WCD’s 2024 Global Institute & Visionary Awards was a special convening where women board members from across the globe met to discuss and share insights about visionary board governance and women’s leadership in business and society. Some men joined us too, as they are always welcome to the conversation!

Here are a few highlights from this stellar event:

• Rana Foroohar, Global Economic Analyst, CNN, and Pam Lenehan, President, Ridge Hill Consulting, spoke about the tension, volatility and risk arising from today’s geopolitical environment and global unrest. They provided meaningful insight about the powerful global dynamics at play that board members need to be watching closely, including regionalization pressures in many countries, volatile economic cycles, policy changes resulting from global elections, continued unrest around the world, immigration and human capital transformation, among many others.
• Carol Tome, CEO of UPS, and Paul Knopp, CEO of KPMG, fascinated our audience with inspiring advice about leading through turbulent times and how to navigate today’s biggest global risks and opportunities such as innovation and disruption arising from a GenAI-enabled world, workforce transformation, trade policy and supply chain risk, and recalibrating board and corporate culture amidst a very dynamic environment. 
• Carla Vernon, CEO, and Jame White, Chair, of The Honest Company, exhibited a wonderful example of what great board Chair and CEO dynamics look like. They energized our audience with their rich conversation about good onboarding practices for CEOs, how CEOs can build trust and strong relationships with the C-suite and board, while also strengthening the business, engaging employees, and setting a path forward for success.   
• Judy Smith, Founder & CEO, Smith & Company, and Cheryl Jones, President & CEO, Girls Inc. of St. Louis, shared their advice about how C-suite leaders and boards can manage through crisis situations when one hits, how to build and maintain trust with stakeholders, tools needed in a good crisis management plan, and the board’s role before and during a crisis. Judy was the inspiration for the hit TV show Scandal, so she knows a thing or two about how to handle a crisis!

There were so many more sessions that tackled the leading issues facing boards and C-suite leaders today. Here are a few takeaways from these sessions which included safeguarding against cyber and data privacy risk, investor-stakeholder views on environmental and societal matters, future of work – upskilling and reskilling the workforce, navigating uncertain and challenging global economic times, business, workforce and society in a tech/AI-enabled world, and so many more. You can see the full agenda and speakers here.

• Tech continues to be the backbone of business, while also a key driver of business innovation and success. Is the board fully aware and evaluating opportunities and risks emerging from GenAI and other disruptive technologies? What company and board policies and processes are in place to encourage innovation, while at the same time protecting against implementation risk for today and the future?
• Global risk abounds, they are complex and interconnected across different issues around the world. Are the right processes and talent in place to manage risk across the organization? Has the board conducted tabletop exercises and scenario planning to evaluate the best- and worst-case impacts on the company?
• As stakeholder voices continue to grow and gain influence, are management and the board listening and making thoughtful decisions? Has the board discussed when and what issues are most important to address and why, which are strategic to the company’s mission, and what is material to sustaining the company’s future and therefore must be addressed?
• The workplace and the workforce continue to evolve. Although there are commonalities across industries, regions, and core issues, each company and workforce is unique. How can the board keep the workforce impact front and center in decision-making?
• A strong CEO and board relationship is critical to success. Detailed succession plans need to be in place as change sometimes happens unexpectedly. The board is there to press management by asking good questions and providing meaningful advice. How can your board and CEO dynamics be strengthened? Is the board (or C-suite) viewed as a helpful resource or hindrance?
• Progress has been made to advance women and diverse voices in the boardroom. Let’s keep the momentum going and find ways to advance women and diversity in leadership positions such as board chair, lead director, committee chair, and for CEO and C-suite roles. Just ask the question – do we have women and diverse voices in leadership roles; and, if not, what can we do to get them in place? WCD and many other organizations can help!

Thank you to all our amazing speakers and sponsors for participating and supporting WCD. As an organization with a global reach, WCD has some great plans in place for the Fall and well into 2025 that span across our thriving community of women leaders. We hope to see you soon!