Ask The Experts

Our virtual Ask the Expert program featured leading experts who explored the latest developments in the regulatory environment, trends in M&A and shareholder activism, and common blind spots in the boardroom.

The session provided actionable insights, equipping board members with strategies to structure committees effectively and navigate evolving governance and oversight challenges. It offered a valuable opportunity to gain practical knowledge in today’s dynamic landscape.

Key Topics Covered

• Executive Orders & Policy Impact: How boards should navigate a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape.
• Regulatory Environment: The implications of post-election policy changes on businesses and industries.
• M&A and Activism: How market dynamics, deal flow, and shareholder activism are shaping corporate strategy.
• Blind Spots in the Boardroom: Identifying and addressing risks that leadership teams may overlook.
• Key Takeaways for Directors: Actionable insights to enhance board effectiveness and future readiness.

Key Takeaways

• Regulatory and Policy Shifts Require Board Agility – The evolving regulatory landscape, including executive orders and deregulatory trends, creates uncertainty. Boards must stay informed, engage in scenario planning, and assess long-term strategic implications rather than reacting to short-term rhetoric.
• Shareholder Activism and M&A Pressures Are Increasing – Activists are becoming more sophisticated, often using governance weaknesses as leverage. Meanwhile, pent-up demand for M&A, reshoring trends, and shifting capital strategies are reshaping deal-making, requiring boards to be proactive in strategy and risk assessment.
• AI Disruption and Risk Oversight Are Board Priorities – AI is fundamentally changing business operations and risk profiles, requiring directors to improve their technology fluency. Additionally, boards must strengthen crisis preparedness and oversight processes to manage compounding risks across regulatory, geopolitical, and operational landscapes.

Program Videos

View the complete program playlist, including the following video clips:

• Executive Orders & Boardroom Strategy: Navigating Uncertainty in Governance

• Evolving Regulatory Landscape & Board Strategy: Adapting to Policy Shifts in 2025

• M&A and Activism: Navigating Deals, Activist Strategies, and Board Preparedness

• Boardroom Blind Spots: Strengthening Oversight, Risk Management & Crisis Preparedness

• Boardroom Takeaways: Key Actions for Directors to Strengthen Governance & Strategy

Ralph Hasson, NACD.DC, director for Kerbey Lane Cafe and the NACD Texas TriCities Chapter, shares his insights from our program.

Program Resources

NACD

• 2025 Governance Outlook
• Directors Should Prepare to Address Five Board Dilemmas in 2025

ACCENTURE

• Steering Through Activist Investor Demands

BAKER BOTTS

• AI Legal Watch - January 2025

KPMG

• On The 2025 Board Agenda

Panelists

Dennis Whalen, NACD.DC

President & Chair, Royal Oaks Country Club (Houston); President, NACD Texas TriCities Chapter

Mr. Whalen retired as Senior Partner with KPMG in 2020 with expertise in driving innovative growth, aligning risk with strategy, and developing dynamic talent. He served as the lead audit partner on key clients, including GE Healthcare, Pfizer, The Shaw Group, Halliburton, and Koch Industries...

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Claudia H. Allen

Senior Advisor, KPMG Board Leadership Center

Claudia H. Allen, a nationally recognized expert on corporate governance, is a senior advisor with the KPMG Board Leadership Center, where she brings extensive experience advising boards, management, and investors in public and private companies on corporate-governance matters and related issues...

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Vivek Chidambaram

Senior Managing Director - Accenture Global Resources Strategy Lead; Chair, World Affairs Council of Houston

Vivek Chidambaram runs Accenture’s Resources strategy business globally. He specializes in large scale AI, Gen AI and digital transformations at energy clients. Specifically, he applies systems thinking across the value chain and functional domains to drive these transformations...

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Travis Wofford

Partner, Vice Chair Global M&A Practice, Baker Botts LLP; Director, Houston Bar Foundation, NACD Texas TriCities Chapter

Travis Wofford is a member of the Board of Directors for the NACD Texas TriCities Chapter and serves as the Houston Membership Committee Co-Chair. Since 2023, he has served as a board director for Lone Star Legal Aid...

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Thank You to Our Strategic Partners

Accenture

Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Technology and Operations services and Song. Our 710,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity, serving clients in more than 120 countries.

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Baker Botts

Baker Botts is a full-service, leading global law firm, recognized for our understanding of the industries we serve. We have a long, distinguished tradition of service to our clients since the 1840s. During the earliest days of Houston, Baker Botts represented the burgeoning industries of cotton merchants, brokers and railroads.

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KPMG

One of the world's leading professional services firms and the fastest growing Big Four accounting firm in the United States. We're leading the industry in new and exciting ways. Our size and strength make us much more agile and responsive to changing trends.

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