Pre-Conference Workshop: Monday, June 14, 2021 - 10:30am - 2:00pm ET
Conference
Day 1 | Tuesday, June 15, 2021 - 11:00am - 3:00pm ET
Day 2 | Wednesday, June 16, 2021 - 11:00 am - 3:45 pm ET

Register Now 

Since the start of the pandemic, organizations have experienced the most remarkable period of sudden, transformational change in decades. The extraordinary circumstances generated scenarios and insights that were previously unimaginable. We also learned just how important resilience and agility are to helping organizations and their leaders pivot at lightning speed.

As we begin to emerge from the pandemic, continuous change will be essential to recover and reimagine our organizations. That could mean new products and services, new employee and customer experiences, and/or the digital transformations needed to make it all possible. At this year’s conference, discover how top organizations managed the unprecedented change, and how they plan to apply what they learned moving forward.  

The Benefits to You

By attending this conference, you will

• Explore case studies with leading organizations across multiple sectors, as well as exclusive research from The Conference Board team.
• Discover how to build and maintain the key culture and mindset factors that made transformations successful during the pandemic. 
• Find out how wellness and psychological safety are preconditions for change, and learn how to create those conditions in your organization.
• Examine how the pandemic has accelerated and reinvented digital transformation, and why there is no going back.
• Explore successful strategies for expanding change capabilities and developing change leadership.
• Network with your peers in small group discussions at this uniquely important moment for change leaders.

Additional Opportunity

All Change & Transformation attendees will receive compimentary access to the pre-conference workshop: Realigning Organizations and Ways of Working to Achieve Transformational Results (June 14).

Who Should Attend

This conference is designed especially for change leaders, practitioners, and executives responsible for transformation and direction setting enterprise-wide or at the business unit level. Expected titles include Chief Executives, Heads, VPs, and Directors of: 

• Change Management
• OD/OE
• Organization Design
• Communications
• Strategy
• Human Resources/People
• Talent & Learning
• Transformation
• Innovation 

Get Involved

If you would like to get involved in this year’s conference, please contact us.

• Speaking Opportunities: joan.greco@conference-board.org
• Sponsorship Opportunities: ryan.gavaghan@conference-board.org
• Marketing Partnerships: allison.nilsen@conference-board.org
• Group Registrations: ulei.kou@conference-board.org

Register Now

This event is Complimentary for The Conference Board members* and $495 for non-members. All conference attendees will also receive complimentary access to the pre-conference workshop on June 14th. Register now to join us live or to watch later on-demand. Be sure to sign into your account to receive the member rate. Not sure if your organization is a member? Check here.

*This offer applies to Enterprise, Center, Global Advantage, and Council Members with approved tcb.org Member user IDs and passwords. This offer excludes Insight Members, Higher-Education Members, Experience to Lead programs, in-person events, and third-party hosted events.

Part One: Transforming Culture

11:00 – 11:10 am (ET)

Welcome and Introduction

Alan Morales, Vice President, Head of Transformative Change for Future of Work, Prudential Financial, Conference Chair

11:10 – 11:40 am (ET)

Keynote: Siemens USA CEO Barbara Humpton on Purpose-Driven Cultural Transformation

In the fall of 2019, the Harvard Business Review identified Siemens as one of the “Top 20 Business Transformations of the Last Decade.” As it reinvented the conglomerate and underwent the largest reorganization in company history, a key part of Siemens’ transformation was furthering its commitment to a higher purpose beyond maximization of shareholder value and infusing this purpose into a modern mission to transform the everyday. Learn how CEO Barbara Humpton helped to guide this transformation at Siemens USA, and how she sees cultural change as a new source of value – especially now. 

Barbara Humpton, President and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens USA

11:40 – 11:45 am (ET) Break

11:45 am – 12:30 pm (ET)

Panel: CHROs on Building Agile Cultures – Lessons from 2020

The last year has posed unprecedented organizational challenges; but those organizations with people-centric cultures of agility and innovation were arguably the best ready to face them. In this conversation among CHROs, learn how they led culture change before the pandemic; how their organizational cultures prepared them for the remarkable upheavals of 2020; and what lessons they are taking into 2021 and beyond.

DJ Casto, EVP, CHRO, Synchrony

Stephen Childs, Vice President, CHRO, Panasonic Automotive

Robert Gama, SVP, CHRO, AMD

Moderator: Lisa Rabasca Roepe, Journalist; Contributor, Fast Company, Boston Globe, HR Magazine

12:30 – 12:40 pm (ET)  Break

12:40 – 1:10 pm (ET)

Red Flags to Consider when Transforming Your Culture for The Future

Companies who have put considerable time and effort into transforming their culture in recent years now need to tackle it again in the face of hybrid operating models and new, more flexible ways of working. In this session, Daggerwing Group Senior Principal Michelle Mahony will moderate a discussion with HPE’s Director of Employee Experience and Communication Katie Sibley. They will focus on the implications that the Future of Work has on corporate culture, the red flags that can signal culture effectiveness is at risk, and the importance of aligning executives around the idea that culture is a strategic priority for Future of Work success. 

Katie Sibley, Director of Employee Experience and Communication, HPE

Moderator: Michelle Mahony, Senior Principal, Daggerwing Group 

1:10 – 1:15 pm (ET)  Break

1:15 – 1:40 pm (ET)

Networking Discussion: Culture Change

Attendees will engage in small group discussions "face to face" via Zoom. Connect with peers and share experiences, challenges and insights on culture change.

Session Leader: Cheryl Ferguson, Co-Founder and President, Daggerwing Group

1:40 – 1:45 pm (ET)  Break

Part Two: Resilience and Wellbeing

1:45 – 2:25 pm (ET)  Concurrent Sessions

Research: The Science of Resilience – Overcoming the Anxiety Epidemic and Preparing for a New Future

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 8 percent of Americans had anxiety disorders in 2019; as of September 2020, that number had jumped to 25 percent. To overcome this anxiety epidemic, and to be ready for a new future, we must develop resilience across our organizations. In this session with distinguished Conference Board researchers, we will learn.

• How to define real resilience.
• The specific behaviors that rewire the brain toward resilient responses to challenges.
• Practical actions leaders can take to develop employees’ resilience.

Robin Erickson, Ph.D., Principal Researcher, The Conference Board

Leo Flanagan, Ph.D., Distinguished Principal Research Fellow, The Conference Board

Vulnerable and Authentic: Empathetic Leadership of Resilient Cultures

Explore through real-life examples how authentic inclusion and involvement can spark joy and generate the positive energy to transform workplace cultures (wherever that workplace may be). Come away with practical solutions to create empathic employee experiences, build excitement and curiosity, and thereby activate the untapped potential of the organization to deliver business value.

Darrin Tulley, Former SVP, Workplace Solutions, Business Transformation, Culture, and Data Officer, MassMutual

2:25 – 2:30 pm (ET)  Break

2:30 – 3:00 pm (ET)

Day One Recap, Day Two Preview, and Networking Discussion on Resilience

Attendees will engage in small group discussions "face to face" via Zoom. Connect with peers and share experiences, challenges and insights on resilience and wellbeing.

Alan Morales, Vice President, Head of Transformative Change for Future of Work, Prudential Financial, Conference Chair

Session Leader: Robin Erickson, Ph.D., Principal Researcher, The Conference Board

Part Three:
Change Leadership and Enablement

11:00 – 11:10 am  (ET)

Welcome and Introduction

Alan Morales, Vice President, Head of Transformative Change for Future of Work, Prudential Financial, Conference Chair

11:10 am – 11:50 am (ET)

Panel: The Development of Change Leadership Comes into Focus

The traumatic upheavals of the past year made clearer than ever the need for leaders to showcase many of the key elements of change leadership: clarity, empathy, and compassion. And that is just the start. While disruptive transformation programs abound, how can we use the lessons of the pandemic to develop increasingly effective change leaders? Leaders able to listen, coach, and model change—not just mandate it. Hear from top Talent, Employee Experience, and Change & Transformation executives on the development of “people-centered” change leaders that will fuel the success of our transformation efforts in the years to come.

Christopher Westcott, Head of People Experience, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Ara Tucker, SVP, Head of Talent and Culture, Audible

Rae Kyriazis, Global Vice President, Field Transformation & Readiness, SAP

Bradie Speller, Director, Change Management and Communications, UPS

Moderator: Rebecca Ray, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Human Capital, The Conference Board

11:50 – 11:55 am (ET)  Break

11:55 am – 12:40 pm (ET)

Building C&T Self-Service Capability

For a great many organizations, expanding “self-service” Change and Transformation capability – resources enabling those outside of Change functions to manage change initiatives independently – has become a priority. Join a deep dive on self-service capability as Change leaders who have expanded self-service resources share their goals, designs, toolkits, and results.

Stephen Frenkel, Director, Organizational Development and Change Practice Lead, Cigna

Hilary Bland, Director, Change Management & Organizational Capability, Boeing

Eric Denkhoff, Senior Manager, Change Management & Organizational Capability, Boeing

12:40 – 12:45 pm (ET) Break

12:45 – 1:05 pm (ET)

Networking Discussion: Change Enablement

Attendees will engage in small group discussions "face to face" via Zoom. Connect with peers and share experiences, challenges and insights on expanding Change capability across organizations.

Session Leader: Ken Thompson, Principal, AlignOrg Solutions

1:05 – 1:15 pm (ET)  Break

1:15 – 1:45 pm (ET)  Concurrent Sessions

Change Leaders, the C-Suite, and Being Ready for the Next Crisis

The pandemic has underlined for C-Suites and Boards the need for innovative thinking on scenario planning and alternate business models during crises; it has shown the need to build capability for major pivots in times of uncertainty; and it has accelerated digital transformation. All these trends heighten the importance of Change and Transformation guidance and call for open lines of communication among Change leaders, the C-Suite, and the Board. Bob Kolodgy, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, shares with us how top leadership should be working with Change and Transformation leaders to shape an organization ready for the future – including the next crisis, whatever it may be.

Bob Kolodgy, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Stop Letting the Messy Middle Undermine Change Success       

Many CEOs with big change agendas have noted that one of the biggest barriers to success is often the senior-to-middle management level of the company. Why? This ‘messy middle’ may have never been trained or empowered to effectively lead change, and their own biases may show up as resistance to the CEO’s urgent plans for recovery and growth. In this session, a Daggerwing Group Principal will lead a discussion with David Tredo, Nestlé USA VP of HR, Operations and Transformation. They will cover practical, effective ways for senior leaders to equip and enable that messy middle level to shift from resistance to driving change – and be held accountable for it. 

David Tredo, VP, Strategic Initiatives & HR Transformation, Nestlé USA

Moderator: Chris Thornton, Principal, Daggerwing Group

 1:45 – 2:00 pm (ET)  Break

Part Four: The New Future of Work and the New Future of Change

2:00 – 2:45 pm

Panel: Enabling Change to the Future of Work 

2020 brought us unprecedented, and previously unimaginable, changes in how many of us worked. And as pandemic lockdowns end, we again face brand-new ways of working. How should Change leaders help usher organizations into this new future of work? What big shifts do we need to enable? What are the critical questions we are asking as we learn learning from the extraordinary pivots nearly every organization faced in the past year? Hear from Change leaders across sectors as they share their experiences, insights, and plans.

Drew Kreienkamp, Organizational Development Lead, Bayer

Leigh Mastrantonio, Senior Director, Organizational Development and Change Management, Quest Diagnostics

Ellen Stewart, Global Leader Organization Development, Cargill

Nina Swanson, Director, Organizational Development, Omaha Public Power District

Erica Tetuan, Senior Director, Head of Workforce Change, TIAA

Kim Escovedo, Director of Business Transformation, LSPI

Moderator: Kent Greenes, Senior Fellow Human Capital, Program Director, Change & Transformation Council, The Conference Board

2:45 – 2:50 pm (ET)  Break

2:50 – 3:10 pm (ET)

Networking Discussion: The Future of Change

In our final networking discussion, attendees will engage in small group discussions "face to face" via Zoom to discuss the future of Change in our new workplaces, and their biggest takeaways from the conference.

Session Leader: Alan Morales, Vice President, Head of Transformative Change for Future of Work, Prudential Financial,
Conference Chair

3:10 – 3:15 pm (ET)  Break

3:15 – 3:45 pm (ET)

Conference Capstone: VMware President on Leadership in Driving Change

In June, Sumit Dhawan takes the helm as VMware President, following his successful leadership of the company’s transformed customer experience organization. Drawing from his organizational transformation experience, he shares key leadership lessons on driving successful changes in organization culture, business models and customer-centricity.

Sumit Dhawan, President, VMware

3:45 pm (ET)

Conclusion

Alan Morales, Vice President, Head of Transformative Change for Future of Work, Prudential Financial, Conference Chair

Pre-Conference Workshop:

Realigning Organizations and Ways of Working to Achieve Transformational Results

June 14, 2021

Monday, June 14, 2021 - 10:30am - 2:00pm ET

Register Now

Join this pre-conference event to discover innovative frameworks to design and lead business model transformations that help organizations achieve marketplace leadership. Apply the concepts and frameworks to your own organization’s transformation challenges.

Looking forward, the one certainty all organizations face is that the nature of customer interactions, solutions delivery, and value creation will require new approaches, tools and leadership capabilities. This workshop will provide hands-on interaction with proven frameworks and tools to design and lead business model change. Participants will take back new strategies for designing and implementing organizational change that enhances organization differentiation and agility.

Featured Speakers Include:

• Reed Deshler, Principal, AlignOrg Solutions
• Ken Thompson, Principal, AlignOrg Solutions
• Mark Notarainni, Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Success Officer, Intuit

Workshop Agenda
(ALL TIMES ET; BREAKS WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE SESSIONS):

10:30 - 11:00 am
Learn an easy-to-use framework for aligning organizations and building differentiating capabilities

11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Apply select organization alignment tools to ensure that organizations and related choices enable new ways of working and deliver organizational value

12:15 - 1:00 pm
Review a live case study about how Intuit is transforming its operating model to deliver new, unique value to the market.

1:00 - 1:30 pm
Discuss current trends and case studies in how organizations are adapting to new market conditions and making organization choices to differentiate from competition.

1:30 – 2:00 pm
Discuss how to help organization leaders adopt the competencies of an Alignment Leader® and how internal Change Partners can effectively partner to achieve successful transformation outcomes.