Women Corporate Directors - Boston

Monday, February 4, 2018 Dinner

The Colonnade Hotel, 120 Huntington Ave., Boston

6:00 PM Cocktails, 7:00 PM Dinner and Discussion

Strategic Investments in a Future of Colliding Mega Trends

Broad mega trends are underway that will create profound changes in economic systems, political balances, and the competitive positions of companies and countries.  While many strategic plans consider individual mega trends, it is the interaction of trends that has the potential for the most unexpected impact on investment decisions. As management teams and boards of directors look at future markets and opportunities, they often ignore trends coming from outside their industry that may have the potential to disrupt, delay, or accelerate opportunities and risks.

Over the next 10 years and beyond the world will be shaped by:

• advances in technology (including artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, digitalization and the internet of things);
• demographic changes (including urbanization);
• the mobility revolution (including autonomous vehicles);
• climate change (including physical and reporting risk); and
• leaps forward in health and genomics.

Reading through the mega trends list, it is easy to intuit that they must interact. But how should they play into decisions boards are making on investments and capital allocation?

What time horizon should boards and management use when assessing future environments relating to investments?

Which mega trends are directly related to the investment decision and which are indirect? 

At what speed will the mega trends be moving over the period of the investment?

How do the most important trends for an investment interact with each other?

How should boards consider both opportunities and risks?

Susan Farrell, Vice President at IHSMarkit and head of the firm’s Global Scenarios, works with management teams and boards of directors of international energy companies, which take a very long-term investment perspective. Susan and WCD member Jean Mixer, Chief Digital Transformation Officer and VP Strategy, Boston Children’s Hospital will discuss how boards should be thinking of strategic planning and capital allocation in the face of these mega trends. During dinner we will have our regular table discussions and invite our members to share their ideas and experiences.

Susan Farrell is Vice-President at IHS Markit and heads the firm’s Global Scenarios, Climate and Carbon and Executive Briefing practices.  She advises executive teams and provides quarterly presentations outlining the IHS Markit Energy view of industry drivers and forecasts. Her particular focus is on strategic planning and investment risk in different environments. Susan joined the company in 2013 through the acquisition of a private consulting firm, PFC Energy. Previously, she led the global strategy groups of two major energy service companies for over 20 years, Brown & Root/Halliburton and McDermott International, in London and Houston. She lived and worked in Europe on two occasions and traveled extensively in Asia and the Middle East. Susan received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Brown University and an MBA from Boston University with a specialization in finance.

Jean Mixer is the Chief Digital Transformation Officer and VP Strategy, Boston Children’s Hospital. In addition to strategy, Jean launched and leads the Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator, Precision Medicine, and online telehealth services servicing patients and clinicians in 100+ countries. Jean was formerly CEO at mixerconsulting and Managing Director of The Boston Consulting Group. She began her career at J.P. Morgan. Jean is on the board of directors of NxStage, a global high-growth medical technology company, and was previously on the board of Cambridge Trust Company. Jean has a Master of Management from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Please RSVP to Pam Lenehan: plenehan@ridgehillconsulting.com

Future Meetings:

Monday, April 29, 2019