Gail Fosler Leaves The Conference Board

Press Release / News

Nov. 3, 2009

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Gail Fosler, president, has decided to leave The Conference Board at the end of the year to focus on new avenues in business and public debate.

Fosler has enjoyed a long career at The Conference Board. First appointed as executive director and chief economist in 1989, she held positions of increasing responsibility, including helping to expand the business membership and research organization’s international operations and presence. In 2007, Fosler was named president and tasked with overseeing research, building global knowledge capabilities, and continuing to expand the global engagement of the nonprofit’s membership base.

"I have spent 20 wonderful years helping The Conference Board build its intellectual capabilities and impact on the study of economic trends and business practice," Fosler said. "However, the time has come to take on new challenges. We are at a unique historical moment in the transformation of the global economy and the evolution of global governance. There is a growing need to give voice to new ideas and new models, especially in the areas of financial stability and economic growth. I would like to take a more direct role in that process."

"While we regret losing Gail, she leaves us an enormous legacy of achievement and accomplishment," said Jonathan Spector, CEO. "We appreciate and understand her desire to redirect her energies. We are working closely together to ensure a smooth transition, and also making plans to honor Gail in a fashion befitting her many lasting contributions to The Conference Board."

Fosler will continue as a member of The Conference Board Global Advisory Council (GAC), which she founded in 1998 and which comprises prominent business leaders concerned about the long-term future of the global operating environment. Co-chaired by the Honorable Paul A. Volcker and Samuel A. DiPiazza, Jr., the GAC members are drawn from The Conference Board core global membership. Each serves as chairman, CEO, president, or member of the board of a large multinational company and is a highly respected industry leader and business thinker.

Under Fosler’s direction, The Conference Board assumed the development and dissemination of the U.S. Leading Economic Indicators from the Department of Commerce in 1996; significantly broadened the global scope of its indicators to include Leading Economic Indexes for 10 countries/regions; developed a broad-based program in productivity, labor force dynamics and innovation; founded its China Center for Economics and Business; expanded the work of the Global Governance Center, including the Commission on Public Trust and Private Enterprise and, most recently, The Conference Board Task Force on Executive Compensation, and strengthened and expanded the organization’s intellectual reach and membership base in Europe and Asia-Pacific.

For further information contact:
Frank Tortorici
(1) 212 339 0231
f.tortorici@conference-board.org