Directors Forum Conference Agenda

10:00 – 10:10 am

Welcome, Introductions and Announcements

10:10 – 11:00 am

Keynote Speaker:

R. Edward Freeman, University Professor, Olsson Professor & Academic Director, Institute for Business in Society, University of Virginia Darden School of Business; Co-Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Business Ethics

11:00 – 11:10 am

Networking Break

11:10 am – 12:00 pm

Panel: Making Room at the Table: The Company’s Duty to All Stakeholders

• BlackRock CEO Larry Fink’s 2021 letter states “It is clear that being connected to stakeholders – establishing trust with them and acting with purpose – enables a company to understand and respond to the changes happening in the world. Companies ignore stakeholders at their peril.”
• This panel will explore the recent paradigm shift towards stakeholder governance, and how corporate directors can ensure that they are overseeing the impact of their company’s operations on stakeholders, from employees to communities.

Cindy Fornelli, Independent Director, TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC; Fmr. Executive Director, Center for Audit Quality

Stavros Gadinis, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley

Keir Gumbs, Associate General Counsel, Global Corporate, M&A and Securities, Deputy Corporate Secretary, Uber Technologies, Inc.

Amelia Miazad, Director and Senior Research Fellow, Business in Society Institute, University of California, Berkeley

Tim Youmans, Lead-North America EOS, Federated Hermes

12:00 – 12:25 pm

Networking Break

12:25 – 1:15 pm

Panel: Unheard Voices: Inviting Stakeholders into the Room Where It Happens

• Employees, customers, suppliers, and local communities are among the stakeholders that impact and are impacted by the way companies conduct business. But their voices have often gone unheard by corporate directors whose focus is typically directed towards shareholders.
• This year, instead of presenting our annual “Shareholders Speak” panel, we’ll hear from some of these other key stakeholders.

Barbara Berlin, Managing Director, Governance Insights, PwC

Suzanne Fallender, Director, Corporate Responsibility, Intel Corporation

Jennifer O’Dell, Assistant Director, Corporate Affairs, Laborers’ International Union of North America

Veena Ramani, Program Director, Capital Market Systems, Ceres, Inc.

1:15 – 1:25 pm

Networking Break

1:25 – 2:15 pm

Panel: Stock Buybacks & Capital Allocation: Have Boards/Management Dropped the Ball?

• The COVID-19 crisis shined a bright spotlight on the common and often-criticized practice of stock buybacks.  Many companies that leveraged up to buy back stock before the pandemic (often under pressure from short-term shareholders) found themselves with limited capital to address other critical business needs once the pandemic hit.
• This panel will discuss whether Boards and management teams should have been more diligent in evaluating black swan risks when making capital allocation decisions, and how recent events could impact such decisions going forward.

Kate J. Collier, Director & Audit Committe Chair, Regulus Therapeutics Inc.; VP, Audit Services, Sempra Energy

Steven Davidoff Solomon, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley

Robert J. Jackson Jr., Director, Institute for Corporate Governance and Finance, New York University School of Law; fmr Commissioner, U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission

10:00 – 10:10 am

Introduction and Announcements

10:10 – 11:00 am

Keynote Speaker:

Frank Partnoy, Adrian A. Kragen Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley

11:00 – 11:10 am

Networking Break

11:10 am – 12:00 pm

Panel: Turbocharging Board Performance through Diversity and Inclusion

• More and more leading company Boards of Directors are harnessing the power of diverse points of view in the boardroom, and some states are implementing mandates and designed to promote diversity and inclusion on Boards.
• This panel will discuss the benefits of diverse Boards, recent efforts to increase Board diversity, and whether state regulatory efforts are a productive tool for achieving this objective.

Richard Bennett, President & CEO, ValueEdge Advisors: fmr CEO and Chairman, GMI Ratings

Hannah-Beth Jackson, Former California State Senator (19th District, 2012-2020)

Marie Oh Huber, Director, Portland General Electric; SVP Legal Affairs, General Counsel & Secretary, eBay, Inc.

12:00 – 12:25 pm

Networking Break

12:25 – 1:15 pm

Keynote Speakers:

Mark C. Thompson, New York Times Bestselling Author; MG100 Coach: Amex, Lyft, Pinterest, Pfizer, Schwab, Intel, Virgin, IOC/Harvard

Bonita Thompson, Executive Development Coach and Researcher; New York Times Bestselling Author

1:15 – 1:25 pm

Networking Break

1:25 – 2:15 pm

Panel: Navigating Risk in Uncharted Waters

• One of the board’s top priorities is oversight of company risk management strategies. Recent events have underscored the need for Boards and management teams to reassess how they fulfill this obligation.
• This panel will discuss the Board’s role in risk oversight and will examine whether an increased role for directors in this process could (and/or should) upend the traditional balance of responsibilities between boards and management teams.

Chloe Demrovsky, President & CEO, Disaster Recovery Institute International

Holly Gregory, Partner & Co-Chair, Global Corporate Governance & Executive Compensation Practice, Sidley Austin LLP

David Tehle, Director and Audit Committee Chair for Jack in the Box Inc., National Vision, Inc., and US Foods

9:00 – 9:10 am

Introduction and Announcements

9:10 – 10:00 am

Keynote Speaker (Fireside Chat):

Dr. Dambisa Moyo, Director, 3M and Chevron; Author; Global Economist

With an Interview by:

Stavros Gadinis, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley

10:00 – 10:10 am

Networking Break

10:10 – 11:00 am

Corporate Crisis Communication

Barrett Golden, Partner, Joele Frank

Kai H.E. Liekefett, Partner and Co-Chair, Shareholder Activism Practice, Sidley Austin LLP

11:00 – 11:10 am

Networking Break

11:10 am – 12:00 pm

Panel: Leading from the Heart: Organizational Culture and Human Capital Management as a Recipe for Success

• Organizational culture and human capital management set the tone for everything a company does, and when managed well raise the bar for company success and mitigate organizational risks.
• This panel will discuss the criticality of best practices in organizational culture and human capital management, and the importance of Board engagement with management on these topics.

Cari Dominguez, Lead Director, Triple-S Management Corporation; Director, ManpowerGroup.; Calvert Funds; Principal, Dominguez & Associates

Garry Ridge, Chairman & CEO, WD-40 Company

Susan Sandlund, Managing Director, Veritas Partners/Pearl Meyer

Libby Sartain, Director, ManpowerGroup.; Fmr Director, Shutterfly Inc. and Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Inc.

12:00 – 12:10 pm

Networking Break

12:10 – 1:00 pm

Keynote Speaker (Fireside Chat):

Marillyn A. Hewson, Executive Chairman and Fmr. President & CEO, Lockheed Martin; Director, Johnson & Johnson and Chevron; Board of Governors, USO; Chair, Catalyst Board of Directors

With an Interview by:

Donald J. Rosenberg, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Qualcomm, Inc.; Director, NuVasive, Inc.