Colleen Birdnow Brown, Bakkt Holdings (NYSE: BKKT)
1. Your Board Lens: What perspective do you bring to the boardroom that most shapes how you approach oversight?
I come to the boardroom first as a former public company CEO who now spends most of my time sitting on the other side of the table. That combination has shaped how I think about governance. Directors have an obligation to provide rigorous oversight, but our greatest value often comes from asking the questions management hasn’t yet considered. I believe the best boards balance oversight with insight and foresight—challenging assumptions, broadening perspectives, and helping management think further around the corner. My focus is always on long-term value creation rather than simply monitoring short-term performance.
2. A Defining Board Moment: What has been one of your most meaningful—or instructive—board experiences, and what did it teach you about governance?
One of the most instructive experiences has been leading through periods of significant change—CEO transitions, strategic transformations, capital raises, acquisitions, and regulatory challenges. Those moments reinforce that governance is ultimately about judgment under uncertainty. Facts are rarely complete, time is limited, and there is almost never a perfect answer. The boards that perform best create an environment where difficult issues can be debated candidly, assumptions challenged respectfully, and decisions made with confidence. Governance is less about having all the answers than building a process that consistently leads to better decisions.
3. Where You Can Be Helpful: What issues or committee areas do you feel especially equipped to discuss with fellow directors?
Most of my experience has centered around audit and financial oversight, CEO succession, governance, strategic transformation, M&A, and helping companies navigate periods of disruption. I particularly enjoy conversations where strategy, risk, and organizational capability intersect. Increasingly, boards are dealing with questions that don’t fit neatly within a single committee, whether AI, cybersecurity, capital allocation, culture, or enterprise transformation. Helping boards connect those issues into a coherent governance framework is an area where I enjoy contributing.
4. Where You’re Still Learning: What governance challenge are you currently wrestling with—or would welcome peer perspective on?
The question I continue to explore is not whether boards should oversee AI—that responsibility is clear—but how boards can govern AI as a strategic capability rather than simply another technology initiative. AI is reshaping business models, decision-making, talent, cybersecurity, capital allocation, and competitive advantage. The opportunity for directors is to develop governance frameworks that encourage innovation while ensuring appropriate oversight of risk, ethics, and long-term value creation. I enjoy learning from fellow directors about where the board should lean in, where management should lead, and how governance practices will need to evolve as AI becomes embedded across the enterprise.
5. The Issue You’re Paying Closest Attention to in 2026: What topic is currently occupying the most boardroom energy for you—and why?
If there is one issue consuming boardroom attention today, it is resilience. Economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability, technological disruption, cybersecurity, regulatory change, and shifting stakeholder expectations all demand that companies adapt more quickly than ever before. Boards are increasingly asking not only whether today’s strategy is working, but whether the organization has the leadership, culture, financial flexibility, and governance processes to remain successful if the environment changes dramatically. That conversation is becoming just as important as quarterly results.
6. A Board Habit That Makes a Difference: What small practice or discipline has meaningfully improved how your board operates?
One of the most effective board practices I’ve experienced is a Bull/Bear Debate (what one board called ‘Bulls & Bears’). Before discussing a significant strategic decision, each director draws a number that randomly assigns them to argue either the bullish or bearish case, regardless of their personal view. The exercise forces directors to advocate for a position they may not naturally hold, surfaces risks and opportunities that might otherwise remain hidden, and almost always moves the discussion toward a more balanced and nuanced conclusion. I’ve introduced some version of this exercise to several other boards because it consistently elevates the quality of both the dialogue and the decision.
More recently, at the Aspen Board program, I was introduced to the acronym WAIT—’Why Am I Talking?’ It is a simple reminder that directors often add the greatest value by listening carefully and asking thoughtful questions rather than rushing to offer opinions. Together, these two disciplines encourage curiosity over certainty, thoughtful inquiry over advocacy, and ultimately lead to stronger governance.
Scott Carlton, United Fire Group (NASDAQ: UFCS)
1. Your Board Lens: What perspective do you bring to the boardroom that most shapes how you approach oversight?
Bringing various perspectives and diverse views from experience is critical for a Board of Directors to be successful. The perspective I bring into my role as a Director is based on my experience as a CEO, coupled with financial expertise and building strong cultures. Oversight is not only important in the various committees from a regulatory viewpoint, but oversight is also very important in terms of strategy, leadership, and CEO succession planning.
2. A Defining Board Moment: What has been one of your most meaningful – or instructive – board experiences, and what did it teach you about governance?
One moment stands clear above the rest, and that was CEO succession during a challenging time. The importance of the Board’s role to the shareholders and company as a whole became very clear during that time period. It was a very challenging and heavy lift to change the CEO, and taught me the importance of the Board’s responsibility in succession planning, monitoring strategy execution, and open dialogue in the Boardroom.
3. Where You Can Be Helpful: What issues or committee areas do you feel especially equipped to discuss with fellow directors?
I have many years of experience in audit and compensation committees, as well as strategy development.
4. Where You’re Still Learning: What governance challenge are you currently wrestling with – or would welcome peer perspective on?
I am still learning about AI and the various use-cases across different industries. It’s a big challenge to understand how to view this technology evolution and provide the best governance framework over the next 5 years.
5. The Issue You’re Paying Closest Attention to in 2026: What topic is currently occupying the most boardroom energy for you – and why?
The issue that is occupying most of the boardroom energy today is overall market uncertainty and volatility, which mandate a strategy that can shift if necessary. AI is of course part of this equation as well, and attempting to develop a positive ROI in a very dynamic technical environment.
6. A Board Habit That Makes a Difference: What small practice or discipline has meaningfully improved how your board operates?
The most effective practices are the importance of meeting in person and having Board dinners together, which creates strong relationships which are really needed in times of crisis. Also having an open dialogue in the executive session after each committee meeting and the Board meeting. Creating a strong culture within the Board is a mandatory practice that demands discipline and intentionality from the Chair.
Christian Garcia, board member, Mueller Water Products (NYSE: MWA), Bausch Health Companies (NYSE/TSX: BHC), TETRA Technologies (NYSE: TTI)
Your Board Lens: What perspective do you bring to the boardroom that most shapes how you approach oversight?
As a multi-industry retired CFO and board director, I bring perspective from outside any single sector. Practices that work well elsewhere may often get overlooked by management teams solely focused on their own industry. I try to surface those connections when relevant to a company’s strategic objectives.
A Defining Board Moment: What has been one of your most meaningful—or instructive—board experiences, and what did it teach you about governance?
Early on, I served on a Special Committee during a merger that ran into “social” issues threatening to derail the transaction. The merger eventually got consummated as both sides maintained focus on the fundamental merits of the deal. The experience reinforced the importance of staying anchored to the industrial logic of transactions and the value they can create for a company’s stakeholders.
My career has centered on critical capital allocation decisions, transformations, and restructurings in complex environments. I try to draw on that experience when boards face high-stakes, high-pressure decisions in these areas.
Where You’re Still Learning: What governance challenge are you currently wrestling with—or would welcome peer perspective on?
Beyond AI, I continue to grapple with how management should sequence the operational actions of a transformation. I believe every company needs a transformation story, but translating that into action while still running the current business is a real challenge—one I think many boards wrestle with.
A Board Habit That Makes a Difference: What small practice has meaningfully improved how you operate as a board director?
I make a point of engaging with members of management outside the formal cadence of board meetings. These conversations allow me to get to know people on a more personal level, build trust, and better understand the issues they’re navigating in real time.
Ralph Izzo, Retired Chairman, CEO, President, PSEG (NYSE: PEG), Board Member, CMS Energy Corporation (NYSE: CMS)
Your Board Lens: What perspective do you bring to the boardroom that most shapes how you approach oversight?
My board lens is not a single dimension. I like to believe I play several different roles and provide multiple perspectives depending on the situation. As time goes on, the one lens that I move further and further away from is that of the Operator. I actually worry about board members who bring one primary perspective to the table. They often want so desperately to contribute that they run the risk of tripping into the role of management wearing the “one hat” with which they are most comfortable.
Where You’re Still Learning: What governance challenge are you currently wrestling with—or would welcome peer perspective on?
I have trouble thinking of one defining moment. If I force myself to do so it involved a time when the board/company on which I was serving was to be acquired but the CEO opposed the deal. The board was split but sided with the CEO. I thought it was my obligation to resign from the board since there was such a fundamentally different point of view regarding strategic direction.
Where You Can Be Helpful: What issues or committee areas do you feel especially equipped to discuss with fellow directors?
I seem to find myself most often on audit and governance committees. My contribution on audit tends to be heavily oriented toward risk identification and management. The governance role stems from my varied board experiences.
Where You’re Still Learning: What governance challenge are you currently wrestling with—or would welcome peer perspective on?
The area that I still struggle with involves how to help a company consider alternatives and not get trapped in a mind set that says “this is common in our industry”. I am not an advocate of changing for the sake of change but I think it is helpful for companies to learn from others both inside and outside of their industry.
The Issue You’re Paying Closest Attention to in 2026: What topic is currently occupying the most boardroom energy for you—and why?
The issue I am paying closest attention to is likely the same as most other board members — the trajectory and impact of artificial intelligence. If my boards had more of an international impact I think I would be equally attentive to changing geopolitical circumstances.
A Board Habit That Makes a Difference: What small practice or discipline has meaningfully improved how your board operates?
A good board habit is introducing some modest social activity. It could be dinners, off site strategy sessions with activities outside the meeting room, etc. Getting to know each other and valuing those relationships helps if and when contentious issues arise.
Sanford Rich, Board Director, Unusual Machines (NYSE: UMAC)
Your Board Lens: What perspective do you bring to the boardroom that most shapes how you approach oversight?
My early career experience as an analyst, investor and trader of distressed/defaulted securities gave me a focus on understanding financial disclosures, alternative sources of information, and the need for action in the face of challenges. This experience has supported my continued education in the management of audit committees of public and private corporations and a tendency to act immediately in the face of problems. There are always problems to address.
A Defining Board Moment: What has been one of your most meaningful—or instructive—board experiences, and what did it teach you about governance?
Many years ago I was audit committee chair of a health insurance company that was selling individual health insurance policies. The math/accounting of the company showed a significant risk of deteriorating profitability of most of the contracts being sold. The CEO did not agree. The Board did agree. I lead the restructuring of the company, the sale of the existing book of business to EHealth, and relaunched the company is a provider of insurance company ERP software as a service. The company was ultimately sold to a larger software provider.
The Issue You’re Paying Closest Attention to in 2026: What topic is currently occupying the most boardroom energy for you—and why?
The impact of political and judicial decision making on the businesses I am involved in is significant. The impact has been both detrimental and supportive and tends to be abrupt. The question that I am concerned with is how shifting political leadership can cause significant reversals of these trends putting Board level decision making under pressure to be prepared for that possibility.
Where You Can Be Helpful: What issues or committee areas do you feel especially equipped to discuss with fellow directors?
I believe my experience offers to other directors the ability to navigate the transition from private to public ownership. My investment banking and accounting experience is key.
Victor Barnes, Board Director, Shentel (NASDAQ: SHEN)
Your Board Lens: What perspective do you bring to the boardroom that most shapes how you approach oversight?
I bring a CFO and transformation lens to the boardroom.
That means I tend to focus less on point-in-time performance and more on trajectory integrity. Are the underlying unit economics improving? Is free cash flow moving in the right direction? Is capital being deployed in a way that preserves optionality?
Having spent much of my career inside operating environments—most recently in connected planning and digital transformation—I’m also attentive to whether management’s narrative and the operating reality are aligned. I try to help conversations move from reviewing results to understanding drivers.
Where You’re Still Learning: What governance challenge are you currently wrestling with—or would welcome peer perspective on?
I’m increasingly interested in how boards should oversee long-range value creation in environments where technology cycles are moving faster than capital cycles.
In capital-intensive businesses especially, we approve multi-year investment programs based on underwriting models that assume stability in customer behavior, competitive dynamics, and cost curves. At the same time, AI and automation are reshaping operating models in ways that are still uneven and difficult to quantify.
The governance question I’m wrestling with is:
How do boards distinguish between structural shifts that require re-underwriting the strategy and incremental technology improvements that simply enhance execution?
Related to that is how we evaluate AI investments. Where is there measurable operating leverage? Where is it vendor noise? And how do we ensure management enthusiasm doesn’t outpace economic proof?
How does a board wrestle with this without swerving into Management’s lane?
1. What is the key to being a successful director?
It’s really about understanding your role as a director and fully embracing “your verbs”.
Let me explain.
A significant proportion of board members come from operational backgrounds.
So if you’re a current or former CEO or C-level executive you spend your days leading, managing, motivating, executing, deciding.
As an operator, these are your verbs.
Using an analogy, C-level executives tend to be player-coaches.
They are used to finding championship level talent, training them, and drawing up the best plays to put their teams in the best position to win. On occasion the player-coach might strap on their old chin guard and take the field to help secure a win.
But this is not typical of a board member.
As a director your verbs are different from that of an operator.
Board members oversee, advise, govern, evaluate, and approve.
Successful board members typically aren’t player-coaches but rather vital members of world class “front office” teams.
Our job as directors is to monitor the team’s overall direction and performance. We offer strategic advice to “the coach” (i.e., CEO) and evaluate their performance. We ensure “the franchise” (i.e., company) plays by the rules by setting governance structures and policies to ensure ethical operations and regulatory compliance. Lastly, similar to a franchise’s front office we approve significant decisions like budget, C-suite hires, major corporate actions (i.e., M&A, financing, stock issuance and buybacks), and major strategic shifts.
Bottom line, a successful director helps build an enduring franchise that creates value for stakeholders.
2. What has been your most rewarding experience as a director?
As a young director, I had the unique opportunity to chair the nominating committee for Kristi House, a South Florida child advocacy center.
I had gotten to know the president of Kristi House through mutual friends and because of the community work and my board service with a Miami-Dade Parking Authority subcommittee, she recommended me for a board position.
During my second term at Kristi House, I was asked to chair the nominating committee. While this alone was an honor, the most rewarding experience came about when I had the opportunity to recruit a strong class of directors.
Among this cohort, I had recruited a particularly high potential candidate who I thought could be great for future leadership within the organization. I had the honor to mentor him and he eventually became President of the organization.
I love identifying and nurturing talent, setting them up for future success, and this situation resulted in a win for everyone.
3. What piece of advice would you give to those looking to land their first board seat?
Be good. Be around. Be of service.
As to being good, the late Charlie Munger – Warren Buffet’s long term business partner – was known to advise;
| “To get what you want, you have to deserve what you want.”
To secure a board seat, study examples of successful directors, identify the qualities that make them effective and sought after, and develop those traits.
Being around is about being present in the right rooms.
As Woody Allen famously said, “80% of success is showing up.”
It apparently checks out as I’ve seen surveys that indicate upwards of 80% of board seats are filled through personal referrals and networks.
Do you want that referral? Join the associations and attend the events that directors do.
Ultimately, it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you and the quality of your work.
Which brings us to the final and most important piece – being of service.
Naval Ravikant, founder of AngelList, talks extensively about how the act of just “networking” is overrated. His advice is to “become first and foremost a person of value and the network will be available whenever you need it.”
Remember, boards face a lot of challenges. Having individuals that are good at navigating risks and challenges are worth their weight in gold.
Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers) summed it up, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'” It’s a complex and scary world and boards need the helpers.
So, if you’re skilled, visible, and useful, you’ll be well positioned to land your first board seat.
4. What changes do you anticipate seeing in the boardroom in the next five years?
In the next five years, boards will likely become slightly younger, more compliant, and more pervasive.
Regarding age, the average board director is about 63, while the average publicly-traded company CEO is 50 and a venture-backed company CEO is around 45. As boards’ needs evolve, they will require more input from active operators who navigate rapidly changing competitive and macroeconomic environments. To keep up, boards will need fresh perspectives and digital savvy, attributes typically found in operators who are more than ten years younger than the current average.
As to compliance, regulatory scrutiny tends to move in one direction … more. Also, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) will present new compliance and oversight challenges, particularly regarding data privacy, cybersecurity, and ethical AI use. Boards will need to enhance their frameworks to keep pace with regulatory requirements and maintain stakeholder trust.
Lastly, expect an increase in the number of boards as more companies remain private longer. While there are only about 4,000 publicly-traded companies in the U.S. (down from roughly 8,000 in the mid-1990s), there are about five times as many private equity-backed businesses in the US. Additionally, there are over 50,000 private venture-backed U.S. startups.
As more dollars flow into the private markets, investors and institutional LPs will likely demand greater oversight and governance that only well-constituted boards can provide.
CBM Network Advisory Board member Jonathan Foster, Director, Lear Corporation (NYSE: LEA), Amcor (AMCR), and author, On Board: The Modern Playbook for Corporate Governance.
Your Board Lens: What perspective do you bring to the boardroom that most shapes how you approach oversight?
Over my 35+ year career, I have been primarily an investment banker focused on mergers and acquisitions in numerous industries and an expert witness in corporate litigation. Also, I have now been on more than 50 board, including Fortune 500 companies, smaller public companies, private companies and distressed companies. So, while I have certainly not seen it all, I have seen a lot.
A Defining Board Moment: What has been one of your most meaningful—or instructive—board experiences, and what did it teach you about governance?
I think often of two poor experiences and one excellent one. On the negative side, I remember my first major board meeting as an investment banker back in 1990, when I was the junior member of the Lazard team advising Wheelabrator on its merger with Waste Management. Michael Dingman, who later renounced his US citizenship and moved to Nassau, was the swashbuckling CEO of Wheelabrator. I looked over at one point, and while I had been on the edge of my seat for an hour just taking it all in, Dingman’s eyes were shut tight, and he seemed to be asleep. That same year over the Christmas holiday period, in a separate deal, the United Airlines pilots acquired control of the airline. Again, as the young associate on the Lazard team, I sat in a large conference room in the Regency Hotel in New York City, where the “power breakfast” originated, as the United board approved this deal. My recollection is that just one director asked just one question: “Will our free first-class tickets continue to be available after the transaction closes?” I knew that governance had to be better.
The first substantial public company on whose bord I sat was Masonite, a leading manufacturer of residential and commercial doors. George Lorch, who has sadly passed away, was a fellow director and the former CEO of Armstrong, the flooring and ceiling company and an experienced director. Time and again we would finish a two-day meeting, and I would say to myself, “George made just a few comments, but each one was thoughtful and helpful.” That’s a good director. I always try to remember to listen first and just speak when I have a meaningful question or am pretty sure I have something thoughtful to say.
Where You Can Be Helpful: What issues or committee areas do you feel especially equipped to discuss with fellow directors?
Given my background, I bring broad based sector knowledge with a finance and governance background. I trust that I can be particularly helpful with strategic issues (Should we separate this non-core asset? How should we go about CEO succession?), capital allocation considerations (Is a stock repurchase program appropriate for us? What is the optimum capital structure for our company at this time?) and audit committee matters (Are we comfortable with our control environment? How can we communicate our story more effectively?)
Where You’re Still Learning: What governance challenge are you currently wrestling with—or would welcome peer perspective on?
The answer has to be AI. You can’t oversee effectively – a board’s job is to oversee management on behalf of the shareholders – unless you understand the key issues. And AI is ubiquitous. All directors need to quickly develop at least a basic understanding of AI, including safety issues, use cases and how it can make a company more efficient while also understanding its impact on the company’s competitive position. Also, how can AI help a board be more effective – and does it belong in the boardroom?
The Issue You’re Paying Closest Attention to in 2026: What topic is currently occupying the most boardroom energy for you—and why?
At the moment, in addition to AI, it is inflation. We are currently experiencing substantial inflation driven most recently by the conflict with Iran. Many companies are trying to pass on increased costs to customers who of course try to pass it on to consumers. The reason inflation is so insidious is that prices do not come down quickly or even often. So, helping management think about how to pass along increased costs and understanding what inflation means for strategy and market share is crucial at the moment.
A Board Habit That Makes a Difference: What small practice or discipline has meaningfully improved how your board operates?
Working hard to challenge management and oversee thoughtfully, not get into the details. And making sure that everyone has a chance to speak — remember, every director has one vote and equal liability
Elizabeth Castro Gulacsy, NNN REIT, Inc. (NYSE: NNN)
Your Board Lens: What perspective do you bring to the boardroom that most shapes how you approach oversight?
Having served as both a public company Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer, I bring a financial expert and strategic operator perspective to the boardroom. My experience across capital markets, enterprise risk management, and corporate governance, combined with a strong commitment to continuous learning, helps me stay at the forefront of evolving regulatory developments and emerging risks facing boardrooms. Additionally, my experience leading through IPOs, the global pandemic, senior leadership transitions, and complex regulatory matters has strengthened my ability to navigate complex, high-pressure situations with composure and clarity, while reinforcing the importance of strong governance, effective controls, and stakeholder alignment.
Where You Can Be Helpful: What issues or committee areas do you feel especially equipped to discuss with fellow directors?
As an SEC Qualified Financial Expert and a former public company CFO, I bring expertise in financial reporting, internal controls, and complex technical accounting and regulatory matters. I’m particularly well positioned to contribute in areas including audit/financial oversight, capital allocation, corporate governance and enterprise risk management. Having led through crisis situations and significant transformations, I also bring practical operating experience in capital markets transactions, IPOs, succession planning, crisis management and stakeholder engagement.
Where You’re Still Learning: What governance challenge are you currently wrestling with—or would welcome peer perspective on?
Boards are expected to oversee not just the opportunities from AI, but also the governance frameworks around data, ethics, and control environments, all while the threat landscape continues to evolve. As a result, I continue to expand my understanding of emerging technologies, particularly AI, and its implications on risk, governance, and long-term strategy. While I’ve completed training and certifications in AI governance and cybersecurity, the pace of change is so rapid that I find ongoing education and dialogue with other directors incredibly valuable.
Bruce Thorn, Caleres, Inc. (NYSE: CAL).
Your Board Lens: What perspective do you bring to the boardroom that most shapes how you approach oversight?
I focus mainly on making sure the company acts in the best interests of its shareholders. This means looking at our long-term plans, making sure we have the right people in leadership roles, and using company resources wisely to get the best returns. In short, I try to make sure everything we do builds lasting value for investors and stakeholders.
A Defining Board Moment: What has been one of your most meaningful—or instructive—board experiences, and what did it teach you about governance?
A few important moments stand out. Choosing the right CEO and CFO has a huge effect on how well the company does. When investors/activists push for quick results, I believe the board needs to stay focused on long-term success, not just short-term gains. It’s also important to challenge management during planning and make sure their ideas are backed up with solid steps that support growth and strong results.
Where You Can Be Helpful: What issues or committee areas do you feel especially equipped to discuss with fellow directors?
I have experience with the Compensation and Nominating & Governance Committees, as well as in technology, digital projects, and AI.
Where You’re Still Learning: What governance challenge are you currently wrestling with—or would welcome peer perspective on?
I’m working on understanding how AI can be used in retail and consumer goods companies.
The Issue You’re Paying Closest Attention to in 2026: What topic is currently occupying the most boardroom energy for you—and why?
I’m paying close attention to big global changes, how companies are using AI, and how businesses are shifting strategies to keep up in a fast-changing world.
A Board Habit That Makes a Difference: What small practice or discipline has meaningfully improved how your board operates?
I believe in self-evaluation and making sure the board stays focused on long-term goals. After meetings, we try to keep follow-up tasks short and clear—just a few key priorities, not a long list. Regular board reviews help us stay on track and work well together.
Tracy Harris, Bally’s Corporation (NYSE: BALY)
Your Board Lens: What perspective do you bring to the boardroom that most shapes how you approach oversight?
I enter the boardroom as a financial operator with a focus on risk and systems—someone familiar with the numbers, capital structure, and covenant packages, but also attentive to how strategy, technology, and AI infrastructure are transforming those core elements. I often interpret macro forces—such as geopolitics, regulation, and monetary policy—into practical questions regarding resilience, liquidity, and strategic flexibility for the boards I serve.
A Defining Board Moment: What has been one of your most meaningful – or instructive—board experiences, and what did it teach you about governance?
One of the most instructive moments for me was a board debate over a “transformational” digital initiative in which the business case was compelling, but the implications for AI governance, cybersecurity, and data ethics were underdeveloped. It reinforced that good governance is not about saying “yes” or “no” to innovation but about slowing the decision just enough to align ambition with controls, accountability, and a realistic view of execution risk.
Where You Can Be Helpful: What issues or committee areas do you feel especially equipped to discuss with fellow directors?
I am especially well-equipped to contribute to audit and risk, governance, and sustainability/ESG committees, where questions about the macro-outlook, fiscal and monetary policies, and climate transition risks are central. I also provide value when boards address how to implement evolving restructuring or regulatory frameworks, incorporate them into strategy and enterprise risk management, and communicate them effectively to investors, stakeholders, and regulators.
Where You’re Still Learning: What governance challenge are you currently wrestling with—or would welcome peer perspective on?
Like many directors, I am still learning how best to calibrate board oversight in an era in which AI systems serve as both strategic drivers and sources of opaque, escalating risk. I welcome peer insights on metrics for AI performance and harm at the board level, on the extent to which boards should examine model architectures and data sources, and on effective methods to oversee decentralized or token-based business models without hindering innovation.
The Issue You’re Paying Closest Attention to in 2026: What topic is currently occupying the most boardroom energy for you – and why?
In 2026, I am closely watching how macroeconomic trends, political dynamics, and expectations around environmental issues influence capital allocation and growth. Questions about inflation, interest rates, and fiscal policy are directly shaping how we consider investment horizons, leverage, and risks. Meanwhile, investors, regulators, customers, and employees are raising expectations on climate, diversity and inclusion, and broader stakeholder impact. The boards I serve on are putting real energy into ensuring our strategies, capital plans, and stakeholder commitments are aligned and credible — not just separate conversations.
A Board Habit That Makes a Difference: What small practice or discipline has meaningfully improved how your board operates?
One small practice that has a real impact is starting each strategy cycle with a brief “external context” discussion—covering key macro, regulatory, geopolitical, and sustainability trends before any slides. It grounds us in the real world we operate in and creates a common fact base. I also appreciate a short director-only session at the end of each meeting, focused on how we’re working together, which has measurably improved board chemistry, candor, and effectiveness.
