacies: Timeless Advice from the C-Suite to the Boardroom
Co-Head of the ESG Practice and Managing Director, Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
Lisa Boyd is Co-Head of the ESG Practice and a Managing Director at Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher. Lisa has over 20 years of experience in ESG, Reputation Management and Stakeholder Engagement.
Prior to joining Joele Frank in 2022, Lisa was senior director of sustainability and ESG at Target. In this role she was responsible for driving enterprise-wide environmental and social impact integrated with all areas of Target’s business and elevating the company’s ESG profile.
Under her leadership, Target set its first Climate policy and she later led the organization in its work to set an ambitious Net Zero aspiration. Supply Chain Dive recognized Lisa’s work as “Sustainability Plan of the Year” in 2019. A centerpiece of her innovation work, Beyond the Bag, was named an honoree on Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas. She also led the company’s effort to launch its most comprehensive human rights policy, grow and market sustainable brands, and effectively communicate with stakeholders. She served as a member of the company’s enterprise Risk & Reputation Council, which oversaw business decisions and investments through the lens of ESG risk and reputation.
Lisa has led and participated in numerous industry collaborations at The Conference Board, Retail Industry Leaders Association, Forum for the Future, Sustainable Food Lab, Guatemala Highlands Alliance and Food Marketing Institute. She received her B.A. Communications from the University of Minnesota.
12:25 – 1:15 pm
Sustainability Under Fire – How Do Boards Find the Right Balance?
Partner and Global Chairman of Corporate, Linklaters LLP
George Casey is Global Chairman of Corporate of Linklaters LLP, a global law firm with over 3,100 lawyers across 31 offices in 21 countries. Prior to joining Linklaters, George was Global Managing Partner of Shearman & Sterling LLP and has served as Global Head of the Mergers & Acquisitions Group and Global Head of Corporate, while continuing his full-time practice.
He has extensive experience in U.S. domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, ranging from public company acquisitions to complex carve-out sales, strategic investments and joint venture transactions, representing major US and non-US multinational corporate clients and sovereign wealth funds in their most complex transactions. In addition, he regularly advises Boards of Directors and management on corporate governance and shareholder relations issues. He combines a very diverse transactional experience with a deep understanding of clients’ businesses across the chemicals, healthcare, mining and metals, media, cable, technology and telecommunications industries.
The American Lawyer named George a “Dealmaker of the Year” and “Transatlantic Corporate Dealmaker.” He has been recognized as a leading M&A practitioner by Chambers, Legal 500 and IFLR. George has been inducted by Legal 500 into the Corporate/M&A “Hall of Fame,” one of only 21 M&A lawyers across the United States who were awarded this recognition, and is included in the 2023 Legal 500 US M&A Powerlist. He was named by clients as one of nine M&A “Super All-Stars” in a survey of US M&A lawyers by BTI Consulting.
In addition to his work with clients, George is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School where he teaches a course on mergers and acquisitions. He is also a regular lecturer on U.S. M&A at L’école De Droit De La Sorbonne – Université Paris I.
George is a member of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Audit Committee of the American University and American College of Greece and a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for European Policy Analysis, a Washington DC think tank.
Senior Advisor on Corporate Governance and ESG Programs, Nasdaq
Joan C. Conley is currently a Senior Advisor on Corporate Governance and ESG Programs at Nasdaq, a role she assumed in January 2021, and a member of several boards. In February 2021, Joan was elected to the board of EJF Acquisition Corp., where she also serves as Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. In July 2021, Joan was elected to the board of Tigo Energy, a private company providing smart module technology for the solar industry.
Principal, PwC’s Governance Insights Center
Paul DeNicola is a principal in PwC’s Governance Insights Center, which strives to strengthen the connection between directors, executive teams and investors by helping them navigate the evolving governance landscape.
With more than 15 years of corporate governance experience, Paul has a broad range of knowledge in numerous emerging governance issues. Paul is also an Associate Professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business where he teaches courses in corporate governance and professional responsibility. Paul serves on the board of the National Association of Corporate Directors New Jersey Chapter and formerly served on the board of the Society for Corporate Governance and on the Markets Advisory Council of the Council of Institutional Investors.
Paul has authored and contributed to many PwC governance publications, including the renowned Annual Corporate Directors Survey. He has twice been named to Directorship Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in US corporate governance.
Paul earned his BA and MA degrees in interdisciplinary studies from The Gallatin School of New York University and completed a PhD in philosophy and communications at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee Switzerland. He lives in New York with his wife and three children
8:35 – 9:30 am
Understanding Why Good Boards Make Bad Decisions: An Interactive Exercise
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Acertitude
Rick is a purpose-driven entrepreneur and executive search
leader on a mission to unleash human potential. As co-founder and managing partner of Acertitude, he is building a reimagined executive search firm founded on the principle that clients’ interests — always — come first.
Also the firm’s Technology practice lead, Rick brings over 20 years of experience to his role as a leadership advisor to CEOs and senior executives of private equity firms and technology companies, spanning AI, data & analytics, communications, cybersecurity, digital, IT services, and SaaS. Rick and his team are also highly specialized in running CIO, CISO, and CTO searches and in supporting value creation, growth, restructuring, carve-out scenarios.
Acertitude’s success expands on Rick’s role as founder of TEG Consulting, an Acertitude company specialized in management search across technology, healthcare, and professional services. Prior to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Rick progressed through an array of leadership roles at Cable & Wireless Communications. He earned an MBA, Finance from Drexel University, and a B.S., Accounting from St. Joseph’s University.
Partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners
Adam Echter is a Partner based in Simon-Kucher’s Silicon Valley office. He brings two decades of B2B sales & pricing experience across manufactured goods, industrial equipment and technology industries. Adam has built pricing & sales organizations throughout North America, Europe & Asia with an emphasis on transitioning transactional businesses toward recurring revenue models. Serving firms across America from base of operations in Silicon Valley provides a unique perspective for bringing SaaS-pioneered monetization models to legacy, industrial firms.
Co-Head, Public Company Advisory Group, Weil Gotshal
Lyuba Goltser is Co-Head of Weil’s Public Company Advisory Group and founding member of Weil’s Sustainability and ESG Group. Lyuba has deep expertise in counseling public and private companies and not-for-profit corporations, as well as their boards of directors and independent board committees, in complex governance, disclosure and compliance matters.
In her practice, Lyuba advises on a breadth of company governance and compliance issues, including fiduciary duties, director independence, board and committee structure, risk oversight, ESG and sustainability matters, securities law compliance, executive compensation and other employment matters, board leadership structures, shareholder proposals, shareholder engagement and the impact of evolving stakeholder concerns, and corporate governance “best practices.” She also frequently advises on highly sensitive matters that are often confidential in nature, including on internal investigations, leadership transitions, related party transactions and conflicts of interest, corporate culture, climate transition, cybersecurity, discrimination and harassment, and whistleblower protection.
In addition, Lyuba advises on ESG disclosures and related benchmarking on topics such as emissions and climate strategy, cybersecurity, diversity, equity and inclusion, human rights and product and workplace safety matters. She works with boards and senior management teams on strategic matters relating to ESG and voluntary framework developments, and evolving shareholder and rating agency viewpoints.
Lyuba also has deep expertise in counseling clients on a full range of corporate governance and compliance in M&A, capital markets and corporate restructuring transactions. She regularly advises on SEC regulations and governance issues faced by newly-listed public companies and companies preparing to go public.
Lyuba received her J.D., cum laude, from Emory University School of Law and her B.A, cum laude, from Brandeis University.
Director, PwC’s Governance Insights Center
Catie Hall is a director in PwC’s Governance Insights Center, which strives to strengthen the connection between directors, executive teams and investors by helping them navigate the evolving governance landscape.
With nearly 20 years of experience at PwC, Catie brings significant experience in risk management, governance risks and controls.
Catie focuses on governance research, authors PwC governance publications and speaks to a variety of audiences on governance trends, including risk oversight and cybersecurity oversight.
Catie is a Certified Public Accountant (licensed in New York), a Certified Internal Auditor and is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Accounting.
8:35 – 9:30 am
Understanding Why Good Boards Make Bad Decisions: An Interactive Exercise
Head of Board Advisory for the Americas, Nasdaq
Kaley is the Director of Board Engagement at Nasdaq. Prior to Nasdaq’s acquisition of Center of Board Excellence (CBE) in October 2019, Kaley was CBE’s Vice President, Client Services, Business Development & Legal from September 2015 through 2019. In her current role, and under her role at CBE, Kaley advises boards and CEOs on corporate governance matters, board and director effectiveness, CEO and leadership evaluation and performance, board and management alignment, and compliance and risk matters.
3:00 – 3:50 pm
A People-Centric Approach to Building Resilience
Managing Director, FW Cook
Todd Krauser joined FW Cook in 2015 and has 25 years of executive compensation consulting experience working with compensation committees and senior management teams. Todd works closely with his clients to ensure their executive compensation programs are responsible to shareholders and support the company’s short and long-term business strategy.
Todd’s areas of expertise include pay strategy development; incentive plan design; performance measurement linkages; governance and regulatory issues; CD&A disclosure; equity share plan authorizations; and non-employee Director pay.
He has advised companies of all sizes in a variety of industries, including health care, consumer brands, REITs, restaurants, banking and technology. Todd has also consulted on compensation issues for privately held companies as well as companies with special circumstances such as IPOs, joint ventures and spin-offs.
Todd has spoken on executive compensation related topics for national and regional industry groups. Recent presentations, articles and research reports have covered topics such as “Diving Deeper into the Evaluation of Executive Compensation Plans,” “Tools and Techniques for Aligning Pay and Performance,” “Trends and Best Practices,” and “Director Compensation”.
Co-Chair, Shareholder Activism and Corporate Defense practice, Sidley Austin
KAI H. E. LIEKEFETT is a partner in New York and co-chairs Sidley’s Shareholder Activism and Corporate Defense practice. He has 20 years of experience in corporate law in New York, London, Germany, Hong Kong and Tokyo. He spends 100% of his time on activism campaigns, proxy fights and hostile takeovers. In the last five years, Kai has been involved in over 80 proxy contests, more than any other defense attorney in the world, and 25% of all U.S. proxy fights that went all the way.
Partner, Meridian Compensation Partners
Darren Moskovitz is a Partner at Meridian Compensation Partners and has over 20 years of consulting and financial industry experience. Darren’s primary roles have been advisory consulting, incentive plan design and helping firms develop policies and governance
procedures to conform to regulatory guidance and changes.
Areas of focus include: executive compensation advisory and consulting, including: incentive
plan design, regulatory responses, and long-term compensation planning; client relationship
management with leading global universal banks and commercial banks; and expertise
across a range of financial services business areas, corporate support and related areas.
Prior to joining Meridian Compensation Partners, Darren was the Global Head of Total Rewards for Citadel and
Citadel Securities — one of the world’s leading hedge funds. Prior to Citadel, Darren was the leader of the Global
Financial Services industry group within Willis Towers Watson’s Talent & Rewards segment.
Darren received his MBA in Corporate Finance from Fordham University and a B.S. in Mathematics and
Economics from Dickinson College
12:25 – 1:15 pm
Sustainability Under Fire – How Do Boards Find the Right Balance?
Head of Board Advisory for the Americas and APAC, Nasdaq
Phil is the Head of Board Engagement for the Americas and Asia Pacific Region at Nasdaq. Prior to Nasdaq’s acquisition of the Center for Board Excellence (CBE), Phil was a founding investor and advisor to CBE and was the President and a member of the Board of Directors. Phil advises the board of directors and senior management at public, private, and not for profit entities. Phil’s clients are primarily in North America, APAC, and EMEA.
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Acertitude
As co-founder and managing partner of Acertitude, Kevin’s quest is to unleash the human potential of today’s leading organizations by discovering, connecting, and empowering brilliant people at work.
His 25-year career in search has earned him the role of trusted advisor to many of the world’s top board members, CEOs, and C-suite executives, having led over 2000 searches for notable companies and private equity firms globally. He leads the firm’s global Consumer and Industrial practices, and co-leads the firm’s global Private Equity practice.
Acertitude’s success builds on Kevin’s leadership of O’Neill Consulting, an Acertitude company specialized in management search, which he founded in 1996. Prior, O’Neill spent his early career with investment banks Merrill Lynch and Kidder, Peabody & Co, as well a serving as a top client partner with a major search firm in Philadelphia. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from Marietta College.
Kevin is a board member of Avishkar Holdings, a biotech investment firm, and was a board member and founder of Cargenix, a clinical-stage CAR-t cell immunotherapy company, which was sold to a strategic buyer.
Active in public service, Kevin serves as trustee of his alma-mater Marietta College, trustee of the Bryant University College of Business Deans Council, and director on the board of the World War II Foundation. Previously, Kevin served as regional Chairman of the Board for the American Heart Association and the YMCA of Greater Providence.
Senior Vice President, Leadership Insights, DDI
Dr. Matt Paese is a globally recognized author, CEO coach, C-suite consultant, keynote speaker, and pioneer of many of today’s leading approaches for helping leaders succeed at the top. He is the lead author of Leaders Ready Now: Accelerating Growth in a Faster World (2016) and co-author of its award-winning predecessor, Grow Your Own Leaders (2002), which have shaped over two decades of impact in growing leaders into skilled, self-aware, compassionate enterprise executives.
1:15 – 2:05 pm
The 3 Secrets of CEO Succession Planning Done Right
Americas Leader, EY Center for Board Matters
In this time of accelerated change, having effective governance and oversight processes in place is paramount. As the leader of the Americas EY Center for Board Matters, Kris Pederson directs the firm’s engagement with boards, committees, and directors to help them address an increasingly complex and global environment.
Leader, U.S. Center for Corporate Governance, BDO
Amy has spent over 16 years with BDO as part of the National Assurance practice office. She founded and directs BDO’s Center for Corporate Governance and Financial Reporting, designed for financial executives and those charged with governance of both public and private companies. She is responsible for the development and presentation of a significant volume of BDO’s continuing professional education (CPE)-worthy webinar, on-demand and podcast programs and thought leadership pieces on a variety of matters related to corporate governance, including cybersecurity, fraud, succession planning, and audit quality.
12:25 – 1:15 pm
Sustainability Under Fire – How Do Boards Find the Right Balance?
