Office Managing Shareholder
Co-Chair, Privacy and Data Security Practice Group, Littler
Kwabena A. Appenteng counsels employers on a range of workplace privacy and information security issues in both the U.S. and European Union, including:
Kwabena has been certified by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) as a Certified Information Privacy Professional for the U.S. and Europe (CIPP/US; CIPP/E), which demonstrates his understanding of global concepts of privacy and data protection law and practice, and how these components apply in the workplace.
A frequent writer on privacy topics, Kwabena has been published in a variety of publications including Law360, Inside Counsel Magazine, and Corporate Counsel, and routinely speaks on privacy and information security related issues.
Vice Chairman, Americas, JLL; Board Member, Fluence Energy, Host Hotels, Comfort Systems USA
Herman Bulls is Vice Chairman, Americas, as well as an International Director and the founder of JLL’s highly acclaimed Public Institutions Division, which specializes in delivering comprehensive real estate solutions to federal, state and local governments, nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions. Mr. Bulls works with the firm’s largest public and corporate clients to devise and implement integrated real estate strategies to lower occupancy costs and increase productivity. During over 35 years at JLL, Mr. Bulls has worked in the areas of development, investment management, asset management, facilities operations and business development/retention. He provides thought leadership and strategic guidance to senior level executives. Mr. Bulls has served as an expert witness on real estate matters in court and testified before Congressional committees on real estate issues.
Mr. Bulls co-founded and served as President and CEO of Bulls Capital Partners, a multi-family financing company. Additionally, he founded Bulls Advisory Group, LCC, a management and real estate advisory firm. Prior to joining JLL, Mr. Bulls completed almost 12 years of active-duty service with the United States Army. His last active-duty assignments were working in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management at the Pentagon and as an Assistant Professor of Economics and Finance at West Point. He has completed the Army’s Airborne, Ranger and Command and General Staff College courses and served overseas in the Republic of Korea. He retired as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves in 2008.
Mr. Bulls received a BS degree in engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA in finance from Harvard Business School.
Mr. Bulls serves on several public, private and not for profit boards. He is Chairman of Fluence Energy (NASDAQ: FLNC) and Vice Chairman of USAA. He is Vice Chairman of the West Point Association of Graduates and serves on the Department of Defense Policy Board. He also serves on the boards of Host Hotels (NASDAQ: HST), Comfort Systems, USA (NYSE: FIX) Collegis Education, the American Red Cross National Board of Governors, the Real Estate Advisory Committee for New York State Teachers’ Retirement System. He is director emeritus of the Military Bowl, a NCAA sanctioned football bowl game played in the nation’s capital each December. Mr. Bulls former board service includes Tyco International, Exelis, Inc., Computer Sciences Corporation, American Campus Communities, and Rasmussen, Inc.
Board Member, Azenta Life Sciences, Psychemedics Corp. and Akston Biosciences Corp.
Robyn is a seasoned corporate director, strategy leader, and executive advisor to global corporations. She has extensive experience guiding high-performing executives across a wide range of industries including technology, healthcare, and financial services. She has over three decades of C-suite consulting and investing experience with public, private, and non-governmental organizations. Robyn’s expertise includes value-creation, growth strategies, mergers and acquisitions, cost reduction, and leadership development activities through her own firm and as a board member. Robyn has been an active speaker on ‘hot topic’ governance issues for Nasdaq, NACD, and Women Corporate Directors to promote board learning, leadership and engagement in an increasingly complex business environment.
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 Society for Corporate Governance as well as the board of the National Association of Corporate Directors New Jersey Chapter, 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.
Board Member, SEALSQ; MIT Media Lab Fellow (Cybersecurity)
As a veteran technology executive, with multiple exits, and a public company board director, Cristina is known for driving digital innovation and strong governance. She has extensive leadership experience at the intersection of technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and fintech. Ms. Dolan co-founded OneMain.com, serving as Division President and leading it through a NASDAQ IPO and subsequent acquisition. She has since held multiple public company board roles: currently as a Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair of SEALSQ (NASDAQ: LAES), and formerly as a director on the boards of WiseKey (NASDAQ: WKEY) and GRIID (NASDAQ: GRDI, acquired by Cleanspark), where she also served on special committees and oversaw audit and compensation governance. In these roles, Ms. Dolan has been deeply involved in overseeing cybersecurity risk disclosures and compliance with U.S. and global regulations.
As CEO of PrimeRadiant, she is leading the growth and development of the first regulatory-compliant solution designed to safeguard executives’ digital footprints, smart homes, and families. She is an Executive Advisor at Crimson Vista, Inc., where she contributes her boardroom perspective to cybersecurity audit and attestation services for clients. Her forthcoming book, CyberFiduciary, which demystifies the new SEC cybersecurity disclosure mandates and elevates digital governance to a board-level responsibility, will be released in the first half of 2026. In addition to holding executive roles at RSA Netwitness, Disney, Hearst, IBM and Oracle, she served as CEO of a venture-based AI company spun out of MIT. The best-selling sustainability book she co-authored, Transparency in ESG and the Circular Economy: Capturing Opportunities Through Data, has received international recognition.
Additionally, Ms. Dolan is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University’s Technology Management program, educating future leaders on cybersecurity, risk management, Industry 5.0 technologies and design thinking methodologies. Her background combining entrepreneurial success, board governance in tech-driven companies, and academic insight provides a rich perspective throughout this book. She leverages firsthand knowledge of fiduciary duties and regulatory expectations to help boards and executives develop effective oversight of cybersecurity, ESG, AI, and emerging technology risks. Cristina earned a Master’s Degree from the MIT Media Lab and holds a Master of Computer Science Engineering and Bachelors of Electrical Engineering.
Partner & Co-Head of Shareholder Activism Practice, Sullivan & Cromwell
Patrick Gadson is Co-Head of Sullivan & Cromwell’s Shareholder Activism Practice and a partner in the Firm’s M&A Group. Patrick’s principal areas of practice are private equity, mergers and acquisitions and shareholder activism. He also counsels senior management, boards of directors, investment managers and both private equity and strategic investors in a wide variety of complex business transactions, corporate governance matters, strategic investor relations and other special situations. His experience includes advising clients in connection with shareholder activism-related investments, hostile takeovers, public and private M&A transactions, strategic minority investments and corporate capital investments.
Over the past 10 proxy seasons, Patrick has led over 300 shareholder activism engagements. He regularly defends clients against high-profile shareholder activists such as Starboard Value, Elliott Management, Carl Icahn, Engaged Capital, Jana Partners, ValueAct Capital, Legion Partners, Corvex Management and D.E. Shaw & Co.
Chief Experience Officer, BlackCloak
In Ingrid Gliottone’s executive leadership role, Ingrid is responsible for ensuring that all BlackCloak digital protection clients attain peace of mind knowing that themselves, their families, and by extension their companies, are well-protected from targeted cyberattacks, financial fraud, and identity theft, among other modern-day digital risks. In 2021, Ingrid was recognized as “A Top Woman in Cybersecurity” by Cyber Defense Magazine.
Currently, Ingrid oversees the close collaboration between BlackCloak’s client service and security operations center (SOC) teams. Under her leadership, Ingrid ensures that all BlackCloak customer-centric strategies, from onboarding and ad hoc client support to monthly CISO reports, client education, and threat notifications, among other initiatives, are executed with an exceptional experience that results in increased customer loyalty and renewals.
Ingrid is also the architect of the Concierge Client Support team that is akin to the Genius Bar of cybersecurity & online privacy – experts in both the subject matter and in making people feel at ease. She’s created an entire library of educational materials, including client guides, webinars
and Q&As, designed to be digestible by cybersecurity practitioners and novices alike.
Prior to BlackCloak, Ingrid served as Director of Customer Success at ProcessUnity, where she was responsible for both the entire customer engagement lifecycle and the oversight of all client due diligence requests and audits. Previously, Ingrid also held leadership and customer-focused roles at Viewpost, where she led the initiative for establishing and implementing a risk-based vendor assurance review program founded on the ISO/IEC 27001/2 security standard in addition to Federal and State Data Privacy regulations (including GLBA and HIPAA), and PCI-DSS).
Ingrid also served as a Risk Specialist and Privacy subject-matter expert for the Royal Bank of Scotland’s U.S. operations, managing the bank’s Data Breach/Customer Incident Response program. During her tenure at the bank, Ingrid was responsible for implementing a risk-based third-party vendor assurance review program founded on the ISO/IEC 27001/2, in addition to Federal and State Data Privacy regulations (including GLBA and HIPAA), and PCI-DSS.
Ingrid is a certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) and a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Information Technology (CIPP/IT) through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Ingrid holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the College of the Holy Cross, a MBA from the University of Rhode Island and a Master’s in Information Assurance from
Northeastern University.
Board Member, Burlington Stores and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
Michael Goodwin is an experienced public and private board director and former global CIO with more than 30 years of information technology experience, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at PetSmart before retiring in 2023. While CIO of PetSmart, Michael had enterprise responsibility for developing and implementation of IT and Cyber Security strategies that enabled transformational strategic and operational business goals leading to improved company financial performance. Under his leadership, IT delivered e-commerce, store growth, marketing and merchandising capabilities driving over 25% top line growth.
Prior to his tenure at PetSmart, Michael served as CIO at Hallmark Cards, where he held global responsibility for developing and implementing IT and Cyber Security strategies in support of business goals and financial performance.
Michael is a seasoned board director and strategic advisor known for providing board-level oversight that ensures strategic initiatives translate into sustainable growth, risk mitigation, and long-term value creation. With a deep understanding of corporate governance, risk management, and executive leadership, he has played a pivotal role in guiding organizations through complex challenges and transformation initiatives.
Michael’s governance expertise extends across multiple industries, including retail, restaurant, behavioral health, and nonprofit sectors.
Michael is a member of the Board of Directors for Burlington Stores (NYSE: BURL), Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (NASDAQ:CBRL), Telecare Corporation, Eckerd Connects; and previously served on the Strategic Council for Plexus Worldwide. Michael has public, private, and non-profit board experience and is National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) certified. He currently serves on the Audit, Nomination and Governance, Compensation Chair, and Performance Quality Improvement Committees of his various boards. Additionally, previously sat on the Strategic Council of Plexus Worldwide, helping executive leadership and company founders with strategies for growth.
Michael served as an officer in the U.S. Army. He earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Kansas.
Retired CEO, Rohm and Haas Company; Seasoned director of 15 public company boards including Hewlett Packard, DuPont, Delphi/Aptiv, Tyco and Avantor
Raj L. Gupta served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rohm and Haas Company (a specialty materials company) from 1999 to 2009, when the company was acquired by The Dow Chemical Company. He served as a senior advisor to New Mountain Capital, a private equity firm, from 2010 to 2017. He was Chairman of Avantor, Inc. (a global supplier of ultra-high-purity materials and customized solutions for the life sciences and advanced technology industries) from 2010 until 2022 and was its CEO from 2011 to 2014.
He currently serves on the boards of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. and IRI (a privately held market research company).
Mr. Gupta previously served on the boards of Hewlett-Packard Company (2009–2015), Tyco International Ltd. (2005–2016), Delphi Automotive PLC (2015–2020), and Arconic, Inc. (2016–2021).
Mr. Gupta is also a trustee of The Conference Board and a member of the Board of Trustees of Drexel University.
He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, a Master’s in Operations Research from Cornell University, and an M.B.A. in Finance from Drexel University.
Partner and Board Member, Simon Kutcher
Eddie Hartman is a Partner and Member of the Board at Simon-Kucher. He specializes in developing high-growth revenue strategies, conducting effective go-to-market planning, and achieving recurring revenue excellence.
Eddie works with small “hypergrowth” companies and “unicorns,” as well as larger B2B corporations in the SaaS/n-sided market space. He also helps professional services firms optimize their pricing, including members of the AMLAW 100.
He is a frequent keynote speaker and is a regular lecturer at universities including Stanford, Yale, and Harvard. Eddie served as an internal editor of Simon-Kucher’s bestselling 2016 book “Monetizing Innovation.”
Prior to joining Simon-Kucher, Eddie started and operated multiple companies with a total valuation in excess of three billion dollars. This hands-on operational experience, combined with nearly a decade of international consulting, enables Eddie to integrate strategy, implementation, and feasibility into his project approaches.
Eddie received his bachelor degree in computer science/mathematics from Yale University. He earned an MBA in finance and marketing from the Wharton School of Business, where he was designated a Palmer Scholar (highest academic honor), and received special certification in project management from the California Institute of Technology. The Founder Institute has recognized him as a Global 40 mentor. A licensed attorney, he is a member of the California Bar and the Hague Institute on International Law (HIIL) Task Force on Justice.
Principal, Meridian Compensation Partners
Adam advises public and private companies on a wide range of executive compensation matters, including peer group development, executive pay benchmarking, short-term and long-term incentive design, severance and change-in-control arrangements, director compensation, and related corporate governance issues.
Adam began his career overseeing acquisitions for a national commercial real estate firm. After earning his law degree, he practiced executive compensation and employee benefits law at a global law firm, advising clients on the compensation and benefits aspects of corporate transactions and the design and administration of incentive and equity-based arrangements. Before joining Meridian, he worked in both legal and consulting roles focused on executive compensation.
He holds a J.D. (magna cum laude) from the University of Illinois, an M.B.A. from Loyola University Chicago and a B.A. in Communications from the University of Illinois.
CEO and Founder, Global Data Innovation; Author, Trust: Responsible AI, Innovation, Privacy and Data Leadership
Dominique Shelton Leipzig founded the Global Data Innovation Teams at two successful international law firms where she provided strategic guidance to companies with a cumulative market capitalization of more than $3 trillion. Dominique has trained and coached over 50,000 professionals on AI privacy and security, including Fortune 100 executives, board members and leaders at major companies and universities, and judges on privacy, AI, and cybersecurity to keep your business ahead of the curve. She is also a trusted advisor to policymakers in Washington, where she is working closely with lawmakers charged with crafting the nation’s first legislative and regulatory framework on artificial intelligence.
She has authored three books on data leadership, with a fourth forthcoming from Forbes. She serves on the Advisory Board of the AI Governance Center and the Board of Directors of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).
Board Member, Lincoln Tech and Page
Throughout her nearly 30 years in global marketing and risk management, Marta has played a central role in value creation within highly regulated industries. She has overseen major mergers, acquisitions, brand evolutions and digital transformations for some of the world’s most respected companies. She has also been directly involved in significant policy reforms affecting Fortune 50 companies, including corporate tax rates and normalized trading status.
Marta’s career has been global in scope, with assignments in Beijing, Buenos Aires and B2B manufacturing operations in Mexico. She has built a strong record of delivering results in complex, regulated environments. At Westinghouse, she participated in the strategy, execution and integration of seven acquisitions over an 18-month period. Earlier, she was involved in the acquisition of Tyco at Johnson Controls ($11 billion) and McDonnell Douglas at Boeing ($13 billion).
She has held senior executive and C-suite roles at several Global Fortune 100 companies, including The Boeing Company, Johnson Controls and Medtronic. She is also the founder and CEO of Mejor Compra, a Latina-led commercial real estate company.
Most recently, Marta served as global chief marketing, communication and brand officer at Westinghouse, where she significantly strengthened the company’s brand value in the clean energy sector and played a key role in enterprise-wide executive leadership.
Marta holds a bachelor’s degree in international business and international communications from the University of Washington and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She has served on two government boards, one private-sector board and one nonprofit board. In 2023, she was recognized by Nasdaq and Equilar as one of the Top 50 Diverse Board Candidates and by 50/50 Women on Boards as one of the Top 50 to Watch.
Executive Vice President, Board and C-Suite Advisory Services, APTMetrics
Dr. Matt Paese is a globally recognized leadership coach, consultant, author, keynote speaker, and pioneer of top approaches for helping leaders succeed. 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.
Matt has advised thousands of CEOs, senior teams, and executives in more than 20 countries. As a researcher, product designer, and practitioner, he brings practical clarity to the science and practice of leadership effectiveness. He is sought after for his expertise in C-suite succession and development, board and senior team effectiveness, and executive onboarding and coaching. He has authored scores of articles and white papers on these topics, and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, Chief Executive, Board Leadership Journal, The Conference Board, Human Resources Executive, and more.
As an entrepreneur, Matt was one of several originators who launched an innovative executive leadership services business in 1995, which flourished to provide coaching, development, and consulting to hundreds of thousands of executives in more than 3,000 organizations worldwide. He led the development and implementation of industry-leading solutions in executive succession and assessment, coaching, C-suite team effectiveness, and board leadership. Matt began his career at Anheuser-Busch, where he managed executive assessment and development programs throughout the corporation.
Matt holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a B.A. in Psychology from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. He is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and an active contributor to the Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology (SIOP).
Principal and Leader, Customs & International Trade Services, BDO
Damon founded the Customs and International Trade Services (CITS) group within the firm’s International Tax practice in 2019. With 36 years of experience helping multinational companies navigate the complex rules governing the cross-border movement of goods and services, he now serves as the Technical Practice Leader for the firm’s CITS team to support their mission of providing end-to-end global consulting services for all aspects of import/export planning and compliance.
Over his lengthy career, Damon has assisted clients with all aspects of customs and international trade issues. He is especially renowned for his insights in harmonizing transfer pricing policies and customs valuation requirements as part of designing in-house customs and trade compliance programs. Damon’s other areas of expertise include country of origin determinations, free trade agreements qualification, and customs controversy matters (audits, Prior Disclosures, Protests, etc.)
In addition, Damon advises clients on export compliance and exports controls, often in the context of government contracts under the Trade Agreements Act. He has worked with many companies in filing Voluntary Self Disclosures with, e.g., the Bureau of Industry & Security (Commerce Dept.), the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (State Dept.), and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (Treasury Dept.).
Prior to running his own firm from 2006-2018, Damon spent 13 years with a Big Four firm as the National Director of the firm’s customs consulting practice. He has experience in the legislative and judicial branches of the federal government, beginning his career as a law clerk to the Hon. R. Kenton Musgrave at the U.S. Court of International Trade. Damon was also an associate in the Washington, D.C. office of the Atlanta-based law firm of Kilpatrick & Cody (now Kilpatrick).
Damon is a former Federal Judge-designate of the United States (having been nominated to the US Court of International Trade in 2005). He is an adjunct professor at Emory University School of Law where he teaches “Customs Law” based on the book he co-authored — the only U.S. law school casebook ever published in this field. He has written countless articles over his career and is an accomplished public speaker on the topic of international trade policy and customs planning. Damon was the keynote speaker at the 50th anniversary of the Denver World Trade Center in 2023 and the first World Customs Organization summit in Brussels on transfer pricing and customs valuation in 2007.
Global Head of Shareholder Engagement and M&A Capital Markets, JP Morgan
Alfredo leads J.P. Morgan’s North America team focused on Shareholder Engagement and M&A Capital Markets (“SEAMAC”). Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Alfredo was a Managing Director and Head of the Greenhill’s Shareholder Advisory Group and a senior member of Morgan Stanley’s Shareholder Activism and Corporate Defense Team in New York. During his tenure, Morgan Stanley became the leading shareholder advisory team on Wall Street.
Earlier in his career, Alfredo worked in Lazard’s Financial Institutions M&A and Activism Defense Groups in New York and as an M&A lawyer at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York, focusing both on private equity and strategic transactions. Alfredo regularly speaks at conferences and leading industry events on the topic of shareholder engagement, activism, ESG and corporate defense.
Alfredo graduated from Harvard Law School (LLM), the College of Europe in Bruges – Belgium (LLM) and from the University of Milan – Italy (JD)
Publisher, Forbes Books
Michelle Prince is a best-selling author, speaker, publisher, and personal development leader with more than 25 years of experience helping individuals and organizations turn their stories into powerful tools for influence and growth. She is passionate about helping people discover that their story matters—and that when they share it, they create ripples of influence far beyond what they can imagine.
Michelle founded Performance Publishing in 2010. Her collaborative approach and proven process have guided hundreds of aspiring authors from idea to book publication. Her success and authority in the field caught the eye of Adam Witty, CEO of Advantage, and led to the acquisition of Performance Publishing by Advantage in September 2025.
Her programs have empowered thousands of leaders to not only write their books but also to use them as launchpads for speaking careers, business growth, and personal transformation.
Board Member, Air+, Inc.; Author, A Roadmap to Your Next Board Seat: How Senior Executives Get Directorships
Tate Pursell is a board member, CEO, and group executive. He has served on thirteen boards of directors, been corporate secretary on four, chaired the compensation/human resources committees of two boards, and served on governance and audit/risk committees as an Audit Committee Financial Expert.
Currently, Tate is an operating partner at MSI Capital Partners, a private equity firm that acquires and manages manufacturing and business services companies. He is a director and corporate secretary of Air+. Inc., a private air purification company.
In his private equity career, Tate was Group President of Applied Tech Products and Operating Partner at Cortec Group. Previously, he was CEO of three Masco companies. His early career includes executive roles with GE Lighting, Thomas & Betts, and Unilever. He lived overseas in Asia and Europe and conducted extensive business in Latin America.
Earlier, as a U.S. Air Force Management Analysis Officer, Captain Pursell oversaw cost and operations analysis. He is the author of Government versus Private Sector Financial Management, a primer for executives transitioning between public service and private industry. He is also the author of the forthcoming book, A Roadmap to Your Next Board Seat: How Senior Executives Get Directorships.
Tate earned a BA and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. He also holds a National Association of Corporate Directors Certification and the Private Directors Association’s Certificates in Private Company Governance and Private Equity Governance.
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. Amy further develops certain of our firm’s board of director forums as well as participates in external events for corporate directors.
She also participates in the development and implementation of BDO’s national strategies and initiatives that support industry, business, technical, and client service goals. She is responsible for publication and issuance of BDO’s annual voluntary Audit Quality Reports and tools and templates supporting communications with our client Audit Committees.
Amy currently serves as BDO’s Policy Lead to and participates on the Center for Audit Quality’s (CAQ) Advisory Committee and has assisted in CAQ initiatives, including audit committee communications and audit quality indicators. She has participated in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)’s EDMAX forum for accounting firm learning specialists to share knowledge/practices on learning methods.
She fully supports BDO initiatives aimed at flexibility, development, and career progression, and serves on the BDO’s Women’s Inclusion initiative and the Virtual Parenting Network as well as BDO’s focus on the audit of the future.
Partner, Meridian Compensation Partners
Bob Romanchek, Partner, has more than 30 years of experience in consulting on executive
compensation matters and has advised Compensation Committees and executive
management at a significant number of large, small, and mid-cap companies, both public and private.
Bob leads numerous client engagements and provides expert consulting advice on issues
relating to executive compensation including, but not limited to, equity and cash-based long-term incentive design and grant structure, short-term incentive program design, employment contract design including change-in-control and severance provisions, supplemental retirement and deferred compensation program design and funding, responding to proxy advisory firms, and proxy and CD&A disclosure. Bob also consults on committee meeting process, overall executive compensation philosophy development, outside director pay, and capital structure change transactions including private equity
buyouts, initial public offerings, divestiture and spinoffs, and bankruptcy confirmation and emergence.
He is a frequent presenter at board and compensation committee meetings, and has lectured extensively and has been interviewed on executive compensation matters for such organizations as the National Association of Corporate Directors, Corporate Board Member, Boardroom Resources, Equilar, and various industry groups. Bob also has authored numerous articles and has been published in business periodicals such as the NACD Directorship magazine, CEO magazine, the Corporate Board Member Board Governance Series, WorldatWork Journal, the International HR Journal, the Journal of Compensation and Benefits, CFO magazine, the Agenda, Insights, and Board Room Reports.
Bob is an attorney and a Certified Public Accountant and is a Certified Executive Compensation Professional. He is a graduate of the DePaul University College of Law, and also holds an M.B.A., cum laude, from the DePaul University College of Commerce. His undergraduate degree is in accounting and economics.
Managing Director, Pearl Meyer
Dr. Susan Sandlund is a managing director at Pearl Meyer and leads the firm’s leadership consulting practice. For more than 30 years, Susan has worked with boards, CEOs, and multiple levels of management on planned organizational changes at public and private companies and not-for-profit entities across numerous industries. As an organization psychologist, her work includes initiating and leading large-scale change to drive new business strategies, culture change, clarifying governance and decision-making, board and executive team effectiveness and coaching, organization design, executive assessment and development, and CEO succession planning processes.
Prior to joining Pearl Meyer, Susan was co-founder and partner of Veritas Partners, a leadership development and organization change consulting firm. Prior to launching Veritas, Susan was a partner with Oliver Wyman, formerly known as Mercer Delta Consulting (MDC) Group, working with CEOs and C-Suite leaders on business transformation. She also served on the MDC board of directors. Prior to Mercer-Delta, Susan was a senior consultant with the Hay Group where she led leadership development initiatives for a wide array of clients. She served five years as an adjunct full professor at Columbia University and served on the board of trustees of Bon Secours Health System, Inc. (BSHSI) for 10 years, chairing the compensation and human resources committees. She is currently a director and the compensation committee chair for Peckham Industries.
Susan is a member of the American Psychological Association and is certified in Hogan Assessments. She received her BA from Marquette University and her PhD from George Washington University.
Director, PwC’s Governance Insights Center
Ariel Smilowitz 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.
Drawing on her experience in corporate governance and investment stewardship, Ariel advises on opportunities to strengthen board practices and bolster investor confidence, and regularly authors PwC’s thought leadership on related trends.
Prior to PwC, Ariel was a member of BlackRock’s Investment Stewardship team. She led high-impact engagements with C-suite executives and board directors across a diverse portfolio of public companies, with a focus on promoting governance practices that support long-term value creation. Earlier in her career, Ariel worked at Rabin Martin, a global health strategy firm, where she supported Fortune 500 clients in delivering strategic communications initiatives aligned with corporate responsibility goals.
Ariel earned her B.A. in Government from Cornell University and her M.P.A. in International Development Policy & Management from the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She is currently a member of the Council of Institutional Investors’ (CII) Markets Advisory Council.
Political Economist & Associate Professor, Arizona State University
Henry Thomson is a political economist and Associate Professor at Arizona State University. He is an expert on the relationship between capitalism and democracy, geopolitics and international political economy. Originally from New Zealand, he has worked and studied at the University of Oxford, University of Minnesota, and Free University of Berlin. He is the author of two books, Watching the Watchers: Communist Elites, the Secret Police and Social Order in Cold War Europe (2025) and Food and Power: Regime Type, Agricultural Policy and Political Stability (2019).
Head of M&A and Activism, Americas, FTI Consulting
Pat Tucker brings a depth of experience on all aspects of domestic and cross-border M&A – across multiple sectors – including but not limited to interloping bidders, complex structures, antitrust litigation, foreign ownership review, SPACs, founder/family ownership and shareholder challenges. He has led transaction matters for companies including Advent International, Carlyle Group, Comcast, KKR, JAB, Intuit, Keurig Dr Pepper, Royalty Pharma, Sanofi, Symbotic, Tapestry, TPG and T-Mobile.
In addition to transactions work, Pat has also helped create communications strategies to help clients navigate the evolving field of shareholder engagement as it relates to economic activists, increasingly vocal institutional investors and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds. He has advised AECOM, Callaway Golf, F5, LogMeIn, Nuance and Office Depot in engaging with activists.
As a recognized leader in M&A and activism communications, Pat has been invited to speak at events including the Berkeley Center for Law and Business, National Investor Relations Institute National Conference and Transaction Advisers forum at the University of Chicago.
Pat is a member of the Society for Corporate Governance and the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) and was named to PR Week’s 40 Under 40 list in 2019. Prior to joining FTI Consulting, he led the M&A and Activism practice at Abernathy MacGregor.
Senior Managing Director, Leader of Americas Risk & Investigations Forensic & Litigation Consulting, FTI Consulting
Nicole Wells has 25 years of professional experience in providing consulting services in forensic accounting investigations, regulatory matters, antitrust investigations and compliance, complex civil litigation, and general accounting matters.
Ms. Wells conducts complex investigations related to accounting irregularities and management conduct. She has led investigations across numerous industries on behalf of companies, shareholders, and boards in connection with whistleblower allegations, subpoenas and government inquiries concerning financial statement errors and accounting misconduct, and asset misappropriation. Ms. Wells has led investigations in the US as well as foreign jurisdictions that have pertained to issues involving revenue recognition, goodwill and intangible assets, financial statement disclosures, internal controls, bribery, kickbacks and embezzlement. Ms. Wells recently was recently retained by the Indiana State Secretary of Commerce to conduct a forensic review of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and affiliated entities which included evaluating the sources and uses of state-appropriated funds, assessing governance and compliance practices, and identifying risks related to conflicts of interest, related party transactions, and financial oversight.
Ms. Wells also has experience in providing expert consulting services in dispute matters including post-merger & acquisition disputes, accounting of profits, breach of contract claims, disgorgement claims, and lost profit analyses.
Ms. Wells also specializes in complex regulatory criminal and civil matters involving price fixing, bid-rigging and market allocation schemes before the U.S. Department of Justice and several other global competition regulatory agencies. Ms. Wells also provides proactive consulting services to her clients by assisting in the evaluation and development of monitoring tools using financial and operational data. Ms. Wells recently served as the independent antitrust monitor for a manufacturing company pursuant to its agreement with a U.S. government agency.
Ms. Wells has given numerous presentations to the legal and corporate community on accounting-based investigation and dispute matters including working capital, earnouts, neutral arbitrator’s role in post-merger/acquisition matters, and overall damages for matters involving post-merger/acquisition indemnification claims. She also presented on antitrust regulatory investigations and civil litigation matters involving complex transaction data. Ms. Wells was recognized as a Lexology Index Thought Leader in 2024 and 2025 and is a recommended consulting expert across multiple forensic accounting and investigations categories.
Co-Chair, Shareholder Activism & Corporate Defense Practice, Sidley Austin
Derek co-chairs Sidley’s Shareholder Activism & Corporate Defense Practice. He spends 100% of his time on shareholder activism, contested and complex M&A, and corporate governance matters. With more than two decades of experience, Derek has been involved in hundreds of activist campaigns and contested M&A situations. Prior to Sidley, Derek was the head of the activism and corporate defense practice at a leading shareholder engagement and corporate governance advisory firm. He also served as an investment professional at activist and event-driven hedge funds.
Since 2023, Derek has been named one of the leading lawyers for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards” by The Legal 500, calling him and his partner Kai Liekefett “two of the best lawyers in America.” In 2022, The American Lawyer named Derek as a Trailblazer in the Western Region of the United States for his work in shareholder activism and contested M&A. Derek was also recognized in the 2021–2024 editions of Chambers USA as one of the leading lawyers in New York Corporate/M&A: Takeover Defense with clients noting that “he is deeply knowledgeable, very easy to work with and is able to bring defense expertise with multiple perspectives,” and, “his client advice is consistently excellent and nuanced, and he delivers it with a calmness that is often important in tense activist situations.” Derek was selected as one of the Lawdragon 500 “Leading Dealmakers in America” in 2025.
Derek has defended against the vast majority of top tier activist hedge funds, as well as many others including one time and occasional activists. He has counseled management teams and directors on hundreds of engagements with proxy advisory firms and institutional investors relating to shareholder activism, contested M&A, corporate governance and other matters.
He is a highly sought after speaker for panels on the topics of shareholder activism and related matters, is frequently quoted and regularly speaks on the topic. He teaches a class on shareholder activism, contested M&A, and corporate governance at Stanford University Law School.
Derek holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School, where he graduated Order of the Coif; an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, concentrating in Finance; and a bachelor’s degree in Systems Science and Mathematics, cum laude, from the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis.
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.
CEO and Principal,
TGN Consulting
Kari Zeller is an authentic leader and combat veteran known for her ability to seamlessly transition her expertise from the battlefield to the boardroom.
As the Founder and CEO of TGN Consulting, she has spent over two decades guiding companies—including Fortune 100 firms, healthcare systems, and governmental organizations—through pivotal transformations. Kari is renowned for her ability to mobilize workforces by reducing friction and gaining traction in order to execute in new strategic directions, while aligning leadership behaviors with enterprise priorities to ensure sustained value creation. Her hallmark is uncovering and addressing underlying conditions that impede progress, enabling executives and boards to drive breakthrough results.
Kari’s expertise extends across strategy, culture, and leadership, making her a trusted advisor in navigating today’s multifaceted challenges such as large-scale turnarounds, M&A integration, technology adoption, re-structuring, and more. A Master Certified Coach with over 5,000 hours of coaching experience, she partners with CEOs and directors to anticipate emerging trends, resolve stakeholder tradeoffs, and embed resilience into organizational cultures. Recognized for her candor and strategic acumen, Kari equips leaders and boards with tools to unlock systemic value. A decorated Air Force officer, Kari led operations for an aircraft fleet valued at over $1.2 billion and spearheaded logistics for critical missions, including hurricane evacuations and combat deployments in Iraq. Her deep commitment to ethical and stakeholder-centric leadership underpins her vision of empowering organizations to embed the conditions for enduring success. As a sought-after advisor, speaker, and author, Kari inspires directors and executives to harness the transformative power of workforce mobilization, fostering resilience, agility, and readiness for the challenges ahead.
Managing Director, FW Cook
Alexa Kierzkowski joined FW Cook in 2004. She consults across many industries and stages of growth, from pre-IPO to Fortune 500 companies. She has advisory experience in areas including total compensation reviews, ongoing program management, corporate transactions, director compensation, short- and long-term incentive design, and pay-for-performance assessment. She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events. Prior to joining the firm, she held positions with McKinsey & Co. and Mattel.