Speakers:

Rita Scroggin, Monica Nayar, Julie Iskow

As companies operate through rising geopolitical volatility, boards face a structurally different global environment—fragmented, contested, and increasingly shaped by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

Speaker: January Moore

In an era of disruption and rapid transformation, boards must build strategic agility to navigate crises, emerging risks, and evolving stakeholder expectations. This session will explore how future-focused board composition, sustainability oversight, and ethical governance of AI and digital innovation can strengthen resilience and long-term value creation.

Directors will gain insights into refreshing board capabilities, enhancing stakeholder trust, and embracing the reality that the modern boardroom is dynamic—not ceremonial.

Breakout Session 1

Pacing AI Strategy : Finding the optimal speed for innovation and measurable impact

This session explores the critical challenge of determining the right pace for AI strategy implementation - balancing the urgency of innovation with the need for measurable, sustainable impact. Organizations must navigate between moving too slowly and missing competitive opportunities versus moving too quickly and creating unsustainable or risky implementations.

Firstboard.io AI Council represented by: Subha Tatavarti, Julie Choi, Smita Rajmohan

Breakout Session 2

C-Suite Insights: Board Strategies for IPOs, M&A, and Beyond

Discover how C-suite leaders and boards can collaborate to navigate high-stakes liquidity events. From IPOs to M&A deals and secondary market options, this session offers actionable insights on timing, valuation, governance, and decision-making frameworks—ensuring strategic alignment as companies mature and stakeholders seek liquidity. 

Breakout Session 3

From Startup to Scale: How Board Expectations Evolve Across Growth Stages.

Boards play very different roles as companies evolve — from advising founders in the early days to overseeing governance and risk at scale. This session will explore how board expectations shift across key stages of growth, from startup to IPO and beyond. Speakers will share perspectives on when boards move from advisory to oversight, how governance priorities change in private versus public contexts, and what leadership teams should anticipate as they engage with evolving boards. Drawing on real-world boardroom experiences, this discussion will provide practical insights for both current and aspiring board leaders navigating today’s dynamic business environment.

With ransomware on the rise, private sector organizations and the US government are focusing even more on preparedness, response, and recovery.

PwC's Executive Ransomware Simulation is a video-based “choose your adventure” simulation that allows executives to experience a ransomware attack in a safe and controlled environment. This educational simulation provides participants with an understanding of the issues, concerns, decision points, and consequences of a ransomware incident, while learning to make critical decisions throughout the game.

Session Leader: Matt Gorham

While venture capital is often viewed primarily as a funding mechanism, VCs wield significant influence over portfolio companies through their board positions, extending far beyond financial oversight. This session explores how venture capitalists actively shape organizational leadership, culture, and strategic direction through their governance roles, examining both the opportunities and tensions this creates.

Join us downstairs in the lounge for a networking reception