This series is complimentary and designed specifically for Corporate Board Directors & C-Suite Executives who currently serve on corporate boards
Attendance is limited to ensure a high-caliber, peer-level environment. Interested participants will complete a brief interest form for consideration and the Executives’ Club of Chicago will confirm participation.
Boards are navigating a moment of heightened scrutiny and accelerating change. Investor expectations are sharper. Technology is reshaping talent and risk oversight. Committee responsibilities are expanding. Governance today is not procedural — it is strategic.
The Board Imperative convenes corporate directors and C-suite leaders who support or work closely with boards for three focused, peer-level conversations on the issues defining the modern board agenda. Designed in partnership with BDO’s Center for Corporate Governance, this curated series delivers practical insight leaders can apply immediately inside their boardrooms.
This is not introductory governance. It is disciplined dialogue for experienced directors who understand that oversight shapes performance, transparency builds trust, and preparation determines influence.
About the Partnership
BDO’s Center for Corporate Governance engages directors in effective governance, equipping boards to oversee purpose, strategy, and risk while creating long-term value for stakeholders.
Together with the Executives’ Club of Chicago, this series creates space for directors to sharpen oversight, elevate boardroom impact, and lead with confidence in a complex environment.
April 22, 2026 | 8 – 9:30 AM | BDO Chicago Office
Participants will identify emerging trends from proxy season to gain practical perspectives from legal, regulatory, and investor-focused viewpoints to assess how those stakeholder expectations may identify gaps, impact board policies, governance decisions and disclosures, and engagement strategies, while also examining how regulatory developments and shareholder activism are reshaping board responsibility — and leave with leading practices for transparent and optimal communication and proactive engagement with the C-suite, shareholders, and broader stakeholders.
CEO and Founder, Alpha Advisory and Alpha IR Groups
M&A and Shareholder Activism Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
Life Sciences Real Estate Executive and Public Health Leader; Board of Directors: Kemper Corporation & Wintrust Financial Corporation
BDO Center for Corporate Governance Leader
Director, Professional Practice, BDO
June 18, 2026 | 8 – 9:30 AM | BDO Chicago Office
Participants will explore technology as a talent multiplier — not just an IT initiative — examining how boards can oversee technology investments through a human capital lens to ensure digital transformation elevates workforce capability, improves decision-making, and strengthens leadership capability, culture, and long-term performance, while also gaining clarity on the questions, metrics, and reporting structures boards should be asking of management to fulfill integrated oversight responsibilities across technology, workforce strategy, leadership development, change management, cybersecurity, and emerging AI implications.
BDO Management Consulting Segment Leader
Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, ITW; Board Member: Quanex Building Products Corporation (NYSE: NX)
BDO Center for Corporate Governance Leader
September 15, 2026 | 4 – 6:30 PM | BDO Chicago Office
Participants will discuss committee-level risk and responsibility allocation across Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Governance committees — including trending risks, evolving expectations, and leading practices for board structure, composition, and risk oversight — while also exploring the key questions directors should be asking to maximize boardroom effectiveness into 2027 and enhance alignment and decision-making across the C-suite, board, and committees focused on agreed-upon priorities.
President, Cambium LLC; Board Member: CIBC, Ryan Specialty Group, and Ulta Beauty
Former Chief Investment Officer, Treasurer, and Global Head of Investment, Ernst & Young; Board Member: PIMCO Funds and PIMCO Alts; Former Board Member: State Auto Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: STFC)
BDO Center for Corporate Governance Leader
Director, Professional Practice, BDO
