About Councils

The Conference Board Councils

INSIGHTS. PEOPLE. TRUST.

By bringing together a select group of senior executives from the world’s leading companies and organizations, The Conference Board Councils engage you in an elevated conversation you won’t find anywhere else.

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"My Council meetings have been transformative in helping me create an organizational strategy for an employee hardship effort. My council colleagues made time to chat with me and my team, bringing along their legal counterparts to answer questions from my legal team."

Nicole Anderson President, AT&T Foundation

"I find the fact that the membership of the group is so diverse a huge advantage. For me the impact is from the membership mix, and the mix of sessions (i.e. formal presentation, member-led discussion, informal discussion among peers about hot topics). I get a lot of my learning and tangible benefits from the informal discussion with my peers at or after the meetings."

Sheila O'Connor Group Risk and Compliance, Electricity Supply Board (ESB)

"Building a wide and trusted HR network from different industries enables the growth of creativity and problem-solving capability, and challenges our own strategies and thoughts. In addition, it helps in building professional and moral support among team members."

Christine Wong Vice President, Human Resources, Hong Kong Disneyland

"Councils offer me a highly professional thought leadership exchange, and a wealth of access to resources, networks, and thought leadership. I appreciate the balance between engaging in strategic dialogue and experiencing relevant subject matter to advance my thinking. The topics we discuss are timely and include helpful real-life applications."

Tom Scrivner Senior Manager, Organization Effectiveness, Leadership, Learning and Organizational Capability, Boeing

"The beauty of this experience is the group size; that we are all senior professionals at similar or the same maturity. We understand each other. My field tends to be made up of small teams. To get experience with what others are doing, you need to look outside."

Didier O'Dorico Director Risk Management, Tetra Pak International

"I am amazed at the wealth of experience and wisdom amongst members. We have open and honest conversations around pain points, challenges and learnings for lift- and-adapt. The cross-industry and geography networking has broadened my perspectives."

Adele Dai HR, VP, PepsiCo APAC Region

"Excellent interaction with other council members and outside speakers who are highly relevant to issues that I face in my position…really the perfect combination of practical information, problem solving, professional development and inspiration."

Scott Nelson SVP- Strategy, Marketing and Growth, and CMO, ETS

"The opportunity to have the support of The Conference Board, who stimulates networking amongst peers, is great. In fact, my company stopped our involvement in all other peer networks, and only uses The Conference Board. Good value for money."

Ron Veldheizen Global Director, ERM & Process Excellence, Royal Friesland Campina

"The comprehensive online database and regular meetings offer members not only cross-industrial best practices and insightful report findings, but also the latest economic and business trends across countries and regions, which is so beneficial to the HR executives who are working in this VUCA era."

Sharon Yang Head of Human Resources, SPD Silicon Valley Bank

"I belong to a lot of organizations, and none come remotely close to the quality of the networking at The Conference Board, the seniority of the networking, and the quality of the peer relationships. This is my premier professional development. It’s the one I esteem the most and hold onto the hardest."

Patrick Carpenter VP, Communications, Materion

"The opportunity to come together with companies in the niche area of HR Operations, and talk about the business operating model and technology is rare. It’s not only the level of discussion we have amongst peers, it is the access to the research The Conference Board offers members, particularly those that focus on global emerging trends that is key."

Jacque Vaccaro HR Functional Shared Services, Siemens AG

"The real value for me is the mix of expert presentations and real-time reactions from across industry professionals and leaders. And of even more value has been the informal mentoring I’ve enjoyed from other council members sharing their insight on the challenges my own company faces today."

John Whitney International Compensation and Benefits Manager, Texas Instruments

"The Conference Board Councils plays a really critical role in terms of what’s going on in the world. We’re here today with our functional hats on. But we can’t serve our companies without knowing what’s going on in the wider world."

Maril MacDonald Founder and CEO, Gagen MacDonald

"The value for me is clear: First, it is the right people, at the right level, in the same room. Second, it is a relatively small and dedicated group of people giving you enough time to network. Third, it is led by members- so we decide on critical topics that are a shared challenge for all of us."

Henrik Ranzau Hansen Global Head HR Services & Solutions, Philips

"The Conference Board Councils provide communication professionals with an open platform to share best practices and knowledge from a variety of industry perspectives. It is a give-and-take form of team work, which supports us for a more collaborative future."

Ma Li China Communication Director, Solvay China

"The informal, very candid exchange is why you don’t want to miss the meetings. We’ve formalized our "round robins" so that candid information sharing is an institutional tradition."

Barie Carmichael Senior Counselor, APCO Worldwide

"The opportunity to engage with my peers is invaluable. You have the right people at the table representing various industries, and creating a safe space to share real challenges along with viable solutions."

Raina Washington VP, Global Diversity & Inclusion, Lockheed Martin Corporation

"I have been part of other peer networks but this one is both more international and more focused- on HR Operations- not just HR. Others networks may be focused on a regional or country level, but the fact that this is global makes it more valuable for me."

Yves Zerbib Head of HR Operations, Tetra Pak International

"As a relative newcomer to Asia Pacific, I find great value in the insights and analyses constantly being shared by the Conference Board’s in-house experts. Coupled with the case studies and best practices openly discussed in the Council, they have been instrumental in helping me design and adapt my organization’s communication plans."

Pablo Largacha Vice President, Public Affairs, Coca Cola Asia-Pacific

"I report to the General Counsel at our company. He’s a man who doesn’t like to sit in meetings. But he’s a member at The Conference Board. He said his experiences with The Conference Board are the only impactful and actionable professional experiences he’s ever found."

Michelle Goret VP Communication, Cintas

"At the heart of the value of this experience for me is strong senior speakers. These are not professional speakers, but rather high-quality senior practitioners with an intimate knowledge of our environment. The networking with colleagues; something much more important than quantitative management tools, it is the opportunity to meet decision-makers and senior practitioners in the field."

Christopher King Vice President and General Counsel, Hunter Douglas Management AG

"I enjoy the diversity of our group across many industries, and the openness of sharing challenges, ideas and best practices. This is only possible with trust, which has grown over time. This, paired with excellent people, is adding a huge amount of value to me professionally as well as personally."

Marcus Pinter China Financial Officer, Novartis China

"I've attended Council events where some of the brightest, most passionate people I've ever been around were engaged, sharing, and interested in helping each other."

Jay Henry Director Innovation & Operations Support, Shaw Industries

"Sometimes you get a fresh look from the outside into your own industry, and it is part of my work to put myself in the shoes of the various stakeholders and understand their interests. The biggest component for me is testing against my own thinking with people from other industries. It allows me to see that while their challenges are different, ultimately, there are large similarities."

Rochus Gassman General Counsel Insurance Solutions, Zurich Insurance Group

"What I love about The Conference Board is I feel like there’s a balance—there are quite a few very senior people who’ve been doing their job for 20 years, there’re newer people who’ve been doing their jobs for a couple years, and there’s a lot of people who are in the middle."

Shavonne Gordon Head of Diversity Talent Acquisition, Learning & Employee Resource Groups, Capital One

"In this group, the exchange is with colleagues from a wider scope, which allows me to discuss various topics, learn from their experience, and provide insights from my own experience. We can also get inside other functionalities and look beyond."

Peter Hennke Senior Vice President, Law Department, Corporate, Regulatory & Litigation, Fresenius Medical Care AG

"I belong to various professional groups and rarely attend their conferences or meetings. The topics we cover at each meeting are very timely and the level of expertise in the room helps us to deepen our understanding of the practice."

Joseph Whittinghill Managing Director, Venture Integration Group

"The Conference Board Councils are very international and global, and there is much more analytical and scientific intellectual horsepower behind it compared to other peer networks I am a part of. This comes from both the subject matter experts, and the research and insights."

Michael Brecht Vice President Human Resources EMEA, Avery Dennison

"It’s very rare that an organization is able to bring top expertise together to share issues, concerns, strategies, and challenges in an atmosphere of trust. Councils offer this very unique opportunity and allow participants to talk candidly about our challenges, knowing our conversations will not be shared elsewhere. Even though we’re working for different organizations, we feel like we’re a team."

Karen Vari Executive Director of Global D&I and Human Resources, Fluor

"It’s been great to see the trust build within our council. It has enabled us to network and share best practices with companies with similar complexities and challenges that we would not usually have easy access to. Being a member of this forum has enabled real conversations and facilitated pragmatic solutions."

Allison Dyer Director, Office of the CISO, Information Protection, GSK

"The council has been a great benefit to me largely because of the caliber of the people and the quality of the companies that are represented. The companies are world-class in operations and world-class in HR practices. It is an opportunity to learn from what the best of the best are doing, take practices back to my organization, and an opportunity to reach out to other members to test concepts we may be interested in implementing."

Steve Bartlett Vice President Human Resources Program, Eaton Corporation

"A terrific opportunity to speak openly with peer-level executives about issues we all face. Despite the diversity of industries represented, there is tremendous commonality in the challenges before us."

Maura Payne Vice President, Communications, Reynolds American Inc

"If anyone is thinking of joining a Council, for me, the top two reasons are to get actionable best practices, and The Conference Board’s support with research and facilitating peer networking; making the quality much better than other networks."

Ron Veldheizen Global Director, ERM & Process Excellence, Royal Friesland Campina

"If you are in groups that are industry-based, there is a risk of group-think, there is a risk of not thinking outside the box. I find it interesting to listen to what is energizing businesses that are so different to mine, because it can translate or at least cause you to ask a question, "have we even considered this?"

Sheila O'Connor Group Risk and Compliance, Electricity Supply Board (ESB)

"Councils is a unique solution, which offers a small group of professionals doing the same thing that I do; sophisticated peers with the same maturity. I take advantage of the great networking and very often, after a meeting, I will visit my fellow members. Also, the meetings are not overrun by vendors, consultants, brokers–it is a peer to peer conversation."

Didier O'Dorico Director Risk Management, Tetra Pak International

"The Council creates an environment that allows for a free flow of ideas so that we can all serve our employees and communities in the best possible way. My team and I never could have moved as fast as we did and been so prepared in the process if it wasn’t for the connections and willingness to collaborate of my Council peers."

Nicole Anderson President, AT&T Foundation

"People are quick to compare this to CEB. There’s no comparison. They do benchmarking and data analytics, but there’s less interactivity. They don’t bring people together."

Patrick Carpenter VP, Communications, Materion

"It is really nice to be able to talk about this topic with other people who live it, breathe it, understand it: close the door and be really open because of the Chatham House Rule. That collaboration and kindred spirit is something special. It is really enriching from a personal standpoint."

Jacque Vaccaro HR Functional Shared Services, Siemens AG

"The Conference Board Councils does a great job of bringing in other issues, topics, and relevant information. The size of the group is good, and the confidential discussions amongst one’s peers are priceless."

Maril MacDonald Founder and CEO, Gagen MacDonald

" This is not a vendor conversation, it is a peer conversation."

Henrik Ranzau Hansen Global Head HR Services & Solutions, Philips

"Meeting with people with similar challenges and solutions- you can be inspired by them. You can truly benefit from their experience. It’s also nice to share what you have done that might be innovative or different and get feedback and ideas."

Yves Zerbib Head of HR Operations, Tetra Pak International

"When we’re not meeting, my group has robust conversations in benchmarking. I also find value in the reports that The Conference Board publishes, and not necessarily in my business area."

Michelle Goret VP Communication, Cintas

"The Conference Board events are professionally led, content-focused, and applicable to the issues I face in my business every day."

Jay Henry Director Innovation & Operations Support, Shaw Industries

"To have the opportunity to hear or learn and see how they deal with that is great. The value for me lies in: presentations from experts which are helpful to trigger rich discussion, the mix of sessions, and that The Conference Board can facilitate this peer discussion- that there is someone to drive it."

Rochus Gassman General Counsel Insurance Solutions, Zurich Insurance Group

"With Councils, I’m surrounded by other practitioners. It’s nice to talk to people who are sharing similar experiences, who can share best practices. What I’ve found [in other] events I’ve been to, is that a lot of the people who are talking are either more junior than me or don’t have nearly as much experience as I do."

Shavonne Gordon Head of Diversity Talent Acquisition, Learning & Employee Resource Groups, Capital One

"This Council is a great way to network and gives me the ability to reach out at any time to colleagues that are facing similar challenges and running the same solutions."

Judie Koukol Director HR, Payroll & Time Reporting IT, AbbVie

"Because of their non-profit, independent status, I can trust the information I receive from them as impartial. This trust comes partly from the very open climate in the meetings. On one hand it is open, but on the other it is confidential, which allows that openness."

Michael Brecht Vice President Human Resources EMEA, Avery Dennison

"I boil the value down to three key things: First, the practicality of the information - you are talking at real solution level, not just a having a theoretical debate. Second, you are with equivalent size companies who face similar challenges. Third, the network that you build. Having access to this caliber of people, in a dedicated environment for 24 hours is well worth it."

Allison Dyer Director, Office of the CISO, Information Protection, GSK

"The Conference Board Councils focuses on the building of relationships and the leveraging of those relationships after the meeting. The meetings give me a chance to not only build these peer relationships, but discuss the material I have access to with my company’s membership."

Sheila O'Connor Group Risk and Compliance, Electricity Supply Board (ESB)

" I came here years ago completely blank, and the experience has been extremely useful. I am still learning every time I come."

Ron Veldheizen Global Director, ERM & Process Excellence, Royal Friesland Campina

"Council members over time become your friends, become your allies, and become a gateway to open opportunities for career progression. Once in a while Council members find themselves out of work, usually due to reorganization. The first thing they do is come back to the Council. There’s a tether there."

Patrick Carpenter VP, Communications, Materion

"The gift of Councils is having this ability to pause and step back and use this time to network, bouncing ideas off peers, and calibrating."

Jacque Vaccaro HR Functional Shared Services, Siemens AG

"The fact that members drive the agenda topics is critical and we spark it with research from The Conference Board, adding value to the topics."

Henrik Ranzau Hansen Global Head HR Services & Solutions, Philips

"Councils has impacted my business by reinforcing choices we have made, helping us sell it. It can be very difficult to sell any transformation internally, but with the support of this network we can rely on the fact that others have done it."

Yves Zerbib Head of HR Operations, Tetra Pak International

"Councils have motivated and challenged me in how I lead my team and drive our innovation culture forward, as well as giving me tools and ideas I would not have known about otherwise."

Jay Henry Director Innovation & Operations Support, Shaw Industries

"Councils gives us the ability to present a very realistic picture about what is going on in our own company. This is not glossed over by marketing, but rather a very grounded and honest picture."

Michael Brecht Vice President Human Resources EMEA, Avery Dennison

"Compared to CEB, who relies on process-driven data which I can’t find an application for, The Conference Board Councils offers peer exchange."

Christopher King Vice President and General Counsel, Hunter Douglas Management AG

"The Conference Board Councils has, for years, been a safe and healthy environment to crystallize thinking and learn fast in order to redress the ignorance chasm."

"If Councils had not delivered the value it did, I would have invested my money elsewhere. Having a group of peers I can trust and with whom I can share best practices, benchmark, and get real-time information that I can leverage immediately is invaluable to me. The strategies and projects I’ve implemented using knowledge shared among the group continue to have a positive impact on our business."

"Better than a high priced consultant or executive coach. Outstanding value!"

"From my experience, Councils are hugely valuable. The level of best practice sharing and practical application is worth the price of joining. The meetings are often hosted by member companies and occur two or three times per year. In the spirit of continuous improvement and value for the spend, I have found Councils to be top notch."

"I find the meetings to be quite informative and it is wonderful to be able to really get to know the other members. In fact, I have already been in contact with a fellow council member seeking advice about Japanese business."

Learn more about our global council program

United States:
Katie Plotkin
Director, Council Development
+1 212 339 0449
katie.plotkin@conferenceboard.org

Europe:
Marie-Laure Bultot
Associate Director, Executive Programmes, EMEA
+32 2 675 5405
marie-laure.bultot@conferenceboard.org

Asia:
Alice Lee
Senior Council Manager, Asia
+852 2804 1029
alice.lee@conferenceboard.org