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Leo E. Strine, Jr., is Of Counsel in the Corporate Department at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Prior to joining the firm, he was the Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court from early 2014 through late 2019. Before becoming the Chief Justice, he served on the Delaware Court of Chancery as Chancellor since June 22, 2011, and as a Vice Chancellor since November 9, 1998.
In his judicial positions, Mr. Strine wrote hundreds of opinions in the areas of corporate law, contract law, trusts and estates, criminal law, administrative law, and constitutional law. Notably, he authored the lead decision in the Delaware Supreme Court case holding that Delaware’s death penalty statute was unconstitutional because it did not require the key findings necessary to impose a death sentence to be made by a unanimous jury.
For a generation, Mr. Strine taught various corporate law courses at the Harvard and University of Pennsylvania law schools, and now serves as the Michael L. Wachter Distinguished Fellow in Law and Policy at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and a Senior Fellow of the Harvard Program on Corporate Governance. From 2006 to 2019, Mr. Strine served as the special judicial consultant to the ABA’s Committee on Corporate Laws. He also was the special judicial consultant to the ABA’s Committee on Mergers & Acquisitions from 2014 to 2019. He is a member of the American Law Institute.
Mr. Strine speaks and writes frequently on the subjects of corporate and public law, and particularly the impact of business on society, and his articles have been published in The University of Chicago Law Review, Columbia Law Review, Cornell Law Review, Duke Law Journal, Harvard Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and Stanford Law Review, among others. On several occasions, his articles were selected as among the Best Corporate and Securities Articles of the year, based on the choices of law professors.
Board Member, Games Global, Paloma Health and StoneAge Tools
Sheila Bangalore is a board member and former public company C-level executive with global business experience spanning public and private multinational technology (B2B/C), healthcare and specialty materials businesses over 20+ years. Presently, Ms. Bangalore serves as a non-executive director for StoneAge Holdings, Inc., an ESOP company pioneering innovation for the global industrial sector; and Games Global Limited, a private global gaming technology company, where she chairs the Risk & Compliance Committee and serves on the Nominations and Audit Committees. She also acts a Venture Partner at Springtide Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on investment in cutting-edge healthcare technology businesses. Previously, Ms. Bangalore served as Chief Strategy Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of MP Materials (NYSE: MP), a regulated specialty materials company she helped take public in 2020. MP’s IPO raised $545 million in capital. At MP, Ms. Bangalore promoted business sustainability and optimization strategies while overseeing legal, compliance and corporate governance on behalf of the company. Prior to MP, spent close to 15 years in senior legal and business roles at Zappos.com, Aristocrat Technologies, and Bally Technologies. Ms. Bangalore received her MBA in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania; her Juris Doctorate from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis; and her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Tufts University.
Former Board Member, P&F Industries, A&M Castle & Co. and PICO Holdings
Board Member, 1800Flowers.com and Byrna Technologies; Former President, National Basketball Retired Players Association
Len Elmore is an educator, a retired attorney, an experienced business leader, former television sports personality and former professional athlete whose professional experience spans a rich career in athletics, law enforcement, several prestigious law firms as well as significant business and public interest endeavors.
In 2024, Len Elmore completed his sixth year as a Senior Lecturer at Columbia University in The School of Professional Studies Sports management program where he has been cited for several distinctions including the 2019 Dean’s Excellence Award and the 2022 SPS Commencement Faculty Speaker. Among his classes taught are Leadership and Management in the Business of Sports and Athlete Activism for Social Justice.
He is also currently an independent director on the Board of 1800Flowers.com, the leading online and telephonic gift and flower retailer where he chairs the Nominating and Corporate Governance committee. He began his service for 1800Flowers.com in October 2002.
Since December 2021, Len has been an independent director on the Board of Directors of Byrna Technologies, Inc., a technology company specializing in the areas of Personal Security Devices, Military, Law Enforcement, Corrections, and Private Security where he chairs the Nominating and Corporate Governance committee.
From February 2007 until February of 2020, Len served as a Director on the Board of Directors of Lee Enterprises, Inc., a leading newspaper publishing company. He currently chairs the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committees for the 1800Flowers.com Board of Directors and served on the Audit Committee for Lee Enterprises until his departure.
Len’s basketball career began at the Catholic High School Athletic Association’s Power Memorial Academy in Manhattan, NY. As a three-year varsity player Len was a consensus All City player in 1969 and 1970 and high school All American in 1970. Power’s 1970 team earned the title of High School National Champions recording a record of 22-0.
From 1971-1974, Len was a varsity basketball player at the University of Maryland, where he earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference accolades from 1972 through 1974. In 1974, he was a consensus choice on All-America teams. He still holds the program’s leading career, season and single game rebounding records. He led the ACC in rebounding in 1974 and is widely recognized as the first real shot-blocking threat in the ACC before blocked shots became an official NCAA basketball statistic. His Maryland teams were nationally ranked in all three varsity years including winning the National Invitational Tournament in 1972 and finishing as high as #4 in the nation in 1974.
In 2002, in its 50th Anniversary Year Len Elmore was voted by the media as one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Top 50 Greatest Basketball Players. He was a first-round draft pick in both the American Basketball Association (“ABA”) and the National Basketball Association (“NBA”), where he played professional basketball for a combined ten years (1974-1984) with the Indiana Pacers, Kansas City Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets and New York Knickerbockers.
Upon conclusion of his professional basketball career, Elmore received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1987 and is believed to be the first (and only) National Basketball Association player to graduate from that institution upon retirement from professional basketball. He was admitted to the New York State bar.
From 1987 through 1991, Len served as an Assistant District Attorney for Kings County (Brooklyn) N.Y., where he managed and tried numerous misdemeanor and felony cases, including police misconduct.
In 1992, Len founded Precept Sports & Entertainment, a sports management company. Based in Columbia Maryland, from 1992-1997 Precept, with a staff of 10, represented and negotiated services contracts for 7 NBA first round draft picks (including a number 1 pick overall), 3 high round draft picks in the NFL, a MLB veteran and several Olympic athletes.
After a two-year association with the law firm, Patton Boggs, in 2001 until 2003, Len served as President and CEO of Test University (TestU), a successful education technology company and a leading provider of web-based, customized curriculum, student assessment and standardized test preparation solutions for middle and high school students, particularly those students in urban and otherwise disadvantaged areas. At TestU, Mr. Elmore led 40 employees and was responsible for the overall strategic, operational and fiscal direction of the company until the company experienced a change in ownership.
In 2003, after TestU, Len joined the law firm of Leboeuf, Lamb et. al, as Senior Counsel, in their New York office where he handled diverse matters including white collar criminal cases and various corporate and entrepreneurial matters. Other practice experience includes providing counsel in the areas of corporate governance, labor and employment law, strategic-decision making and marketing issues.
In addition to his tenure at LeBoeuf, Lamb, Len served as Chairman of the Board and subsequently, President of the not-for-profit National Basketball Retired Players Association (“NBRPA”) from 2004-2007, overseeing strategic direction and tactical operation, fundraising, program development and constituent relations for the NBRPA.
Len Elmore has been the recipient of numerous awards that recognize his commitment to community, education and justice. In April 2015, Len was awarded The Street & Smith Sports Business Journal’s coveted Champions: Pioneer and Innovator Award honoring individuals who have had a unique and lasting impact on sports and the business of sport.
Beginning in 1985 until 2023, Len served as a network television basketball analyst, during which time he has broadcast both NCAA men’s basketball, and NBA games. His television career began in college basketball with JP Sports and CBS. He has been engaged by CBS, ESPN/ABC, Fox Sports/FS1 and The Big Ten Network and has covered the NCAA Tournament for CBS and Turner Sports.
Mr. Elmore continues to be a noted authority on sports and sports law issues and has had articles published on a variety of issues in sports, the business of sports and sports in society. Len has appeared on a considerable number of network and cable television news and sports programs. He has served as a panelist or moderator at a variety of sports and law seminars. A coveted speaker, Len has delivered speeches and presentations for a substantial number of professional organizations, colleges and universities, schools, and civic organizations.
In May 2023, Len was named to the Advisory Council of Forbes Magazine’s inaugural Forbes BLK, a Forbes media platform and a global community of Black entrepreneurs, professionals, leaders, and creators curated by Forbes who are driving systematic change in business, culture, and society. Forbes BLK is focused on best-in-class editorial content and community experiences to advance representation and inclusion.
Len has written numerous op-eds and commentaries for a diverse group of media outlets including USA Today, The New York Times, National Public Radio, The New York Daily News, the Knight Ridder News Service, Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, U.S. News and World Report and ESPN.com.
Currently, Len is a Trustee on the University of Maryland College Park (“UMCP”) Board of Trustees. He is a member of the Advocacy and Government Relations Committee. Originally appointed a Trustee in 1998, Len served as a member of the Board of Trustees at the University of Maryland College Park until 2007 before his 2022 re-appointment. Prior to the UMCP Board of Trustees, Mr. Elmore served on the University System of Maryland Foundation Board from 1990 until 1998. Since 2018, Len has also been a member of the Board of Advisors for The Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice.
In March 2020, Mr. Elmore was reappointed to the John and James L. Knight Commission for Intercollegiate Athletics (“KCIA”, www.knightcommission.org) after a 3-year hiatus from the Commission where he previously served for 12 years. In January 2021, Len was appointed co-Chair of the Knight Commission for Intercollegiate Athletics, is a panel of American academic, athletic and sports leaders, with an eye toward reform in college athletics, particularly in regard to emphasizing academic values and policies that ensure athletic programs operate within the educational missions of their universities.
In July 2020, Len was appointed to the University of Maryland’s Shirley Povich Sports Journalism Center Advisory Board, part of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
Len is still active in community and charitable endeavors.
Board Member, Lear Corp. and Berry Global Group
Jonathan F. Foster is the founder and a managing director of Current Capital Partners LLC. He has over 35 years of experience as an advisor (mergers and acquisitions and restructuring advisory as well as capital raising) and as an investor (private equity). He has also been on the boards of more than 50 companies and is an experienced expert witness in corporate litigation.
Among other investment banking positions, Jon spent more than ten years at Lazard, largely focused on mergers and acquisition advisory work, ultimately becoming a Managing Director.
Jon has been on the boards of more than 50 companies, including privatecompanies, companies involved in restructurings and Fortune 500 companies; he has been chairman, lead director and chair of audit, compensation, and nominating and governance committees as well as a member of other committees such as special, transaction and chief executive officer succession committees. He now chairs two Fortune 500 audit committees. Jon was named to the National Association of Corporate Directors 2015 Directorship 100 List.
In addition, as an expert witness in major corporate litigation, Jon has filed reports in some 60 cases, been deposed more than 30 times and testified in court or at
arbitration nine times about mergers and acquisitions, governance, distressed companies, valuation and damages.
Jon has written, spoken and been quoted frequently about corporate board, mergers and acquisitions, finance and governance issues and has guest lectured at various universities. His book on corporate governance will be published by Radius Book Group in 2025.
Board Member, CSX and Guidewell Mutual Insurance Company
Steve Halverson is a corporate director and advisor to private equity and other investors. Steve is Chairman-elect of Gilbane, Inc., a 154-year-old, $8 billion real estate and construction enterprise with global operations. He is the retired Chairman and CEO of the Haskell Company, one of the nation’s largest integrated design-build-manufacturing organizations, with operations in the United States, Latin America, and Asia. Steve served as CEO from 2000-18.
Steve received his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John’s University, his Juris Doctorate degree from American University in Washington, D.C. and has completed executive business education at Dartmouth University, Wharton, and Berkeley Law School.
Steve has served as national Chairman of three industry associations – the Construction Industry Roundtable, the Design Build Institute of America, and the National Center for Construction Education and Research. He also was elected to the National Academy of Construction. In addition to Gilbane, Steve currently serves as a corporate director of CSX Corporation (NASDAQ: CSX), where he chairs the Compensation and Talent Committee, and Guidewell Mutual Holding Company, a $32 billion health solutions company, where he has chaired the Governance and Compensation Committees. He previously served as director of PSS World Medical (NASDAQ: PSSD). Steve is a Fellow and certified director of the National Academy of Corporate Directors and received certification in ESG governance from Berkeley Law School.
Steve is active in civic organizations. He is past chairman of the Florida Council of 100, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Jacksonville Civic Council, Teach for America Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Symphony, and the United Way of Northeast Florida. Steve is a 2007 recipient of the Prime Osborn Distinguished Business Leader Award. In 2008 he was elected by the Florida Council on Economic Education to the First Coast Business Hall of Fame. He is a recipient of the University of North Florida Presidential Medallion (2011), the Governor’s Business Leader of the Year Award (2012), the OneJax Humanitarian Award (2013), the Jacksonville Business Journal Multicultural Lifetime Achievement Award (2015), the Cathedral Arts Guardian of the Arts Award (2017), and the JDRF Living and Giving Award (2019). Steve was named among the Most Influential People in Healthcare in Florida, and every year the list has been published, Florida Trend magazine named Steve as one of Florida’s most influential business leaders.
Board Member, Credit Suisse Funds, Chief Data Scientist, Numerati® Partners LLC
Samantha Kappagoda is chief data scientist of Numerati Partners, independent director of Credit Suisse Mutual Funds, and a seasoned economist, entrepreneur and capital markets professional with global experience across artificial intelligence, data analytics, financial management and risk governance.
She has been strategic and pragmatic throughout her career, identifying emerging opportunities, mitigating unanticipated risks and navigating complex issues in highly regulated multidisciplinary settings. Kappagoda founded two analytics firms, established an industrial research lab at New York University, and oversaw analytics at the World Bank and global macro hedge fund Caxton, managing $15 billion of assets.
She earned an M.B.A. from The University of Chicago, an M.A. in economics from the University of Toronto and a B.Sc. (with honors) in mathematics from Imperial College London.
To stay ahead, directors must stay current. “Corporations are currently at an inflection point in the adoption of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Corporate directors must navigate trade-offs between prospective competitive advantage of early adoption versus corresponding risk and liability implications. In addition, directors should
explore prudent technology adoption policies coupled with cybersecurity oversight, beta testing and periodic testing for the hybrid workplace environment and also consider the talent management pipeline for skilled technical employees and the role of upskilling. The accelerating pace of innovation dictates that directors should remain current by exercising diligence, vigilance and prudence as AI and emerging technologies continue to develop.”
Former Board Member, CIT Group; Co-Founder, Former Pro Athlete Professional Governance Certificate Program at UTD
Vice President of Football Development, NFL
Roman Oben is currently the NFL’s Vice President of Football Development where he drives the league’s football development strategy across multiple platforms from the growth of flag football to college all-star games and NFL prospect initiatives. He has also helped reshape the way the collegiate student athlete is educated on NFL preparedness both on & off the field.
Born in Cameroon, West Africa, Oben moved to the United States when he was four years old and grew up in Washington, D.C. As a teenager, he worked concessions at RFK Stadium.
Oben played college football at the University of Louisville where he earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and was inducted into Louisville’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Oben’s professional career began with the New York Giants in 1996 and continued in Cleveland playing for the Browns. In 2002, he helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers capture their first championship in Super Bowl XXXVII and was later traded to the Chargers where he started at left tackle and finished his playing career in 2008.
Starting in more than 90% of the games throughout his 12-year NFL career, Oben concurrently earned a master’s degree in public administration at Farleigh Dickinson University and was an NFLPA player rep for seven years on three different teams.
After retiring from the NFL, Oben held several business development roles and had an extensive media career, serving as a recurring guest on several MSNBC shows discussing sports and their larger societal impact.
Oben has been a leader in the sports business, an advocate for post-playing career transition, and has received countless awards for community service both as an NFL player and off the field.
Board Member, LivePerson and Prisidio
Board Member, Air+ Inc
Tate Pursell is an experienced board member, CEO, and business veteran with broad industry expertise in
both industrial distribution and manufacturing sectors. He has served on thirteen boards of directors, acted as corporate secretary of four of those, chaired the compensation/human resources committees of two boards. served on governance committees and audit/risk as an Audit Committee Financial Expert.
Presently, Tate is an operating partner of MSI Capital Partners, an independent
sponsor private equity firm focused on acquiring and managing manufacturing and business services companies. He is currently a director of two privately-owned companies and chairs the compensation/HR committee of one. Tate is a subject matter expert and public speaker on the board’s role in operational improvement, growth via acquisition, executive compensation, and director recruitment.
Boards seek Tate for his expertise in mergers and acquisitions. As a group executive and operating partner of Cortec Group, a private equity fund investing in manufacturing and distribution businesses, his role was both to oversee the CEOs of four portfolio companies and, as a member of the deal team, to engage in deal sourcing, valuation, due diligence, negotiation, and integration for the fund. As corporate secretary and independent director of Plasma Air International, a distributor/ manufacturer of air purification equipment, he prepared the company and executed a successful sale to a European private equity fund, generating a 5x cash-on-cash realization to shareholders. Before that, he led a division of a “buy-and-build” acquisition
platform that acquired and integrated 16 companies, then sold the $450 million entity to a strategic buyer.
As an operating executive, he has over 30 years’ experience as a C-suite executive, board member, and private equity partner. With knowledge in industrial distribution, manufacturing, and services, he is expert in strategic planning, new product development, new market expansion, acquisition valuation, due diligence, and integration. Industries include: building products (HVAC/hearth products, electrical, hardware, flooring,
and fenestration), materials distribution, plastic molding, fasteners, and business services. He lived overseas for years in Asia and Europe, and has done extensive business in Latin America.
As Group President of Applied Tech Products, he oversaw four private equity owned portfolio companies. He was also CEO of Panorama Windows, and before that, CEO of Unique Home Designs, a manufacturer of aluminum doors. Previously, he was CEO of three Masco companies: American Metal Products, Baldwin Hardware Corporation, and Baldwin Home Accent Stores. Early experience includes executive roles with GE Lighting, Thomas & Betts, and Unilever. Earlier, he was a decorated Air Force Captain and Management Analysis Officer. Tate earned a BA in Biology and Chemistry and an MBA from Washington
University in St. Louis. He also holds a National Association of Corporate Directors Certification and both a Certificate in Private Company Governance and a Certificate in Private Equity Governance from the Private Directors Association.
Board Member, Dillard’s and Paycom Software
J.C. Watts, Jr. is a former congressman from Oklahoma, celebrated athlete, businessman and broadcast and cable news veteran.
Today he is chairman, President and CEO of JC Watts Holdings, a multi-industry holding company headquartered in Norman, Ok with operations in Texas, Oklahoma and Washington DC. JC provides strategic focus and leadership to the firm’s business engagements,
alliances and initiatives. Mr. Watts has built a diverse business organization that included the first Black-Owned John Deere dealerships in America. He also serves on the corporate boards of Dillard’s Department Stores and Paycom Software.
In 1990, JC was the first Black Oklahoman elected statewide when he was elected to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The commission regulates oil and gas, public utilities and trucking for hire in Oklahoma. He became chairman of the commission before being elected to congress in 1994.
In 1998, he was elected by his peers to serve as chairman of the Republican Conference, the 4th ranking leadership position in the majority party in the US House of Representatives. He provided daily council to the speaker of the house and participated in bi-weekly
meetings with the president of the United States. Watts served on the Armed Services, Transportation and Banking committees. He authored legislation to create and later served on the house select committee on Homeland Security.
JC helped developed the American Community Renewal/New Markets
Act targeting underdeveloped communities and was the author of President GW Bush’s faith-based initiative. He also developed legislation
with former Congressman John Lewis to establish the Smithsonian
Museum of African American History and Culture.
Watts was born on November 18, 1957, in Eufaula, Ok the fifth of six kids to JC Sr. and Helen Watts. JC graduated high school in 1976 and attended the University of Oklahoma graduating in 1981 with a BS in Journalism. While at OU, he quarterbacked for the Sooners and was MVP in the 1980 and 1981
Orange Bowl games. He started for Ottawa and Toronto in the Canadian Football League and was MVP in the Grey Cup, the CFL’s super bowl, his
rookie season.
After retiring and returning to Oklahoma Watts served as youth pastor at Sunnylane Baptist Church in Del City, Ok from 1987-1994. JC Watts, Jr. has 6 kids and is married to his high school sweetheart.
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 Granger 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.
Partner and Co-Chair, Shareholder Activism & Corporate Defense Practice
Kai co-chairs Sidley’s Shareholder Activism & Corporate Defense Practice. He has over 20 years of experience in the U.S., Europe and Asia. In the past five years, Kai has defended around 150 proxy contests globally and approximately 25% of all late-stage U.S. proxy fights, more than any other defense attorney in the world.
Under Kai’s leadership, Sidley rose to the top of all activism defense league tables in recent years, including No. 1 rankings by Bloomberg, FactSet, Diligent, and LSEG (formerly Refinitiv/Thomson Reuters) for 2022, 2023 and H1 2024. Sidley is ranked in Band 1 for “Takeover Defense” by Chambers USA and in Tier 1 for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards” by The Legal 500.
The American Lawyer named Kai “Dealmaker of the Year” for the Wynn Resorts proxy contest in 2019. Since 2017, Chambers USA has recognized Kai individually as leading lawyer for “Takeover Defense”, ranking him in Band 1 and noting that “Kai is a pioneer in the field of shareholder activism defense.” Kai has also been listed as one of the leadings lawyers for “Shareholder Activism – Advice to Boards” by The Legal 500, calling him and his partner Derek Zaba “two of the best lawyers in America.” He has been included for the NACD Directorship 100 as a Governance Professional every year since 2022. Kai has been selected as one of the Lawdragon 500 “Leading Dealmakers in America” every year since 2021. In 2020, Kai was elected to the American College of Governance Counsel, the honorary association of lawyers recognized for their achievements in governance.
Kai serves on the board of the New York Chapter of the NACD and has served on the Law360 Mergers & Acquisitions Editorial Board for several years. He speaks regularly on panels and at universities around the world (including Harvard and Frankfurt). He is frequently interviewed and quoted as a thought leader by the media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, The Economist, TIME, Bloomberg, Reuters, Financial Times, CNN, USA Today, Forbes, Law360 and The Deal.
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. Matt is now Senior Vice President of Executive Services for DDI.
Matt has advised thousands of CEOs, senior teams, boards and C-suite executives in more than 20 countries across the world. He is sought-after for his expertise in CEO succession and onboarding, senior team effectiveness, board effectiveness, and executive succession and development. He has authored scores of articles and white papers, and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, Chief Executive, The Conference Board, and Human Resources Executive to name a few. His team’s research has generated countless insights and discoveries in C-suite leadership, executive team and individual effectiveness, and enterprise succession planning.
As an entrepreneur, Matt was one of several originators who launched DDI’s Executive Services business in 1995. DDI has since provided coaching, development, and consulting to hundreds of thousands of executives in more than 3,000 organizations worldwide. He has led the development and implementation of industry-leading solutions in the areas of executive assessment, coaching, team effectiveness, and board leadership. Matt is the principal architect of many DDI proprietary services, including Business Driver Analysis, Executive Focus CoachingTM, and the newly released Pressure Point CoachingTM, which is rapidly altering the global landscape of high-speed, just-in-time coaching for executives.
National Managing Partner – Governance, Emerging Issues and External Communications, 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.
Chief AI Officer, Avanade
Chief Technology Officer Florin Rotar leads the strategic development of a portfolio of solutions and services that position Avanade to be a market maker and category leader, emphasizing our commitment to emerging technology and innovation.
Florin previously led Avanade’s global Modern Workplace business, where we reimagine and redefine the workplace as a creator of sustainable business value, and Accenture’s Microsoft Business Group (AMBG) business in the areas of Digital Workplace and Workplace Experience.
Curious by nature and a technologist by trade ever since he wrote his first program on a Commodore 64 as a child, Florin was the company’s first Chief Technology Innovation Officer. He has had key roles leading Avanade’s Digital Market Unit globally, and establishing and growing Avanade’s business in the UK and the Nordic region, both as a senior practitioner and as a leader. His early career was with Accenture, Procter & Gamble and as a start-up entrepreneur.
Florin is a world citizen, having spent most of his adult life working in five European capitals. He and his family now call Seattle home.
Counsel, Environmental, Social & Governance, Vinson & Elkins
Jon’s practice focuses on advising public and private companies and their boards of directors and executive teams on matters and opportunities related to environmental, social and governance (ESG), corporate governance, sustainability considerations, shareholder activism, risk management, securities law and M&A. As Senior Director, Legal and Corporate Development for The Clorox Company from 2015 through 2022, he helped build and manage a comprehensive ESG program and helped lead the company’s ESG strategy, stakeholder engagement and ESG reporting. He also helped establish and execute strategies around climate change, plastics and waste, supply chain transparency and diversity and inclusion. Jon advises clients, including public companies, on securities disclosure, corporate governance and compliance matters. Jon plays a strategic role in advising clients on a broad range of ESG issues and related risks, including the development of sustainability reporting, corporate ESG programs and governance oversight and the establishment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions targets, plastics and waste goals, product safety and stewardship principles, and diversity and inclusion priorities. Jon’s valuable in-house background brings a unique and pragmatic perspective to clients assessing and incorporating ESG practices into their corporate strategies. He serves as Co-Head of V&E’s ESG Taskforce
Managing Director, Chicago
FW Cook
Ken Sparling joined the firm in 2007 and has over 15 years of executive compensation consulting experience. He regularly advises board compensation committees and management teams on all aspects of executive and non-employee director pay in both public and private companies. He has also worked on various corporate transactions such as initial public offerings, spin-offs, mergers, and acquisitions.
Ken is an author and frequent contributor to the firm’s technical papers and studies. He also serves on the firm’s technology committee.
