Organizational Transformation: Where Change Meets the Human Experience

07:30 AM - 08:30 AM ET

Registration and Networking Breakfast

08:30 AM - 08:40 AM ET

Welcome and Introductions

Klint Kendrick, PhD, Adjunct Instructor, New York University

08:40 AM - 09:00 AM ET

Networking and Cross Pollination

We will kick off our event by meeting one another to share our top goals for the event.

09:00 AM - 09:30 AM ET

Thriving Amid Constant Change: Meet the Octopus Organization

In today’s nonlinear, uncertain, and constantly evolving world, we know that rigid, top-down transformation attempts rarely succeed. What’s needed for this moment is not merely a new process but a new paradigm: The Octopus Organization. In this session, Jana Werner, Amazon Executive in Residence, will share what it means to have a structure and culture that leads to adaptability and innovation in every arm of your business – and what it takes to get there.

Jana Werner, Executive in Residence, Amazon

09:30 AM - 10:00 AM ET

When Expansion is the One Sure Bet: Scaling Up at FanDuel

We will sit down with FanDuel Chief People Officer Caralyn Cooley to discuss navigating rapid change at the industry leader in the exploding sportsbook sector. We will explore how FanDuel is scaling intentionally and sustainably while fostering an agile and innovative culture, and provide insights for navigating rapid growth in organizations of any size.

Caralyn Cooley, Chief People Officer, FanDuel

Rita Meyerson, EdD, Principal Researcher, Human Capital, The Conference Board

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM ET

Why HR (Not IT) Will Shape Who Wins with AI

Most organizations are experimenting with AI, but few have translated those pilots into meaningful results. Why? Because getting the most out of AI is not a technology problem. It is less about which AI tools the business chooses, and more about how leaders redesign work so people can maximize their unique human skills as AI reshapes their day-to-day. This session will explore how CHROs can seamlessly apply CFO-grade rigor—business cases, FTE baselines, and outcome tracking—to decisions about AI in HR, ensuring that operating-model shifts in talent, organization design, and shared services are underwritten like any other major transformation investment. We will discuss how to redesign the HR operating model so people, skills, processes, data, and governance can rapidly evolve alongside AI to drive bottom-line results.

Lynanne Kunkel, Chief Human Resources Officer & Chief Transformation Officer, Vail Resorts

Andrew LeSueur, Partner & Managing Director, AlixPartners

10:30 AM - 10:50 AM ET

Meet & Connect

10:50 AM - 11:25 AM ET

The Reimagined Workplace: Meeting the New Challenges

The Conference Board began its annual research study on The Reimagined Workplace amid the workplace revolution triggered by COVID. Yet, even as the pandemic recedes in the rearview mirror, remarkable new political and technological developments have introduced fresh volatility and considerable uncertainty into the workplace. Learn from the latest Reimagined Workplace study how Human Capital leaders are responding, and what it may mean for your organization.

Robin Erickson, PhD, Head of Human Capital Research, The Conference Board

11:25 AM - 11:55 AM ET

Reframing the HR Business Partner Role to Build Organization Design Capability

As organizations navigate constant change, the traditional HR Business Partner role must be redefined to better enable strategy execution and operating model effectiveness. In this session, Mike Smith and Julia Anas will explore the shift to a People Strategy Partner model and the evolution of organization design from episodic restructuring to a sustained enterprise capability. Attendees will learn the capabilities needed to shape structures, roles, decision rights, and ways of working—plus practical lessons from redefining partnerships across the enterprise.

Julia Anas, Chief People Officer, Qualtrics

Michael Smith, Principal & Client Executive, AlignOrg Solutions

12:00 PM - 12:30 PM ET

The CEO as Transformational Leader

We welcome Dr. John D'Angelo, the new CEO of Northwell Health, to discuss leading a transformation of the human experience in health care, for patients and those who care for them. We will discuss bringing together people, technology and innovation, addressing industry headwinds by advancing Northwell’s mission.

John D'Angelo, MD, President & CEO, Northwell Health

Diana Scott, U.S. Human Capital Center Leader, The Conference Board

12:30 PM - 01:30 PM ET

Networking Lunch

01:35 PM - 02:05 PM ET

How AI Could Reinvent Change Management Itself

AI not only presents a crucial challenge for C&T leaders – it presents an opportunity, even an imperative, to reinvent change management itself. In this discussion among leaders across sectors, we will explore the ways their processes are evolving to meet the AI moment, and the ways AI is itself enhancing capability, tools, and measurement.

Kristine Krueger, PhD, Senior Director, Change Management Office, Unisys

Laura Broughton, Global Director, Organizational Design and Talent Planning, Mars

01:35 PM - 02:05 PM ET

Case Study: Your Reorganization Can’t Succeed Without a Talent Strategy

Times of disruption – mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations – bring engagement and retention challenges. But a talent strategy that provides development opportunities can not only boost engagement, it can lead to measurable business results. Learn how Frontier Communications, in anticipation of acquisition by Verizon, launched an initiative focused on upskilling, internal mobility, and engagement that yielded cost savings while building skills.

Ariel Leonard, Former Senior Vice President of Talent, Frontier Communications

02:10 PM - 02:40 PM ET

Case Study: Move Fast and Fix Things – Process Transformation and the Real Secret to Uncovering AI Value

True transformation lies in the often-overlooked hard work of cleaning up your data, reimagining processes, and articulating a clear, measurable outcome. Skip these steps and your AI efforts will not achieve the value advertised. Join TD Bank's Process Transformation team for a case study on going back to basics, to uncover AI value without losing speed or focus toward your AI goals. They will be sharing the why behind their approach, how they organized the work across multiple processes at once, and the change management they’ve employed.

Sarah Keizer, VP, Enterprise Change and Business Architecture, TD Bank Group

02:10 PM - 02:40 PM ET

Leveraging Neuroscience to Drive Lasting Change and Transformation

This session will explore how an understanding of neuroscience can drive a culture of innovation. Understanding the role our brains play in adapting to change allows leaders to better understand and relate to what their teams, colleagues, and employees experience during a transformation. Learn how to plan for overcoming natural resistance and create a change journey that drives positive culture while protecting employee mental health and well-being.

Travis D. Hahler, Senior Director, Global Strategy & Transformation, Salesforce

02:40 PM - 02:50 PM ET

Meet & Connect

02:50 PM - 03:20 PM ET

Building the People and Technology Partnerships We Need

Technology transformations – including but not exclusively AI transformations – increasingly call for major changes in human behavior. For those transformations to succeed, the collaboration among Change Management, IT and other technology functions must be closer than ever. In this conversation, we will explore how that collaboration translates into concrete structures, partnerships, and timelines.

Eliza A. Fendell, Director, Technology Change Enablement, Ryder System, Inc.

Jennifer Murtha, Assistant Vice President, Change Management and Organizational Development, Lincoln Financial

Amit Mohindra, Distinguished Principal Research Fellow, Human Capital, The Conference Board

02:50 PM - 03:20 PM ET

The Unresolved Leadership Decisions That Can Derail Your Merger or Acquisition

While most of the attention in mergers and acquisitions is focused on strategy and deal execution, outcomes are most often determined by a small set of leadership decisions made shortly after the ink dries. In this session, Dr. Klint Kendrick draws on patterns observed across hundreds of post-merger integrations to examine five leadership decisions that consistently determine whether M&A integrations will create value. These decisions, often delayed or left implicit, compound over time and shape execution, retention, and value realization. Participants will explore why M&A outcomes diverge after close, even among well-structured deals; how unresolved leadership decisions create hidden costs; and what leaders can clarify early to support sustained value creation.

Klint Kendrick, PhD, Adjunct Instructor, New York University

03:20 PM - 03:40 PM ET

Meet & Connect

03:40 PM - 04:20 PM ET

Interactive Workshop: The Change Lab

In an era of perpetual disruption, the ability to manage continuous change is a high-stakes strategic imperative. For senior leadership, the primary challenge lies in the "Execution Gap," where well-defined strategies collide with the invisible complexities of organizational reality. This interactive session provides a rigorous framework for identifying hidden risks and leveraging your “Organizational DNA.” Participants will select and assess interventions, and the presenters will model the risk and impact on performance.

Dr. David F. Lopez, SVP, Systems Research, Strategia Analytics

Dr. Miles Overholt, Founder and CEO, Strategia Analytics

Klint Kendrick, PhD, Adjunct Instructor, New York University

04:20 PM - 04:50 PM ET

The Role of Communications When Navigating Corporate (and Personal) Transformations

Maria Cristina (MC) Gonzalez, EVP, Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer of Popular Inc., will address the fundamental importance of communications in navigating disruptions, transformations and culture change. MC will speak to experiences at Popular, Estee Lauder and Televisa-Univision, where she navigated corporate transformations as the head of communications and as a board member. She will also highlight how she managed personal and career transformations, taking us on her journey from Puerto Rico to Connecticut and sharing what she learned from supporting First Lady, Michelle Obama, at the White House. Leaders of change and transformation will come away with new insights into their strategic partnership with communications in changing behaviors and shaping culture.

Maria Cristina (MC) Gonzalez Noguera, EVP, Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer, Popular, Inc.

Sally Susman, Former Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Pfizer

04:50 PM - 05:00 PM ET

Day One Recap and Day Two Preview

Klint Kendrick, PhD, Adjunct Instructor, New York University

05:00 PM - 06:00 PM ET

Networking Reception