NACD PSW | UCLA Corporate Directors Symposium 2025

We partnered with UCLA Anderson Executive Education, for the Corporate Directors Symposium on Thursday, November 13 from 7:00 AM - 4:30 PM at the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles.

In its 18th year, the Corporate Directors Symposium (CDS) is an all-day conference and is a preeminent NACD directors event on the West Coast hosting 150+ board directors. Attendees have the opportunity to network with fellow directors and CDS sponsors, and learn from experts on top-of-mind board issues to take back to their organizations.

Schedule
7:00 AM - 7:30 AM:  Check-In
7:30 AM - 9:15 AM:   Sponsor-Led Hot Topic Sessions & Breakfast
9:15 AM - 3:30 PM:   Keynote, Main Sessions & Lunch 
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM:  Cocktail Networking Reception

Keynote Session - "Boards at the Brink: Leading Through Disruption"
Keynote Speaker: Maggie Wilderotter  |  Moderator: John Driver

Our keynote discussion featured one of the most experienced and venerable CEO’s and board directors today, Maggie Wilderotter.  Over her career, Maggie has led both Fortune 500 companies and start-ups.  She has served on 35 public and 14 startup company boards and currently serves on the boards of Costco, Sana Biotechnology and Docusign, as well as the private boards of Tanium and Sonoma Biotherapeutics.  Moderated by John Driver, CEO of Lynx Technologies, Board Director in a host of industries, and Board Member of the NACD Pacific Southwest Chapter, the keynote explored how Maggie effectively led and leads boards through significant disruption and existential risk to health and growth. 

Topics, supported by examples, included what it means for a board to be “on the brink” during this complex environment of disruption and stakeholder expectations; what it means and how to lead a company which is truly in significant distress and risks its existence; how boards can show courage in supporting a company’s values and continuing value creation when those values are under scrutiny; how can boards better prepare for and be ardently disciplined around anticipating disruptors of the future; and concrete takeaways and best practices our audience can use now in their boardrooms. 

Session 1 - "Message or be Messaged: Building Trust in the Era of Performative News"
Panelists: Colleen Birdnow Brown and Lex Suvanto  |  Moderator: Moira Conlon

This session brought together leading voices in governance and communications to address an urgent boardroom challenge: the rise of performative and fake news as a board-level risk.  In today’s environment where viral social platforms and rapid news cycles can distort factual messages, brand reputation and corporate value, eroding stakeholder trust, directors need a playbook for advising management on identifying and countering disinformation with credibility, clarity and speed.

This session featured Colleen Birdnow Brown, currently serving on the boards of TrueBlue, Port Blakely, Delta Dental, Spring Rock Ventures and Bakkt Holdings; and Lex Suvanto, Global CEO of Edelman Smithfield; moderated by Moira Conlon, CEO of Financial Profiles.  

Our expert panel explored how crises now take on more subtle forms, with reputational damage often triggered by social media, mischief or personal grievances.  Unlike traditional crises, performative news can be hard to prepare for, trace and even harder to contain.  As such, it is essential for boards to treat the risk around performative news with the same seriousness as cybersecurity and other key vulnerabilities.  Our panelists shared real-world examples and provided actionable questions for board oversight, helping directors navigate the complexities of trust, reputation, and governance in an era of performative news.

Session 2 - "Digital Strategy and AI Integration"
Panelists: Cheryl Ainoa and Ashwin Rangan  |  Moderator: Hoshi Printer

This session explored whether digital strategy can exist without AI integration today.  Approaching it from both a strategy and a risk mindset, the panel focused on perspectives of Audit, Advisory, Evolution and Risks.  Hoshi Printer, Chair of the Audit Committee at Lantronix and Vice Chair at Transient Plasma Systems, moderated this panel of two leading experts with deep operating experience in leading edge daily use brands, alongside their board experience.

This session featured expert panelists Cheryl Ainoa and Ashwin Rangan.  Cheryl is retired from EVP and CTO, Sam’s Club of Walmart Inc. and now serves on the board of Builders FirstChoice.  Cheryl previously served in senior operating leadership roles at Intuit and Yahoo.  Ashwin Rangan is currently CEO and a board member of Doublecheck Solutions, board member of GrandPad Inc., and the NACD Pacific Southwest Chapter.  Ash previously served in officer roles for 10-year terms at ICANN and Rockwell International, and senior operating leadership roles with Bank of America, Walmart and Trans Union.

Session 3 - "Forever Young: The Longevity Code & the New Human Timeline"
Speaker: Carolyn Clancy, MD  |  Moderator: Jacque Sokolov, MD

This session featured Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Assistant Under Secretary for Health, Discovery, Education & Affiliate Networks, for the Veterans Health Administration, moderated by Dr. Jacque Sokolov, a renowned cardiologist and board member of several leading life science and healthcare companies, and a current board member of the NACD Pacific Southwest Chapter.  This Session discussion covered medicine and life sciences technology being at another inflection point in human history.  Super Agers who reach 85 with no serious diseases are likely to live beyond 100 years.  A baby born today could conceivably live until 125 years of age. 

Over the next few decades, it is highly likely that people who are healthy will have workplace and board careers into their 80’s and 90’s.  This will fundamentally upend traditional retirement, and has enormous implications for future company planning and expectations about careers, retirement, succession planning, and retaining older employees who have the capacity to still contribute, while the US and other western countries have declining birth rates.  Attendees also learned in this session that their potential longevity is dependent on which Zip Code they live in.

Session 4 - "Strategic Resilience: Navigating Disruption and Chaos"
Speaker: Ron Sugar  |  Moderator: Rafael Pastor

During this capstone session, Ron Sugar, Chairman of Uber Technologies, director Apple, Inc, and Chairman Emeritus of Northrop Grumman Corporation, shared his thoughts on how and why boards need to maintain strategic resilience and oversight over companies navigating disruption and extraordinary uncertainty in the current political, geopolitical and social environment globally.  This fireside chat was moderated by Rafael Pastor, Chairman of Ensight, and Board Member Emeritus of the NACD PSW Chapter.  Mr. Sugar elaborated on why it is as important as ever for board oversight and guidance over business strategy and staying the course, true to company values, to ensure that companies and their management teams successfully navigate disruption and unpredictability and deliver growth and stakeholder value.  This session tied together the topics of Sessions 1, 2 and 3, and helped to define “Reshaping Governance: From Uncertainty to Growth”. 

Hotel Accomodations
Attendees could stay near the Jonathan Club at the following recommended hotels: 

• The Delphi Hotel: Reservation Link
  A special rate was been provided for CDS attendees.

• The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites: Reservation Link