Speakers

We hold monthly, virtual events to learn from corporate governance thought leaders. These sessions are off the record and never recorded to maintain an intimate and candid feel in the group. The format is a Fireside Chat (no slides or presentations!) with Q&A as time allows.

Past and Present Speakers

Board Leaders:

Jamie Gorelick (Lead Director of Amazon), Pat Russo (Chair of Hewlett Packard Enterprises and Lead Director of General Motors), Sharon Bowen (Chair of the NYSE), Rich Stoddart (Chair of Hasbro), Nora Denzel (Lead Director of AMD), Glenn Hubbard (Chair of MetLife), Mindy Grossman (former CEO of WW, Int’l), Cindie Jamison (Chair of Darden Restaurants), Maggie Wilderotter (Chair of DocuSign), Robin Washington (Lead Director at Salesforce and Board Member of Alphabet), Dr. Helene Gayle (President of Spelman and Compensation Chair of Coca-Cola)

Leading Investment Firms:

Jeff Smith (CEO of Starboard Value), Scott Dahnke (Global CEO at L Catterton and Chair of Williams-Sonoma), Aeisha Mastagni (Portfolio Manager at CalSTRS), Michelle Gadsden-Williams (Global Head of DEI at BlackRock), Hilary Gosher (Managing Director at Insight Partners), Dianne McKeever (Chief Investment Officer at Ides Capital), Christine O’Brien (Head of Investment Stewardship at Elliott Investment Management)

Industry Thought Leaders:

Hubert Joly (former Chair & CEO of Best Buy, Boards of J&J and S&P Global), Alan Murray (President of The WSJ Leadership Institute), Gretchen Carlson (Co-Founder of Lift Our Voices), Dr. Judith Rodin (former President of the Rockefeller Foundation and the University of Pennsylvania), Kristen Silverberg (President and COO of Business Roundtable), Donna Morris (Chief People Officer of Walmart), Brad Lerman (Chief Legal Officer of Starbucks), Kevin Kennedy (former CEO of Avaya and JDS Uniphase, Chaired 3 Public Boards), Homaira Akbari and Shamla Naidoo (authors of The Cyber Savvy Boardroom), Tom Hardin (author of “Wired on Wall Street: The Rise and Fall of TipperX, One of the FBI’s Most Prolific Informants”)

Trusted Board Service Providers:

Lex Suvanto (Global CEO of Edelman Smithfield), Robin Ferracone (CEO of Farient Advisors), David Katz (Partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz), Jing Ulrich (Vice Chairman of Investment Banking at JP Morgan), Jaimie Nawaday (Co-Head of Government Enforcement & Internal Investigations at Seward & Kissell), Kai Liekefett (Co-Chair of Sidley’s Shareholder Activism & Corporate Defense Practice), Jim Rossman (Global Head of Shareholder Advisory at Barclays), Kevin Kajiwara (Co-President of Political Risk Advisory at Teneo)

Board Search and Advisory Professionals:

Chuck Gray (Co-Head of the US CEO and Board Practice at Egon Zehnder), Rusty O’Kelley (Managing Director in Russell Reynolds Associates’ Board and CEO Advisory Practice), Beth Stewart (CEO of Trewstar), Lisa Blais (Co-Head of US CEO & Board Practice at Egon Zehnder), Seonaid Charlesworth (Spencer Stuart’s Board Practice), Carter Burgess (Head of the Board Recruiting Practice at RSR Partners), Diane McIntyre (CEO of People Advisory in the US at Teneo)

We also collaborate with fantastic organizations to further the mission of supporting members in board leadership roles.

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Quotes and Testimonials:

“Alicia Syrett convenes an amazing set of influential speakers, who share their wise lessons learned, candid advice, and insightful perspectives on board governance and leadership. The monthly discussions are a ‘must attend’ for me as I learn a lot every single time.”

“I find Madam Chair to be the best group to which I belong for several reasons.  First, it provides the most relevant topics, speakers and conversations at the exact right level of content.  Second, Alicia does a fabulous job of organizing and facilitating these virtual sessions.  Because they are virtual, the ease of participation is terrific.  Third, the group of members and participants is equally impressive.  We learn from each other, which is extremely relevant.  Thank you Alicia for the amazing work you do to make this so valuable to us all.”

“Madam Chair is a community of exceptional women in board leadership roles. Founded and led by Alicia, she connects us to world-class governance/business experts on the most relevant topics in the boardroom. These sessions provide deep insights , candor and best practices. This community is superior to any other governance industry association.”

“Each session offers curated, thought‑provoking content that pushes my thinking as a board member. I walk away with a fresh insight or a new way of looking at an issue.”

“The virtual meetings from Madam Chair are a wonderful gift of open, direct, deeply informed learning from those on the front line. Such unfettered conversation is both rare and incredibly useful.“

“Alicia has created a unique, invaluable series of meetings bringing us the opportunity to hear from fabulous US and International Board members. The wealth of experience she has curated is outstanding. Thank you Alicia for the invitation to this wonderful community!”

“The Madam Chair virtual sessions curated and hosted by Alicia Syrett are a highlight of each month. The speakers come from a variety of roles at the top public companies across the globe. Alicia does an excellent job with the fireside chat and then our participants ask questions relevant to real-life scenarios which face our board chairs. It's been a fantastic way to learn from other board leaders as I navigate my own board dynamics.”