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Head of Corporate Governance, T. Rowe Price
Donna Anderson is the global head of Corporate Governance. Donna leads the firm’s proxy voting and engagement efforts and serves as a specialist for incorporating governance considerations into the firm’s investment research process. She is cochair of the ESG Committee , a member of the Valuation Committee, and a director of the T. Rowe Price Trust Company. She is a vice president of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
12:35 – 1:15 PM ET
Tackling the Social Dynamics of ESG
Coming out of 2020, there is heightened attention on how companies are responding to their employees, suppliers, customers and communities. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer called on companies to enhance diversity and inclusion disclosures, specifically calling out 67 S&P 100 companies. Goldman Sachs Asset Management has increased its focus on how companies approach social considerations in their core business model in the long-term. And, new SEC disclosure standards require companies to provide stakeholders insight into human capital. This session will help you gain a better understanding of how shareholders are engaging with companies on the social factors of ESG and explore the key questions you should be asking your legal, compliance and HR departments to properly oversee the issues.
Director of Board Engagement, Nasdaq
Kaley is the Director of Board Engagement at Nasdaq. Prior to Nasdaq’s acquisition of Center of Board Excellence (CBE) in October 2019, Kaley was CBE’s Vice President, Client Services, Business Development & Legal from September 2015 through 2019. In her current role, and under her role at CBE, Kaley advises boards and CEOs on corporate governance matters, board and director effectiveness, CEO and leadership evaluation and performance, board and management alignment, and compliance and risk matters. She works with public, private, and nonprofit organizations in a wide range of industries globally. Prior to joining CBE, Kaley served as General Counsel of Clarolux LLC. Before beginning an in-house practice, she practiced law in New York City with a focus in real estate, banking law, and litigation. Prior to attending law school, Kaley served as Program Director of Jefferson County Teen Court.
Kaley is currently the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Northside Charter High School in Brooklyn, NY, serves on the patient advisory board for a privately held pharmaceutical company, and serves as on the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Patient Safety Committee and Patient & Family Advisory Council. She served as Co-Chair of the CLE Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association Corporate Counsel Section from 2015 through 2017. Kaley founded and served on the Board of Directors of YP Civitan of Greensboro from 2013 through 2016. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in Political Science from Samford University and a Juris Doctor from Pace University School of Law. Kaley is admitted to practice law in the State of New York.
2:05 – 2:45 PM ET
Linking ESG Performance and Executive Pay
How are high-performing boards structuring and operationalizing ESG oversight at the board and committee level? Does your board have the necessary expertise and skills to oversee ESG risks and opportunities? We’ll gather a panel of veteran directors to explore how they think about board structure and processes for overseeing ESG in the context of strategy, including how their boards allocate different elements of the ESG conversations among committee agendas, what data gets elevated to the board level, how they establish reporting thresholds, and how they ensure they are taking proactive steps to improve their oversight.
Principal, PwC’s Governance Insights Center
Paul DeNicola is a Principal at PwC’s Governance Insights Center where he works to extend the firm’s thought leadership in the area of corporate governance. A frequent speaker at forums for directors and governance professionals, Paul also advises boards and executive teams on emerging governance issues. He has twice been named to Directorship Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in U.S. corporate governance. Paul was also honored as a recipient of the Rising Star Award from the Millstein Center for Corporate Governance and Performance.
Paul is an Associate Professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business where he teaches courses in corporate governance and professional responsibility. Paul also serves on the board of The Society for Corporate Governance and on the Markets Advisory Council of the Council of Institutional Investors.
Prior to joining PwC, Paul was Director of The Conference Board Governance Center, where he oversaw educational and research initiatives in corporate governance, enterprise risk management and business ethics.
Paul earned his BA and MA degrees in interdisciplinary studies from New York University and completed a PhD in philosophy and communications at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee Switzerland.
1:20 – 2:00 PM ET
Divide and Conquer: How to Allocate ESG Oversight in the Boardroom
How are high-performing boards structuring and operationalizing ESG oversight at the board and committee level? Does your board have the necessary expertise and skills to oversee ESG risks and opportunities? We’ll gather a panel of veteran directors to explore how they think about board structure and processes for overseeing ESG in the context of strategy, including how their boards allocate different elements of the ESG conversations among committee agendas, what data gets elevated to the board level, how they establish reporting thresholds, and how they ensure they are taking proactive steps to improve their oversight.
Vice President and Head of Investment Stewardship, Dimensional Fund Advisors
Kristin Drake is a Vice President and Head of Investment Stewardship and serves on Dimensional’s Investment Stewardship Committee. Kristin is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
In her role as Head of Investment Stewardship, Kristin oversees the Investment Stewardship Group, which implements Dimensional’s stewardship efforts by conducting engagements, instructing proxy votes, and making recommendations to the firm’s Investment Stewardship Committee on potential enhancements to the firm’s stewardship policies, procedures, and operations.
A licensed attorney in the state of Maryland, Kristin holds a JD from the University of Baltimore and an MA in international affairs from American University. She also holds a BA in French and a BA in political science from the College of Charleston.
10:45 – 11:25 AM ET
Communicating Climate Risk with “Investment-Grade” Reporting
Governments, regulators and investors alike are increasing their focus on climate risk—and opportunity—in the global financial system. As global momentum continues to build towards a commitment to “net zero,” every company in every industry will be impacted. Those companies with a well-articulated long-term strategy to manage their most material climate-related risks will set themselves apart with stakeholders. But what does that actually look like? This session will help you gain a better understanding of how shareholders are engaging with companies on sustainability-related factors that will impact shareholder returns and how you can improve your communication efforts to meet their reporting expectations.
Board Member, CME Group, Eletrobras, Harvest, Health & Recreation, and First Internet Bank
Ana Dutra is an experienced CEO, Business Advisor and Corporate Board Director of publicly traded, family-owned and private corporations. She is a Latina leader with 30+ years of experience in P&L management, deals structuring, technology, business growth and C-Level business advisory in over 25 countries. Ana is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. She has deep experience in digital technology, ERP systems and has a CERT Certificate in Cybersecurity Oversight by Carnegie Mellon University and the National Association of Corporate Directors.
As a CEO, Ana Dutra has led several global and cross-border acquisitions, joint-ventures, partnership agreements and M&A integrations. In her own tenure as CEO, proxy Officer and P&L leader with companies such as IBM, CSC, Marsh & McLennan and Accenture, Ana created several $500+ MM global business through the combination of organic growth, global acquisitions and joint-ventures, innovative go-to-market approaches and incorporation of technology and digitalization of services and products.
Ana serves as Director on the Boards of the CME Group (CME: NASDAQ), a fin-tech global futures exchange; Eletrobras (NYSE: EBR), the 7th largest energy and 4th largest global renewable energy company; Harvest, Health & Recreation, (CSE: HARV), a vertically integrated cannabis company with one of the largest and deepest footprints in North America; First Internet Bank (NYSE: INBK); Lifespace Communities, a chain of independent/ assisted living, hospitals and memory care communities; Elkay Manufacturing and Greeley & Hansen, a global water and waste engineering company and M.Holland, a leading international distributor of thermoplastic resin.
Ana holds an MBA from Kellogg, a Masters in Economics from Pontificia Universidade do Rio de Janeiro, a Juris Doctor from Universidade do Rio de Janeiro, all summa cum laude. She is a visiting lecturer at the Kellogg and Fundacao Don Cabral Executive MBA programs where she teaches Mexican and Latin American Executives in Spanish and Portuguese. Ana is also a frequent speaker in the Global Competitiveness Forum, World Economic Forum and other Global Conferences. She is frequently featured in the Harvard Business Review online, Forbes, WSJ, CEO Magazine and was the guest editor of the Best of the Boardroom issue of Hispanic Executive magazine. Ana was awarded the Chicago United Business Leader of Color, Nueva Estrella Latina and Women in History and Business Awards. She is the best selling author of Lessons in LeadershiT: detoxing the Workplace, published in 2016.
1:20 – 2:00 PM ET
Divide and Conquer: How to Allocate ESG Oversight in the Boardroom
How are high-performing boards structuring and operationalizing ESG oversight at the board and committee level? Does your board have the necessary expertise and skills to oversee ESG risks and opportunities? We’ll gather a panel of veteran directors to explore how they think about board structure and processes for overseeing ESG in the context of strategy, including how their boards allocate different elements of the ESG conversations among committee agendas, what data gets elevated to the board level, how they establish reporting thresholds, and how they ensure they are taking proactive steps to improve their oversight.
Chairman and CEO, Essential Utilities Inc.
A fixture of the Essential leadership team, Christopher Franklin is chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Essential Utilities, Inc. (NYSE: WTRG). Essential is one of the largest publicly traded water, wastewater and natural gas providers in the U.S., serving approximately 5 million people across 10 states. He has served as CEO since July 2015, and as chairman since December 2017.
Since being named CEO in 2015, the company’s market capitalization more than doubled, to more than $11 billion. Through the company’s growth-through-acquisition program, customer count nearly doubled and total return to shareholders was more than 100%.
In 2018, the company welcomed its 1 millionth customer, and in 2019, it announced what will be the largest municipal acquisition in the company’s history – an agreement to acquire the wastewater assets of the Delaware County Regional Water Quality Control Authority (DELCORA), adding 165,000 new customers.
These successes are attributed to Franklin refocusing the company on growing its regulated business, purchasing municipal water and wastewater systems, and shedding its under-performing unregulated businesses. The company then broadened its strategy by adding a natural gas platform with the $4.3 billion purchase of Pittsburgh-based Peoples.
The accomplishment of which Franklin is most proud is building a strong management team. He has worked deliberately to bring diversity to the company’s board of directors, employee base and management team. In fact, Franklin has appointed nine women to leadership roles in the company since being named CEO. Under Franklin’s leadership, the company has been recognized by the Forum of Executive Women in Philadelphia for recruiting a Board of Directors that is comprised of at least 30 percent women.
Additionally, Franklin was named one of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs in 2017 for his “strong record of innovation, outstanding financial performance, commitment to quality, a strong vision, a commitment to diversity in the workplace and contributions to the Greater Philadelphia region.” In 2019, Franklin was recognized by EY (formerly Ernst & Young) with their “Entrepreneur of the Year” award for his innovative vision of the Peoples acquisition and many years of successful leadership in the utility industry.
Prior to his role as CEO, Franklin was president and chief operating officer. A 27-plus year veteran of the company, Franklin has held executive roles in public affairs, customer service and operations.
2:05 – 2:45 PM ET
Linking ESG Performance and Executive Pay
How are high-performing boards structuring and operationalizing ESG oversight at the board and committee level? Does your board have the necessary expertise and skills to oversee ESG risks and opportunities? We’ll gather a panel of veteran directors to explore how they think about board structure and processes for overseeing ESG in the context of strategy, including how their boards allocate different elements of the ESG conversations among committee agendas, what data gets elevated to the board level, how they establish reporting thresholds, and how they ensure they are taking proactive steps to improve their oversight.
Board Member, JetBlue, FirstDerivatives, Virtu Financial, and Nutanix
Virginia Gambale is a successful technology leader, investor and experienced Board Director. As Managing Partner of Azimuth Partners LLC, Ms. Gambale operates globally, as an advisor and consultant, focused on the use of disruptive technologies (e.g. Cloud, AI, ML, VR, data analytics and interactive B-B and consumer digital platforms, Crypton CUrrencies ) to assist transforming or facilitating growth in both middle market and large corporations. She is also an advisor to several hi-tech startup companies.
Ms. Gambale is highly regarded for her innovative thinking, leadership, and ability to deliver results. She has served on over 20 Public and Private boards including: JetBlue (NASDAQ-JBLU), Motive (NASDAQ-MOTV), Piper Jaffray (NYSE-PJC), Workbrain (TSE-WB), Synchronoss Technologies (NASDAQ-SNCR), ), and IQ Financial (Chairman). She is always a member of the Audit Committee, and often serves as Compensation, Transaction or Technology Committee Chair. Ms. Gambale currently serves as a Director for: JetBlue (NASDAQ-JBLU) is Compensation Committee Chair and Audit Committee member, FirstDerivatives (LSE-FDP.L) also Nominating Chair, Audit Committee member, Virtu Financial (NASDAQ-VIRT) and Nutanix (NASDAQ-NTNX) Lead Director and Chair Nominating & Governance.
As a former senior operating executive of Global Corporations, she held senior management positions (including CIO and Managing Director) at: Merrill Lynch, Bankers Trust, Deutsche Bank and Marsh & McLennan. Additionally, Ms. Gambale was the Head of Deutsche Bank Strategic Ventures, and subsequently a General Partner at Deutsche Bank Capital and ABS Ventures until founding Azimuth Partners in 2003.
A former concert pianist in her early years, Ms. Gambale was the Board President of the Newport Music Festival, an International Music Festival from 2014-2019. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University and Mentor for Columbia University’s Masters in Technology Leadership. She is a frequent lecturer and keynote speaker on the strategic use of emerging technologies and Cyber Security. She was one of the first NACD Fellows and often speaks at Director forums on cyber security and emerging technology trends and technology strategy and governance models. Ms. Gambale has a B.S. Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the New York Institute of Technology. Ms. Gambale resides in CT with her two children and husband Dr. Austin W. Feeney.
12:35 – 1:15 PM ET
Tackling the Social Dynamics of ESG
Coming out of 2020, there is heightened attention on how companies are responding to their employees, suppliers, customers and communities. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer called on companies to enhance diversity and inclusion disclosures, specifically calling out 67 S&P 100 companies. Goldman Sachs Asset Management has increased its focus on how companies approach social considerations in their core business model in the long-term. And, new SEC disclosure standards require companies to provide stakeholders insight into human capital. This session will help you gain a better understanding of how shareholders are engaging with companies on the social factors of ESG and explore the key questions you should be asking your legal, compliance and HR departments to properly oversee the issues.
Head of US Stewardship and Sustainable Investments, Legal & General
John joined LGIMA in 2018 as Head of US Stewardship and Sustainable Investments. He is the US representative of the Corporate Governance team. John is charged with shaping the firm’s corporate engagements and driving demand for sustainable investing strategies in the US market.
He joined from Mission Measurement where he led the Impact Investing practice, and launched an ESG data and consulting business. Prior, John held multiple senior product positions in the asset management divisions of UBS and Northern Trust. John championed a range of corporate and product related sustainable investment efforts. He started his investment career at Cambridge Associates on the capital markets research team.
John earned a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
10:45 – 11:25 AM ET
Communicating Climate Risk with “Investment-Grade” Reporting
Governments, regulators and investors alike are increasing their focus on climate risk—and opportunity—in the global financial system. As global momentum continues to build towards a commitment to “net zero,” every company in every industry will be impacted. Those companies with a well-articulated long-term strategy to manage their most material climate-related risks will set themselves apart with stakeholders. But what does that actually look like? This session will help you gain a better understanding of how shareholders are engaging with companies on sustainability-related factors that will impact shareholder returns and how you can improve your communication efforts to meet their reporting expectations.
Partner & Chair of the Board, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Katharine (Katie) Martin is chair of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s board of directors and a partner in the firm’s Palo Alto office, where she practices corporate and securities law. Katie previously served as a member of the Policy Committee and as the leader of its business law department.
Katie has extensive experience in representing public companies. Her practice includes all aspects of company representation, including corporate governance, SEC compliance, 1934 Act issues, public offerings, private placements, and mergers and acquisitions. She also has represented underwriters in public offerings and issuers and investors in private equity financings.
Katie joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in 1999, after 12 years at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP, where she was a partner. She is a frequent speaker on corporate and securities law, corporate governance, and mergers and acquisition topics, presenting at such venues as PLI, Corporate Board Member, and the SEC Institute.
10:45 – 11:25 AM ET
Communicating Climate Risk with “Investment-Grade” Reporting
Governments, regulators and investors alike are increasing their focus on climate risk—and opportunity—in the global financial system. As global momentum continues to build towards a commitment to “net zero,” every company in every industry will be impacted. Those companies with a well-articulated long-term strategy to manage their most material climate-related risks will set themselves apart with stakeholders. But what does that actually look like? This session will help you gain a better understanding of how shareholders are engaging with companies on sustainability-related factors that will impact shareholder returns and how you can improve your communication efforts to meet their reporting expectations.
Chairman and CEO, Bank of America; Chair, World Economic Forum International Business Council
Brian Moynihan leads a team of more than 200,000 employees dedicated to making financial lives better for people, companies of every size, and institutional investors across the United States and around the world.
Bank of America has been recognized as a leader in financial services, including on Fortune magazine’s list of The Best Big Companies to Work For, named Global Finance’s Best Bank in the United States and North America in 2020 and placed on Forbes’ World’s Best Employers List in 2019. The company is the top global bank on Fortune’s Change the World list. It was also the 2019 Catalyst Award winner for supporting the continued development, empowerment and advancement of women in the company and around the world, and is recognized annually as a top employer by Working Mother, LATINA Style, Black Enterprise, Military Times and U.S Veterans Magazine. Bank of America is included in the Forbes Corporate Responders List of 25 companies leading through the health crisis caused by the coronavirus.
Moynihan participates in several organizations that focus on economic and market trends, including the World Economic Forum International Business Council (chair), the Financial Services Forum, the Bank Policy Institute, the Business Roundtable, the Clearing House, the American Heart Association CEO Roundtable (co-chair), the Business Council and the Federal Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board.
Moynihan leads the company’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council and is a member of the museum council for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Moynihan is also a member of the Brown University Corporation’s Board of Fellows, the Catalyst Board of Directors, the Council on Competitiveness Board of Directors, the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation Board and the Appeal of Conscience Board of Trustees.
Moynihan works with public officials, businesses and civic leaders at the local level through his participation on the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council (chair), the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership and the Partnership for Rhode Island.
2:50 – 3:30 PM ET
Executing a Four-Pillar Approach to ESG
Boards are faced with an alphabet soup of ESG metrics, complicating their ability to benchmark and report on decisions that are unique to their company and can’t always be standardized. The World Economic Forum’s International Business Council released the Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics with a core set of 21 universal, comparable disclosures focused on people, planet, prosperity and principles of governance. Learn how companies, regardless of industry or region, can strengthen their ability to benchmark their progress, improve decision-making and enhance accountability on the sustainable value they are creating for stakeholders.
Executive Director of Corporate Governance, NYC Comptroller’s Officer
Yumi Narita joined the Office of the Comptroller’s Bureau of Asset Management (BAM) as the Executive Director of Corporate Governance in the Corporate Governance and Responsible Investment Unit in December 2019. The Comptroller serves as investment advisor, custodian, and a trustee to the New York City Pension Funds, which hold approximately $215 billion in assets (as of November 2019). In her role as Executive Director, Ms. Narita is responsible for developing and implementing active ownership programs for public equities, including voting proxies, engaging portfolio companies on their ESG policies and practices, and advocating for regulatory reforms to protect investors and strengthen investor rights.
Ms. Narita has 16 years of experience in the ESG industry. Prior to BAM, Ms. Narita was the Global Head of Corporate Governance at Alliance Bernstein, and Vice President on the BlackRock Stewardship team.
12:35 – 1:15 PM ET
Tackling the Social Dynamics of ESG
Coming out of 2020, there is heightened attention on how companies are responding to their employees, suppliers, customers and communities. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer called on companies to enhance diversity and inclusion disclosures, specifically calling out 67 S&P 100 companies. Goldman Sachs Asset Management has increased its focus on how companies approach social considerations in their core business model in the long-term. And, new SEC disclosure standards require companies to provide stakeholders insight into human capital. This session will help you gain a better understanding of how shareholders are engaging with companies on the social factors of ESG and explore the key questions you should be asking your legal, compliance and HR departments to properly oversee the issues.
Managing Director, Head of Engagement, Responsible Investing, Nuveen, a TIAA Company
Peter Reali is a managing director and member of the responsible investing (RI) team at Nuveen, the investment management arm of TIAA.
Peter’s responsibilities include leading Nuveen’s stewardship activities to influence companies, issuers and the broader market to advance ESG best practices.
Prior to joining Nuveen, Peter led the corporate governance and proxy voting function at Lord, Abbett & Co and was on the corporate governance team at T. Rowe Price. From 2005-2013, he was the lead corporate governance analyst at TIAA-CREF.
He holds a BS in Business Administration from Fordham University.
10:45 – 11:25 AM ET
Communicating Climate Risk with “Investment-Grade” Reporting
Governments, regulators and investors alike are increasing their focus on climate risk—and opportunity—in the global financial system. As global momentum continues to build towards a commitment to “net zero,” every company in every industry will be impacted. Those companies with a well-articulated long-term strategy to manage their most material climate-related risks will set themselves apart with stakeholders. But what does that actually look like? This session will help you gain a better understanding of how shareholders are engaging with companies on sustainability-related factors that will impact shareholder returns and how you can improve your communication efforts to meet their reporting expectations.
Commissioner, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Elad L. Roisman was appointed by President Donald Trump to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and was sworn into office on September 11, 2018.
Commissioner Roisman joined the SEC from the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, where he served as Chief Counsel. In that role, and as Securities Counsel on the Committee, he counseled Chairmen Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Richard Shelby (R-AL), as well as members of the Committee, on securities, financial regulation, and international financial matters. Commissioner Roisman worked on drafting several pieces of legislation that became law and played an integral role in the drafting and negotiation of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act.
Before working in the Senate, he served as Counsel to SEC Commissioner Daniel M. Gallagher, focusing on enforcement and policy relating to the U.S. equity and fixed income markets, the asset management industry, and international regulation of capital markets. Prior to joining the SEC, he held positions as a Chief Counsel at NYSE Euronext and an associate at the law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP in New York.
Commissioner Roisman earned his bachelor’s degree in History at Cornell University and his JD at the Boston University School of Law.
10:10 – 10:40 AM ET
Navigating Biden’s ESG-Driven Tax and Regulatory Agenda
President Biden has made his climate agenda clear. Hours after he was sworn in, Biden announced the country would rejoin the Paris Climate Accord and cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, dismantling two of the more than 100 environmental actions taken by the Trump administration, with the remainder destined to end up in the same dustbin. As he looks to restock agencies with people eager to implement his ESG agenda, SEC commissioner candidates point to signs for more stringent public company disclosures. We’ll dive into the current actions being considered in the context of financial regulators’ supervisory role and help you think through the business dimensions of the new Administration’s ESG roadmap.
Partner, Pay Governance
Tara Tays is a Partner in our Los Angeles office has 20+ years of compensation experience and has advised management and boards of directors on a wide range of compensation matters, including the design and implementation of annual incentive and long-term incentive plans, the review and development of internal compensation policies and procedures, the assessment of risk associated with incentive programs, and the design of employment agreements and change-in-control/severance arrangements. She has extensive knowledge of shareholders’ and proxy-advisory firms’ concerns with executive compensation programs and works with companies to improve shareholder support on Say on Pay.
Tara is often a guest speaker at the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals and CCRcorp’s annual executive compensation conferences and the National Association of Corporate Director’s (NACD) Leading Minds in Governance conference, and has authored articles published in NACD Directorship magazine, Practical Law, and Deloitte’s On the Board Agenda.
Tara earned her BS in Accounting from the University of Southern California.
2:05 – 2:45 PM ET
Linking ESG Performance and Executive Pay
How are high-performing boards structuring and operationalizing ESG oversight at the board and committee level? Does your board have the necessary expertise and skills to oversee ESG risks and opportunities? We’ll gather a panel of veteran directors to explore how they think about board structure and processes for overseeing ESG in the context of strategy, including how their boards allocate different elements of the ESG conversations among committee agendas, what data gets elevated to the board level, how they establish reporting thresholds, and how they ensure they are taking proactive steps to improve their oversight.
Vice President, Talent and DEII, Diligent Corporation
Greg Vargas is a talent acquisition/human capital specialist with over 25 years of experience in domestic and international HR management, specializing in global recruitment, employee relations, and staff development for well-known brands and organizations in consumer packaged goods (CPG), international finance, media, and technology.
While Greg studied sociology and criminal justice as an undergrad at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, his career has been largely focused on the human resources space. Greg began his career at the International Monetary Fund, where he spent several years managing the Economist Program, which provides freshly-minted macroeconomists with direct exposure to a cross-section of IMF work and the opportunity to apply their research and analytical skills directly to critical policy work which impacts IMF member countries.
Following more than a decade at the IMF, Greg relocated to the Bay area, where he shifted his focus to the tech industry, initially serving as an independent human capital and talent acquisition consultant before joining Google’s staffing organization. At Google, he managed a diverse client portfolio including People Operations, Treasury, Public Relations, Real Estate, and Workplace Services. After Google, Greg moved to Yahoo where he spent several years as a member of the recruiting leadership team responsible for growing Yahoo’s talent pool and later oversaw the development of Yahoo’s (rebranded as Verizon Media following Yahoo’s acquisition by Verizon Communications) talent management/internal staffing strategy.
Following a stint leading the Talent Acquisition team for Harry’s, which manufactures and sells personal care products for men and women via online and retail channels, Greg currently serves as Vice President of Talent and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Intersectionality (DEII) at the Diligent Corporation, the world’s largest SaaS provider of Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance solutions, serving nearly 1 million users from 23,000 organizations around the world. In this role, Greg oversees enterprise talent acquisition, talent development initiatives, and DEII programming and implementation.
12:35 – 1:15 PM ET
Tackling the Social Dynamics of ESG
Coming out of 2020, there is heightened attention on how companies are responding to their employees, suppliers, customers and communities. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer called on companies to enhance diversity and inclusion disclosures, specifically calling out 67 S&P 100 companies. Goldman Sachs Asset Management has increased its focus on how companies approach social considerations in their core business model in the long-term. And, new SEC disclosure standards require companies to provide stakeholders insight into human capital. This session will help you gain a better understanding of how shareholders are engaging with companies on the social factors of ESG and explore the key questions you should be asking your legal, compliance and HR departments to properly oversee the issues.
Board Member, Albemarle Corporation, JetSMART Holdings, and Frontier Group Holdings
Ambassador Alex Wolff advises public and private firms on international political and commercial matters. He serves as a Board Director and Compensation Committee Chair of Albemarle Corporation (a top specialty chemicals public company), and as Board Director of two airline companies, JetSMART Holdings (a low-cost air carrier in South America) and Frontier Group Holdings (public holding company for Frontier Airlines, a U.S. low-cost airline). He was previously Lead Independent Director and Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee of Versum Materials (a semiconductor materials leader), a Director of Pacific Gas and Electric (a California public utility company), and Director and Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee of Rockwood Holdings (a specialty chemicals company). He served until June 2016 as the Managing Director of Gryphon Partners, a global advisory firm that provides companies and governments strategic and operational counsel on business and investment challenges across sectors and markets.
Before retiring in 2013 from a 34-year career in the U.S. State Department, he served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Chile (2010-2013) and U.S. Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2005-2010). Ambassador Wolff has wide experience in European, Middle Eastern, Asian, Latin American and African affairs. He has spoken at Universities and business groups on leadership, international relations, and on the intersection between business and government.
1:20 – 2:00 PM ET
Divide and Conquer: How to Allocate ESG Oversight in the Boardroom
How are high-performing boards structuring and operationalizing ESG oversight at the board and committee level? Does your board have the necessary expertise and skills to oversee ESG risks and opportunities? We’ll gather a panel of veteran directors to explore how they think about board structure and processes for overseeing ESG in the context of strategy, including how their boards allocate different elements of the ESG conversations among committee agendas, what data gets elevated to the board level, how they establish reporting thresholds, and how they ensure they are taking proactive steps to improve their oversight.
Chief Executive Group exists to improve the performance of U.S. CEOs, senior executives and public-company directors, helping you grow your companies, build your communities and strengthen society. Learn more at chiefexecutivegroup.com.