Women Corporate Directors to Host 2021 Virtual Global Institute

Premier event fosters dialogue among international executives on diversity and inclusion, ESG, compensation, and other critical issues facing corporate boards

NEW YORK – April 29, 2021 – Women Corporate Directors (WCD), a global community of women corporate directors, will hold its 2021 Global Institute & Visionary Awards Celebration event, June 9-11, 2021. The theme of the virtual experience is “Agile Leadership in the Boardroom: Prioritizing People, Purpose, & Profitability.” The Institute is open to women who currently serve as a corporate director on a public company board, large private company board or family business board.

“Organizational disruptions are changing the way our workforces operate, and now more than ever, companies must quickly evolve how they lead and manage,” says Susan C. Keating, CEO of WCD. “WCD is collaborating with experienced and powerful leaders to explore how board members can address the wide breadth of new challenges they now face as both the public and shareholders demand that organizations be nimble, work toward a clearly-defined purpose and care for all of their stakeholders.”  

“Understanding the importance of purpose-driven leadership is vital for board members, particularly as we tackle some of the most challenging corporate governance issues yet,” said Camille Asaro, Partner, KPMG LLP and Lead Director of WCD. “It’s clear that 2021 will be about refining—if not fundamentally rethinking—strategic planning and risk management. We need to take the lessons learned from the past year and apply them to strategies moving forward.”

Attendees will hear from world-renowned business leaders about strategies to address key issues facing companies and their boards. A few of the Institute’s speakers include:

·         Culture, Collaboration, and Transformation: Global Health and Human Capital

o   Paul Knopp, Chair and CEO of KPMG LLP

o   Dr. Nadja Y. West, retired Lieutenant General in the U.S. Army; Director, Johnson & Johnson, Nucor, and Tenet Healthcare

·         Principle and Purpose

o   Phyllis Campbell, Chair of Pacific Northwest, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

o   Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co.

·         Global Environmental Governance: Action & Accountability

o   Andrew Liveris, former CEO and Chairman of The Dow Chemical Company; Director, IBM, Saudi Aramco, and Worley

o   Halla Tomasdottir, CEO of The B Team

·         Global Economics: Catalysts for Financial Recovery

o   Constance Hunter, Chief Economist, KPMG LLP

·         Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

o   Debra L. Lee, Co-Founder of The Monarchs Collective; Director, AT&T, Marriott International, Procter & Gamble and Burberry

o   Wonya Lucas, President and CEO, Crown Media Family Networks; Director, Sundance Institute and The E.W. Scripps Company

o   David Chun, Founder and CEO, Equilar

·         Crisis and Risk: Assessing and Mitigating Liabilities in the New Normal

o   Chris Burt, Halex Consulting Limited; Director, Risk Coalition Research Company Limited

o   Nicole Reich, CEO, BNP PARIBAS Cardif; Director, COBIS Corp.

o   Jan Elizabeth Tighe, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (retired); Director, Goldman Sachs Group, Progressive Corporation and Huntsman Corporation

o   Brian Zawada, Chief Operating Officer, Castellan Solutions

·         WCD Visionary Award Celebration

o   Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO and President, Ariel Investments; Chairman, Starbucks Corp; Director, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

·         Opening Remarks

o   Adena Friedman, President and CEO, Nasdaq, Inc.

·         Closing Remarks

o   Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO, BlackRock, Inc.

Additional speakers and panel discussions are being added on a regular basis and the most up-to-date agenda is available here. In addition to these programming tracks, attendees will have access to WCD’s virtual networking lounge where they can share insights and experiences during interactive sessions.

Women who aspire to serve on a corporate board are encouraged to attend a

Pre-Institute session on June 8 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. (U.S. ET) that is part of WCD’s BoardNext initiative. BoardNext is an educational program designed for board-ready women.

WCD will also hold its Visionary Awards Celebration on June 9 from 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. (U.S. ET), where individuals and companies will be recognized for their exceptional commitment to diversity, inclusion, and women’s leadership in the C-suite and boardroom. The 2021 Visionary Award honorees include:

·         Visionary Award for Leadership and Governance of a Public Company – Merck & Co., Inc., led by CEO Kenneth C. Frazier

·         Visionary Award for Leadership and Governance of a Private Company – Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), an outdoor retailer headed by CEO Eric Artz

·         Visionary Award for Innovation in Shared Value – illycaffè, the family-owned global premium coffee brand based in Italy

·         Visionary Award for Strategic Leadership – Susan Salka, CEO of AMN Healthcare, the largest healthcare staffing company in the U.S.

·         Susan S. Stautberg WCD Member Leadership Award – Susan Remmer Ryzewic, President, CEO and Director of EHR Investments, Inc.

The 2021 Global Institute & Visionary Awards Celebration is open to WCD members and non-members. Attendees can register here by May 3 to receive $100 off their registration price.

For media inquiries, please contact Megan Mollan of the Dalton Agency at 954-600-2473 or [email protected]. A variety of sessions will be open to media planning to attend and cover the event.

Sponsors

Sponsors of the 2021 Global Institute & Visionary Awards Celebration include:

Global Lead Sponsor: KPMG LLP; Executive Sponsors: Pearl Meyer and Spencer Stuart; Strategic Sponsors: Morgan Stanley and Vinson & Elkins; Supporting Sponsors: Akin Gump, Castellan, Equilar, IFC, Latham & Watkins and Marriott; Silver Sponsors: JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Merck & Co., Inc.; Bronze Sponsor: McKesson; Aspiring Directors Session Sponsor: Bank of America.

About Women Corporate Directors Education and Development Foundation, Inc.

The Women Corporate Directors Education and Development Foundation, Inc. (WCD) is the only global membership organization and community of women corporate directors. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, WCD has 76 chapters around the world. In addition to publicly traded company boards, WCD members serve on numerous boards of large private and family-run companies globally. For more information visit www.womencorporatedirectors.org or follow us on Twitter @WomenCorpDirs, #WCDboards. #WCDGlobal2021

About WCD’s Global Lead Sponsor

KPMG LLP is the U.S. firm of the KPMG global organization of independent professional services firms providing audit, tax and advisory services. The KPMG global organization operates in 146 countries and territories and has close to 227,000 people working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.

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