WASHINGTON, March 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), the authority on boardroom practices representing more than 20,000 board members, today announced that Doris Kearns Goodwin, Beth Comstock, Sally Yates, and Dan Heath will be among the speakers at this year’s Global Board Leaders’ Summit (Summit), which will run from September 21 through September 24, 2019, in Washington, DC.
The Summit is the largest and most influential director forum in the world, attracting more than 1,800 attendees from across the globe to learn, network, and be inspired. This year’s theme, SHIFT, will focus on the new priorities placed on disruptive technology, the role of the board, company culture, and corporate values.
“Each one of these outstanding leaders has been handpicked to present new ways of thinking to challenge and inspire directors to “shift” their thinking toward the future,” said Peter R. Gleason, president and CEO of NACD. “NACD’s Summit is where the greatest minds in leadership convene to take on the most important issues facing today’s boardrooms and collectively discover the future of exemplary board service.”
Doris Kearns Goodwin, world-renowned presidential historian, public speaker, and Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times best-selling author, will speak about how leaders navigate difficult times and crises. Her fireside chat will draw from her newest bestseller, Leadership in Turbulent Times (2018).
Beth Comstock, former vice chair of General Electric (GE) and the first woman ever to hold that post, will headline Summit’s day focusing on digital disruption. Comstock will share lessons learned from her groundbreaking three decades at GE as chief marketing officer and then vice chair of innovation, where she led efforts to accelerate new growth, develop digital and clean-energy futures, seed new businesses, and enhance brand value. She’ll also share highlights from her recently published first book, Imagine it Forward (2018), about summoning courage and creativity in the face of change.
Additional speakers confirmed for NACD’s 2019 Summit include these outstanding leaders in their fields:
- Former deputy attorney general Sally Yates will be interviewed in a fireside chat on the revisions being made to the Yates Memo and how those revisions will apply to board members specifically. The discussion will include information about legal blind spots board members need to be aware of, as well as a poignant discussion around the bigger picture of corporate responsibility and culture. Yates is a lawyer who served as a United States attorney and later as United States deputy attorney general, appointed by President Barack Obama.
- Dan Heath, senior fellow at Duke University’s CASE Center and the founder of Thinkwell, will keynote the Summit’s networking lunch. A former case writer for Harvard Business School, Heath was named in 2013 to the Thinkers 50, a ranking of the world’s 50 most influential management thinkers, and also to Fast Company magazine’s list of the Most Creative People in Business.
- Jason Schenker, chair of The Futurist Institute and president of Prestige Economics LLC, will engage board directors in a discussion about applying emerging technology to existing business platforms and strategy, and describe how emerging technology can disrupt your company or industry. Schenker has been ranked by Bloomberg News as the No. 1 forecaster in the world in 25 unique categories since 2011, including for his forecasts about the Euro, oil prices, gold prices, and industrial metals prices. As president of Prestige Economics, Schenker advises corporate boards, institutional investors, and central banks. As chair of The Futurist Institute, Schenker trains analysts, strategists, and executives to incorporate new and emerging technology risks and opportunities into their strategic planning. He is ranked as one of the 100 most influential financial advisors in the world by Investopedia.
NACD’s Global Board Leaders’ Summit, which will take place September 21–24, 2019, in Washington, DC, is the largest and most influential director forum in the world, attracting more than 1,800 attendees from across the globe. To learn more and to register, click here.
About NACD
The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) empowers more than 20,000 directors to lead with confidence in the boardroom. As the recognized authority on leading boardroom practices, NACD helps boards strengthen investor trust and public confidence by ensuring that today’s directors are well prepared for tomorrow’s challenges. World-class boards join NACD to elevate performance, gain foresight, and instill confidence. Fostering collaboration among directors, investors, and corporate governance stakeholders, NACD has been setting the standard for responsible board leadership for more than 40 years. To learn more about NACD, visit www.NACDonline.org.
Contact:
Susan Oliver
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