Building the workforce of the future
Competition for the right talent is fierce, and rapid advances in AI, machine learning and automation necessitate new thinking on how to build the most effective teams. A new generation of workers have new expectations, challenging human resources executives to think differently about recruitment, development and retention. This edition of the @Work series explores how CHROs can drive success for their company by balancing the needs of the workforce—present and future—with the needs of the company.
Who should attend: CHROs and senior human resources professionals who have a major role in helping businesses anticipate and adapt to the changing workforce needs.
Virginia M. (Ginni) Rometty is the former Executive Chairman of IBM. She was previously Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.
Ginni became Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of IBM in 2012. During her tenure she made bold changes to reposition IBM for the future, investing in high value segments of the IT market and optimizing the company’s portfolio. Under Ginni’s leadership, IBM built out key capabilities in hybrid cloud, security, quantum computing, industry expertise, and data and AI, both organically and through acquisition. IBM acquired 64 companies during Ginni’s tenure as CEO, including Red Hat, the largest acquisition in the company’s history. She reinvented more than 50 percent of IBM’s portfolio, built a $21 billion hybrid cloud business and established IBM’s leadership in AI, quantum computing and blockchain, while divesting nearly $10 billion in annual revenue to focus the portfolio on IBM’s high-value, integrated offerings.
Ginni also established IBM as the model of responsible stewardship in the digital age. She was the industry’s leading voice on technology ethics and data stewardship, working relentlessly to safely usher new technologies into society. She enabled people of diverse backgrounds and education levels to participate in the digital economy by building talent, skills and opportunity for disadvantaged populations. Under her leadership, IBM created thousands of New Collar jobs and championed the reinvention of education around the world, including the explosive growth of the six-year Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools, or P‑TECHs, which are helping prepare the workforce of the future, serving hundreds of thousands of students in over 200 schools and 24 countries. She also helped to redefine the purpose of the corporation through her work with the Business Roundtable, expanding corporate commitments to include a wide range of stakeholders, from customers to communities.
IBM also achieved record results in diversity and inclusion under Ginni’s leadership. This included extending parental leave and making it easier for women to return to the workforce through a ‘returnships’ program with hands-on work experience in emerging technologies. This pioneering work was recognized in 2018 by the prestigious Catalyst Award for advancing diversity and women’s initiatives. IBM is the only tech company to have earned this recognition in the past 20 years and the only company ever to be honored four times.
Beginning her career with IBM in 1981, Ginni held a series of leadership positions across the company and led the successful integration of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting, creating a global team of more than 100,000 business consultants and services experts.
Ginni has a Bachelor of Science degree with high honors in computer science and electrical engineering from Northwestern University, where she later was awarded an honorary degree. She also has honorary degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and North Carolina State University.
She serves on the Council on Foreign Relations, the board of trustees of Northwestern University, where she is a Vice Chair, and the boards of overseers and managers of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She is co-chair of the Aspen Institute’s Cyber Group, a member of the advisory board of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management, and a member of the Singapore Economic Development Board International Advisory Council.
Jason Fried is co-founder & CEO of Basecamp, makers of a leading web-based project management and communication platform. A self-described “non-serial entrepreneur”, he created and sold his first software product while a student at the University of Arizona, and has been running Basecamp (formerly 37signals) since its founding in 1999. Fried is also the New York Times bestselling co-author of the books “Getting Real”, “REWORK”, “Remote”, and the recent “It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work”, released in 2018. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFried.
Jayne Parker serves as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for The Walt Disney Company. In her current role, Ms. Parker is responsible for leading Disney's overall human resources strategy, global talent acquisition, leadership development, diversity and inclusion, organizational design and cultural development, employee education and development, compensation and benefits, HR operations and technology, employee relations, and security. As CHRO, she has changed the function, culture, and impact of HR across the Company to support its business goals and strategies as well as the needs and aspirations of its 195,000 employees around the world. She has worked with leaders across Disney’s many lines of business to build and manage an HR organization that reflects and supports their dynamic needs. While Ms. Parker has been CHRO, Disney has acquired Marvel, Lucasfilm, and a controlling interest in BAMTech, and has grown its global employee population by more than 30,000 people. Ms. Parker was named Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for The Walt Disney Company in September 2009.
As CHRO, Ms. Parker has overseen efforts that have resulted in: more effective and streamlined companywide talent acquisition practices that better utilize technology; a companywide diversity and inclusion strategy, including initiatives to improve diversity at the executive level, expanded hiring of veterans, launch of a global workplace and women’s initiative, and launch of a companywide Hispanic initiative; a redesigned retirement program; an initiative to harmonize compensation and benefit programs across the Company to promote efficient internal movement of talent; and more thoughtful, comprehensive talent management and talent development programs. One of Ms. Parker’s major contributions as CHRO has been opening an important dialogue between Disney and its employees through a comprehensive bi-annual survey that engages employees at all levels and serves as the foundation for future change and progress. In addition, Ms. Parker has transformed Disney’s HR structure to include centers of excellence and shared services, as well as segment-specific support. In this model, HR leaders oversee both company and segment HR efforts, and the connectedness established has resulted in greater accountability, stronger collaboration among businesses, improved efficiency, and increased effectiveness in meeting both business and companywide priorities and needs.
Previously, Ms. Parker served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Diversity and Inclusion for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide. In this position, she had responsibility for all human resources-related services for nearly 100,000 Cast Members, Crew Members, and Imagineers globally, including: employee/labor relations, diversity and inclusion, compliance, recruitment, talent planning, learning and development, organizational development, compensation, benefits, and workforce planning. She led a team focused on developing and implementing strategies that drove business results, created a positive work environment and experience for Cast, Crew and Imagineers and increased levels of employee engagement. She also served as a member of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Executive Committee.
Ms. Parker began her Disney career in 1988, developing the programs that became a part of the Disney Institute. Over the next 20 years, she took on positions of increasing responsibility at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, including Manager and Director of Disney University, Director and Vice President of Organization Improvement, and Vice President of Organization and Professional Development.
Prior to joining Disney, Ms. Parker was a consultant with Wilson Learning Corporation, where she was responsible for designing and developing media-based programs and management development seminars for education and assessment. During that time, products she developed were awarded first- and second-place by the International Television & Video Association.
Ms. Parker holds degrees in communications and education, a master's in instruction design and technology, and an M.B.A. − all from the University of Central Florida.
Fran Katsoudas is Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer of Cisco. In this role, Fran oversees critical functions that instill Cisco’s conscious culture, contribute to the company’s overall performance, and advance Cisco’s purpose to Power an Inclusive Future For All.
As head of the People, Policy & Purpose Organization, Fran leads an ecosystem comprised of People & Communities, Corporate Affairs, Workplace Resources, and Government Affairs & Country Digital Acceleration. This strategic alignment of functions and expertise ensures holistic care for the well-being of Cisco’s people, establishes Cisco as a trusted and valued partner to governments and global leaders, and extends Cisco’s reach to positively impact communities everywhere in alignment with the company purpose.
A 25-year veteran of Cisco, Fran has extensive experience leading organizational transformations, driving large scale growth, cultivating successful leaders and teams, and constructing an employee-first culture. Prior to her current role, she served as HR business partner to the Engineering leadership team, and held positions in the Service Provider, HR Operations, Customer Service, Acquisition Integration and Services groups. Prior to Cisco, Fran worked in both the financial and professional services industries with a focus on customer service and operations.
Fran currently serves on the Board of Directors for Americares, Global Citizen, and ADP.
Passionate about social justice, Fran is an activist and advocate for a variety of causes close to her heart, particularly women’s leadership, homeless youth, and the Latino community. A graduate of the University of California Berkeley, Fran lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two children.
Nancy Reyes is an industry veteran with over 20 years combined agency and client-side experience. She joined TBWA’s New York headquarters in 2016 and serves as the day-to-day operational lead for the agency, as well as the principal liaison across all roster clients, which include Accenture, TD Bank and Hilton Hotels.
Prior to TBWA, Nancy was VP of Marketing Creative for Verizon, responsible for 360-degree creative product for the brand’s wireless business, which included advertising, retail and social marketing under the “Better Matters” brand platform. Most of Reyes’ advertising career was spent in Goodby Silverstein & Partners’ San Francisco office, where she worked for 11 years on accounts like Adobe, Frito-Lay, Google, Comcast and HP.
A graduate of Harvard University, Reyes began her career in New York City at Ogilvy & Mather and D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles working on IBM, along with Procter & Gamble brands including Folgers, Pampers and Crest.
Jon Cohen is Chief Research Officer at SurveyMonkey. He joined the company in January 2014 bringing nearly two decades of research expertise to its portfolio of survey software products, as well as strategic direction for future innovations. Previously, he was Vice President of Research at the Pew Research Center. As Director of Polling and Polling Editor, he also led The Washington Post’s polling operation through two presidential campaigns and four congressional cycles, as well as numerous gubernatorial and mayoral elections. Prior to the Post, he was a polling expert at ABC News and the Public Policy Institute of California. Jon is a TEDx speaker and an active member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR). Jon earned an MA in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BA in History from Johns Hopkins University.
Rita Gunther McGrath is a globally recognized expert on strategy, innovation, and growth with an emphasis on corporate entrepreneurship. Her work and ideas help CEOs and senior executives chart a pathway to success in today’s rapidly changing and volatile environments. McGrath is highly valued for her rare ability to connect research to business problems and in 2016 received the “Theory to Practice” award at the Vienna Strategy Forum.
Recognized consistently as one of the top 10 management thinkers by global management award Thinkers50, McGrath also received the award for outstanding achievement in the Strategy category. She is a highly sought after speaker at corporate events, such as the Yale CEO Summit, the Innosight CEO Summit and at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. McGrath has also been inducted into the Strategic Management Society “Fellows” in recognition of her impact on the field.
McGrath is often cited in the press, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, and NPR’s Marketplace. She maintains an active social media presence, and has been rated one of the 25 smartest women to follow on Twitter by Fast Company Magazine. She consistently appears in rankings of the top business school professors to follow on Twitter. McGrath was voted HR Magazine’s Most Influential International Thinker, writes regularly for Fortune magazine’s online edition, is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal’s Experts column and blogs regularly at HBR.org.
McGrath is one of the most widely published authors in the Harvard Business Review, including the best-selling “Discovery Driven Planning” (1995), which was recognized as an early articulation of today’s “lean” startup philosophy and has been praised by Clayton Christensen as ‘one of the most important ideas in management – ever.’ Her related book, Discovery Driven Growth: A Breakthrough Process to Reduce Risk and Seize Opportunity (2009) is a deep dive into how to put the technique to work. Her next project, tentatively entitled Discovery Driven Advantage examines how companies can build true proficiency in innovation.
McGrath’s best-selling book, The End of Competitive Advantage: How to Keep Your Strategy Moving as Fast as Your Business, was recognized by Strategy+Business as the #1 business book of the year. She has co-authored two more books: MarketBusters: 40 Strategic Moves that Drive Exceptional Business Growth (2005); and The Entrepreneurial Mindset (2000), all published by Harvard Business Review Press. MarketBusters has been translated into ten languages and was named one of the best business books of 2013 by Strategy+Business.
Rita joined the faculty of Columbia Business School in 1993. Prior to life in academia, she was an IT director, worked in the political arena, and founded two startups. She received her Ph.D. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and has degrees with honors from Barnard College and the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs. She is married and is proud to be the mother of two delightful grownups. Follow her on Twitter @rgmcgrath
Vasant Dhar is a Data Scientist whose research addresses the following question: when do computers make better decisions than humans?
The research is grounded in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and data big and small. The major problem areas addressed in the research are finance, healthcare, education, business, and sports. In the financial arena, for example, his major question asks whether you should trust your money to a robot.
Similar questions apply in the other arenas. For example, could computers make better teachers than humans? Could they offer valuable healthcare advice to us that experts aren’t able to provide? Could they become valuable assistant coaches?
As recently as five years ago, it would have seemed preposterous to think that computers might drive cars better than humans in our lifetime yet driverless cars are here already. Computers are making more and more decisions for us, and increasingly so in areas that require human judgment. How might we leverage the rapid advances in machine intelligence in areas such as finance, healthcare, and education?
Professor Dhar teaches courses on Trading Strategies, Prediction, Data Science, and Foundations of FinTech. He also writes on IT-driven transformation such as the one currently driving education, and implications for how firms talk to customers and partners and govern data responsibly.
He has written over 70 research articles, funded by grants from industry and the National Science Foundation. He pioneered the use of machine learning for predictive modeling on Wall Street across proprietary systematic trading, risk management, and customer and salesforce management. He is a frequent speaker in academic as well as industrial forums.
Professor Dhar received his Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, and his Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh.
As Chief People Officer at Microsoft, Kathleen Hogan empowers 130,000+ global employees to achieve Microsoft’s mission. In her role, she focuses on making Microsoft an exceptional place for employees to work and ensures that the company is creating a culture that attracts and inspires the world’s most passionate talent.
Hogan previously served as corporate vice president of Microsoft Services, a team dedicated to helping businesses and consumers maximize the value of their investment in Microsoft technologies. She has also served as corporate vice president of Customer Service and Support. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2003, Hogan worked at McKinsey & Co. and Oracle Corp.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics and economics, magna cum laude, from Harvard University. In addition, Hogan holds an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
As a breast cancer survivor, she lends her personal and business perspective to the board of directors of the Puget Sound affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. She’s also actively involved in helping young girls cultivate an interest in technology careers, and currently serves on the board of the National Center for Women & Information Technology.
Eric Hutcherson leads the NBA’s Human Resources department, managing a team that drives the NBA’s global workforce strategy built on a commitment to attracting, retaining, developing and engaging top talent for the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League and NBA 2K League. With a focus on people, culture and innovation, Hutcherson is responsible for leading global projects, processes and analytics that address business needs. He partners with the leagues’ senior leadership to enable, empower and develop employees in 13 U.S. and international offices guided by the league’s strategic direction.
Prior to joining the NBA in July 2014, Hutcherson was Managing Director and Chief HR Officer for the U.S. and Canada Division of Marsh, a leading global insurance brokerage firm. Before that, he held several leadership positions at Mercer, a financial services and human resource consulting firm, including Chief Human Resources Officer - Americas, and Global Leader for Mercer’s Outsourcing and Global Operations and Shared Services businesses.
Earlier in his career, he worked for Foot Locker and served as Assistant Director of Public Relations for the Boston Celtics.
Outside of the NBA, Hutcherson is a motivational speaker and created a career development training program, “Say Yes to Success.” He serves on the Board of Trustees for The Hun School of Princeton, the Board of Directors for Covenant House and the Senior Advisory Council for the National Association of African Americans in HR.
Hutcherson earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from New York University and a master’s degree in Sports Management and Administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He resides in Freehold, N.J. with his wife Linda and their two sons, Austin and Myles.
Amy Lui Abel is Managing Director of Human Capital at The Conference Board and leads research efforts focusing on leadership development, human capital analytics, organizational learning, labor markets, strategic workforce planning, talent management, diversity and inclusion, executive coaching, human resources, and employee engagement. In addition to published research, related products and services at The Conference Board include peer learning networks, conferences,webcasts, and other executive events.
Amy frequently hosts Human Capital Watch™ and other webcasts that examine research and practitioner challenges in the field of human capital. She also manages the daily operations of the Human Capital Exchange™, a website that offers human capital research and insights from The Conference Board, practitioners and knowledge partners.
Amy was previously a Director of Leadership Development with Morgan Stanley, supporting high potential senior leaders globally. She has also held roles at Accenture, Adobe Systems, JPMorganChase, and led a private consulting organization performance practice.
Amy currently serves on the New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering Enterprise Learning Board of Directors. Amy has taught at New York University Stern School of Business in management and organization studies and served on the Board of Directors for the Association for Talent Development (formerly ASTD) New York Chapter. She was named ‘Outstanding Alumni of the Year’ by the New York University Business Education Program. Based on her doctoral research study about corporate universities and organizational learning, Amy was recognized for ‘Best Workplace Learning Dissertation’ by the American Educational Research Association Workplace Learning Group.
Amy was recently published in The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Coaching in Organizations by Jossey Bass, People + Strategy Journal, The Handbook of Workplace Learning by Sage Publications, Human Resources Development Quarterly Journal, and ATD’s T+D (Training and Development) Magazine. She holds several degrees, including a PhD from New York University in information technology, business education, and organizational learning and performance.
Adam Bryant is managing director of Merryck & Co., a senior leadership development and executive mentoring firm.
Prior to joining Merryck in 2017, Bryant worked for 30 years as a journalist, including 18 years as a reporter, editor and columnist at The New York Times. He interviewed more than 500 CEOs for ""Corner Office,"" a weekly series on leadership and management that he launched in 2009.
He is the author of two books based on themes that emerged from those interviews, ""Quick and Nimble; Lessons from Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation,"" and ""The Corner Office; Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed."" Bryant is a frequent speaker at business schools, industry events and corporate off-sites. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBBryant
Donna Morris is Chief Human Resources Officer and Executive Vice President of Employee Experience at Adobe.
“Disrupt or be disrupted” is Donna Morris’ rallying cry. From abolishing Adobe’s annual performance reviews, to dramatically expanding its family leave policy and, most recently, achieving global gender pay parity across all 32 countries where Adobe has employees, she has set the industry agenda making Adobe a great place to work. Donna believes that people strategies empower successful business outcomes, and with Adobe being an IP-based company, people are its most important asset. In her role as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) & Executive Vice President of Employee Experience, she leads all aspects of human resources, real estate and security operations globally. Under her leadership, Adobe’s workforce has increased 226% to more than 20,000 employees and its real estate/facilities presence has grown to more than 75 locations around the globe.
During one of Adobe’s largest growth periods, between 2015-2018, Donna built an innovative combined organization focused on improving the experience for the people responsible for Adobe’s success—customers and employees. As then EVP, Customer & Employee Experience, her focus was driving customer centricity across the organization and providing leadership to the global customer service and technical support organization across all products. Her passion and commitment resulted in strengthened customer empathy and accountability across the company and improved customer response practices and results.
Donna’s “north of the border” accent gives her away as a native of Ottawa, Canada. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Carleton University, she went into human resources and at age 25, established a goal of one day running a large human resources organization. She originally joined Adobe in 2002 with the acquisition of Accelio and was promoted to senior vice president of Human Resources in 2007. She is a frequent commentator on people practices in media outlets such as CNN, NPR, CNBC, Fast Company and Fortune.
Donna sits on the board of directors of Marvell Technology and the Adobe Foundation.
Donna holds the Society for Human Resource Management - Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), Senior HR Professional (SHRP) and Canadian Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designations.
If Donna were not at Adobe, she would have a home decorating show on HGTV. Follow Donna on Twitter @DonnaCMorris and Instagram @dcmorrishr.
Jon Fortt is co-anchor of CNBC's "Squawk Alley" (M-F, 11AM-12PM ET) broadcast live from the New York Stock Exchange. Previously, he was an on-air editor based at CNBC's global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Fortt joined CNBC as technology correspondent in July 2010, working from CNBC's Silicon Valley bureau where he covered the companies, start-ups and trends that are driving innovation in the industry. He also contributes to CNBC.com.
He came to CNBC from Fortune magazine, where as a senior writer he covered both large technology companies— such as Cisco, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft—and trends, including cloud computing and the smartphone revolution.
Before joining Fortune in 2007, Fortt was a senior editor at Business 2.0magazine where he produced the "What Works" section.
From 1999 to 2006, Fortt wrote and edited at the San Jose Mercury News, Silicon Valley's hometown newspaper. There he contributed to several efforts that won awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers.
As a personal technology writer, his coverage duties included Apple, Palm and Adobe. He also served in roles outside the business department, covering education, editing local news and developing technology strategy. As the newspaper's senior Web editor, he helped develop a blog and podcast network, managed the creation of multimedia projects and served on the board of the Associated Press Managing Editors.
Fortt graduated from DePauw University as a Media Fellow, with a B.A. in English.
Follow Jon Fortt on Twitter @jonfortt. Listen to his podcast, Fortt Knox.
Becky Quick is co-anchor of "Squawk Box" (M-F, 6AM-9AM ET). Quick is also anchor of the nationally syndicated "On the Money."
Quick is known for her hard-hitting interviews and profiles of some of the world's richest and most influential investors, including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Alan Greenspan, T. Boone Pickens, Jamie Dimon, Charlie Munger and many others. She also has interviewed three U.S. presidents and has hosted panels at some of the most prestigious conferences in the world such as the Microsoft CEO Conference, Fortune's Most Powerful Women's Conference and the Allen & Co. Sun Valley Media Conference. Quick also authors a regular column for Fortune magazine as well as contributes to CNBC.com.
Previously, Quick, a seven-year veteran of The Wall Street Journal, covered the Wall Street beat for CNBC as part of the network's partnership with Dow Jones.
Prior to joining CNBC in February 2001, Quick covered various beats for The Wall Street Journal, including retail, e-commerce and the Internet. She also played a crucial role in the launch of The Wall Street Journal Online, while serving as the site's International news editor.
She graduated from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J., and previously served on the board of The Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
Andrew Ross Sorkin is co-anchor of "Squawk Box" (M-F, 6AM-9AM ET), CNBC's signature morning program. Sorkin is also a financial columnist for The New York Times and the editor-at-large of DealBook, a news site he founded that is published by The Times.
Sorkin is the author of the best-selling book, "Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System—and Themselves," which chronicled the events of the 2008 financial crisis. The book won the 2010 Gerald Loeb Award for Best Business Book, and was shortlisted for the 2010 Samuel Johnson Prize and the 2010 Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award. The book was adapted as a movie by HBO Films in 2011. Sorkin was a co-producer of the film, which was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards.
Sorkin is also co-creator of the drama series "Billions" on Showtime starring Paul Giamatti and Damien Lewis.
Over the years, Sorkin has broken news on many major mergers and acquisitions, including Chase's acquisition of JPMorgan and Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of Compaq. He also led The Times's coverage of Vodafone's $183 billion hostile bid for Mannesmann, resulting in the world's largest takeover ever.
He won a Gerald Loeb Award in 2004 for breaking the news of IBM's historic sale of its PC business to Lenovo. He was also a finalist in the commentary category for his DealBook column. He won a Society of American Business Editors and Writers Award for breaking news in 2005 and again in 2006. In 2007, the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader. In 2008 and 2009, Vanity Fair named him to its "Next Establishment" list. He was also named to the "Directorship 100," a list of the most influential people on the nation's board of directors. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Sorkin began writing for The New York Times in 1995 under unusual circumstances: He hadn't yet graduated from high school.
He graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. degree in May 1999.
Bertha Coombs is a reporter for CNBC, covering financial markets, business news stories and health care throughout the business day. She is based at the Nasdaq Marketsite in Times Square.
Her health care coverage at CNBC has ranged from covering the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the failed launch of the Obamacare health insurance exchanges, to how cancer researchers are using IBM's Watson to improve cancer care, and how doctors are using mobile technology to treat patients in their own homes. She also covered the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the impact of the financial crisis of 2008, and reported on the oil markets from the floor of the New York Mercantile exchange.
Before joining CNBC, Coombs was a reporter and anchor for the pioneering online business network, Yahoo Finance Vision, and served as a freelance reporter for the former CNNfn financial network. Prior, she served as a reporter for ABC News One, and a substitute anchor for "World News Now" and "World News This Morning."
She began her career in general news, with previous reporting and anchoring positions at WABC-TV in New York, WPLG-TV in Miami and WFSB-TV in Hartford, Connecticut.
Coombs is a graduate of Yale University and was awarded the Leo Beranek Reporter Training Fellowship at WCVB-TV in Boston. Born in Havana, Cuba, she speaks fluent Spanish.
Craig Robinson is Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer for NBCUniversal. He reports directly to NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke.
Robinson is responsible for defining and building a corporate culture that values diversity of backgrounds, talent, experiences and ideas across the company’s portfolio. He serves as the main liaison between NBCUniversal and key local and national organizations, collaborates with the businesses to foster an inclusive work environment, oversees the company’s eight internal Employee Resource Groups and co-leads the industry-leading Comcast NBCUniversal Joint Diversity Council.
NBCUniversal was recently ranked in the Forbes list of Best Employers for Diversity for 2018. Comcast NBCUniversal was also recognized by Fortune as one of the 50 Best Workplaces for Diversity, by DiversityInc as a Top 50 Companies for Diversity, and by LinkedIn in their list of Top Companies for 2018.
Robinson was named to his position in August 2011, having previously served from 2008 as President and General Manager of KNBC-TV, the NBC Owned Station in Los Angeles where he oversaw all aspects of the television station including news, sales and community relations.
Previous roles include President and General Manager of WCMH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Columbus, Ohio; Vice President of Sales for WRC-TV, NBC’s Owned Station in Washington, DC; and Local and National Sales Manager of KCBS-TV in Los Angeles. After studying Political Science at UCLA and a brief stint in retail sales and management, he took an entry level job at KCBS-TV (then KNXT-TV) in Advertising Sales and quickly realized that broadcasting and entertainment was where he wanted to spend his career.
Raised in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, Robinson’s interest in public service was sparked at an early age by his parents. His Chinese-American mother retired after a long career in public service, much of it in support of low-income families through the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. Robinson’s father was one of the first African-American consultants for the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC), where he investigated allegations of racial, gender and age discrimination in housing and employment. Race, equality and civil rights were frequent topics at the Robinson dinner table and those discussions continue to inform and drive his commitment to diversity and inclusion today.
As a member of the WebMD senior executive leadership team, John has been instrumental in developing and articulating the company’s vision of connecting corporate wellness concepts with person-first, holistic well-being strategies that embrace digital, telephonic and in-person solutions.
An expert in understanding and implementing corporate strategies for well-being programs, John has more than 20 years of strategic, client and operational leadership experience focused on driving strategic engagement.
As General Manager of WebMD Health Services, the employee wellness division of WebMD, he leads the division in developing and implementing new platform solutions, services and measurement models that make a difference in the health and well-being of employees, while successfully delivering a meaningful ROI and VOI for the company’s roster of major corporations and health plans.
The combination of his experience and passion for population health drives the philosophy on which the organization operates. This includes maintaining the clinical quality and accreditation of condition/disease management programs, the ongoing focus on understanding the individual employee’s lifestyle and condition management wellbeing needs as well as the analysis and evolution of our employer and health plan programs.
Prior to joining WebMD, John was Executive Vice President Operations, Product and Client Experience at MobilePaks, a startup focused on providing sales tools based on retention science. Previously, he was Vice President of Client Experience at Webtrends and President of Client Services at Yesmail. He also held senior product and client service positions at @Once, GeoTrust, and Symantec.
John holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oregon.
Eric Kussin is an 18-year pro sports executive, who has worked at the NBA league office, the Chicago Sky & Bulls, Phoenix Suns, New Jersey Devils, & Florida Panthers. Eric was fortunate enough to find a higher calling after an intense mental health battle. In 2017, he launched a non-profit, “We’re All a Little Crazy,” driven by the #SameHere Movement, which recognizes the commonalities in our struggles related to mental health. The organization has formed a global mental health alliance comprised of athletes and celebrities, along with expert practitioners.
Together, they are using platforms and consistent messaging to change the narrative around the world, educate the masses, implement much-needed programs on the ground, and make it comfortable for everyone to ask for help when they need it. Their #SameHere Movement is a campaign that's woven throughout their communication. It's a sign language gesture that can be used universally in the context of the mental health world to mean: same here, I too struggle with some of life’s inevitable challenges. We’re in this together.
Eric travels around the country and the world, presenting to audiences everywhere from athletes at Michigan to USC, First Responders in Vancouver, and Qigong Mediation Practitioners in Indonesia.
Kussin holds a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell’s Dyson School of Business, Marketing & Management, and most recently accepted a role to oversee Sales and Strategy as a consultant with the newly formed Premier Lacrosse League.
Janice Marturano is the Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Mindful Leadership, a non-profit organization
dedicated to training and supporting leaders in the exploration of mindfulness and its impact on the cultivation of leadership excellence. She founded the Institute in January, 2011, after ending her 15-year tenure as Vice President, Public Responsibility and Deputy General Counsel for General Mills, Inc. Janice was a senior strategic leader within General Mills before leaving to dedicate herself full time to the Institute. While a corporate officer at General Mills, she co-developed and taught the very first
mindful leadership curricula which then began to spread throughout the company and, since 2008, to thousands of leaders
at organizations around the world. As a certified teacher of mindfulness and an experienced former senior officer of a Fortune 200 company, she has brought the intensive training of mindful leadership to all forms of organizations- corporate, non-profit, academic,government and military. In 2013, she was invited to introduce her approach to developing mindful leadership to
the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and in 2014, she was invited to teach an encore mindful leadership workshop at the 2014 World Economic Forum in Tianjin, China. Janice’s work has been featured in the BBC, Huff Post Live, NY Times, Financial Times, Time magazine,CEO magazine and Forbes. She is the author of the award winning, international best-selling book, ‘Finding the Space to Lead: A Practical Guide to Mindful Leadership’.
Jordan D. Metzl, MD, is a sports medicine physician at Hospital for Special Surgery. With a practice of more than 20,000 patients, Dr. Metzl is widely known for his passion for sports medicine and fitness. In addition to his busy medical practices in New York City and Stamford, Connecticut, Dr. Metzl is the author of the bestselling titles Running Strong, The Exercise Cure, and Athlete’s Book of Home Remedies, and has also authored three other books including The Young Athlete. Dr. Metzl is the medical columnist for Triathlete Magazine, and appears regularly on the Today Show, National Public Radio (NPR) and in print media including the New York Times, discussing the issues of fitness and health.
Regularly voted among New York’s top sports medicine doctors by New York magazine, Dr. Metzl takes care of athletic patients of all ages and lectures and teaches extensively both nationally and internationally. In addition to his busy medical practice and academic interests, he practices what he preaches. He is a former collegiate soccer player, a 33-time marathon runner and 12-time Ironman finisher (and still going).
Jim Purcell is the founder of the Returns On Wellbeing Institute. He is also the former CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island who brings a rare, multidisciplinary perspective to health and wellbeing.
Jim helps audiences understand how they can take charge of employee healthcare costs by boosting employee health and engagement through workplace wellbeing: a proven approach for boosting employee physical, financial, and mental wellbeing. Today, employees are experiencing extraordinarily low wellbeing. Jim explains how preventable chronic illness now accounts for up to 70% of a typical employer’s healthcare costs. And the impact is not just on healthcare costs. Low wellbeing results in low employee engagement and productivity, and high absenteeism and turnover.
Jim founded the Returns On Wellbeing Institute (ROWI) in 2018 to provide a practical, evidence-based framework for designing and implementing effective employer workplace wellbeing cultures and programs and is working with a team of expert practitioners and conducting original research to identify best wellbeing practices. His book, Returns On Wellbeing, will be published in late 2019.
David Osborne is a seasoned business technology leader with more than 22 years’ experience in global sales, operations, transformation planning, execution and M&A. He brings deep experience in operations, strategic growth, executive management and a proven record of helping organizations successfully integrate, operationalize, and scale their businesses.
As CEO of Virgin Pulse, Dave ensures that Virgin Pulse is focused on executing its mission of Changing Lives for Good® as the company continues its aggressive growth strategy and solidifies its position as the largest workplace wellbeing company in the world. He is responsible for leading the company’s vision for personalizing and simplifying the health and wellbeing experience for employees and employers.
A former NCAA Division I golfer, Dave knows firsthand that wellbeing and healthy lifestyles pay significant dividends in driving performance and long term success, both personally and professionally. He is a passionate about the role Virgin Pulse plays in helping organizations empower and support employees across all aspects of their wellbeing journey and in the company’s ability to drive outcomes and results that matter.
Dave joined Virgin Pulse in 2016 following the company’s acquisitions of GCC and ShapeUp. As president and COO, he led the successful integration of the three organizations, laying a solid foundation for Virgin Pulse’s global expansion. As CEO, Dave has continued the company’s expansion with the successful integration of five businesses, including RedBrick Health, SimplyWell (formerly Viverae) and Preventure, into the Virgin Pulse family. In addition to driving operational improvements across the business, Dave has been responsible for driving the company’s go-to-market strategy and elevating its corporate profile.
Prior to joining Virgin Pulse, Dave was the COO at Drillinginfo, which provides data software to the oil and gas industry, where he was instrumental in developing the company’s operating model and product growth strategy. Prior to Drillinginfo, Dave served as Managing Director of Vista Consulting Group, where he helped Vista portfolio companies develop strategies to drive growth and improve operations while accelerating business outcomes. During his tenure he helped acquire, transform, and integrate over 30 companies.
Dave holds an MBA from the University of Georgia, Terry College of Business.
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
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Maximizing Productivity & Minimizing Missed Work
Leading companies are taking action, developing innovative strategies to both reduce their healthcare costs as well as increase productivity and morale. CNBC will examine the best methods to maximize attendance, improve productivity, and have positive, measurable impacts on the bottom line. |
THE ROI OF WELLNESS
The popularity of corporate wellness programs is rising, but so, too, is the pressure on decision-makers to justify the cost and quantify the impact on employee health. Should effectiveness be determined solely by numbers, or do factors like employee productivity and morale measure just as important? We will discuss how top companies are measuring ROI, and an unconventional approach to wellness programming that could boost both.
John Harrison, General Manager, WebMD Health Services
Jim Purcell, Founder of Returns on Wellbeing Institute; Fmr. CEO of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI
Interviewer: Bertha Coombs, Reporter, CNBC
HELP ME HELP YOU
Wellness programs aim to create a healthier, happier, more productive workforce. But that’s impossible without employee participation. A recent survey found that 70% of employees are interested in taking proactive steps to improve their health and wellness, yet most don’t want to put in the time to do so. So how does a company overcome this obstacle? By using psychology and the science of motivation.
David Osborne, CEO, Virgin Pulse
Gary Loveman, Sr. Lecturer, Harvard Business School; Fmr. CEO, Caesars Entertainment
Interviewer: Becky Quick, Co-Anchor, “Squawk Box,” CNBC
MINDFULNESS FOR TYPE A’s
Long days. Difficult conversations. Deadlines. Pressure to perform amidst an ever growing number of distractions. These are just some of the challenges facing executives and employees at companies big and small. The result? Stress, anxiety, and lack of focus, to name a few. Enter Janice Marturano, a former General Mills executive who will share how she created a solution, backed by a growing body of scientific evidence, that some of the world’s leading businesses and their CEOs are turning to.
Presentation: Janice Marturano, Founder, Institute for Mindful Leadership
LUNCH: MY “CRAZY” STORY: CHANGING THE GAME OF MENTAL HEALTH
Eric Kussin was one of the most respected executives in professional sports when a debilitating mental health battle that “seemingly came out of nowhere” sent him rock bottom. He’ll share his story of battling back, and his new endeavor, launching a global movement to change the narrative, educate the masses, implement actionable strategies in communities and corporate America, and make it comfortable for everyone to ask for help when they need it.
Eric Kussin, Founder, We Are All a Little “Crazy”
Interviewer: Becky Quick, Co-Anchor, “Squawk Box,” CNBC
LUNCH: BATTLING ABSENTEEISM USING MOVEMENT AS MEDICINE
Bad backs. Carpel tunnel. Knee problems. Musculoskeletal issues are the single biggest cause of lost workdays, affecting 1/3 of all employees. Sports medicine expert and author Dr. Jordan Metzl has a prescription that is more potent, accessible, and effective than any drug: exercise. He’ll share simple strategies designed to make a big impact on your everyday life, and those of your employees.
Dr. Jordan Metzl, Sports Medicine Physician, Hospital for Special Surgery
Interviewer: Tyler Mathisen, Anchor, “Power Lunch,” CNBC
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
1:30 PM - 5:00 PM
CONVERSATION WITH GINNI ROMETTY
The fourth Industrial revolution is bringing a tidal wave of transformation across industries and around the world. Developing and retaining an agile workforce is critical for every company. We will discuss the best strategies for leading a company and its workforce through change with IBM’s transformative chief executive.
Ginni Rometty, Chairman, President and CEO, IBM
Interviewer: Jon Fortt, Co-Anchor, “Squawk Alley,” CNBC
MEASURING WORKFORCE HAPPINESS
CNBC and SurveyMonkey debut the Workplace Happiness Index, a new measurement of workplace satisfaction. How do Americans feel about their work, the value of their contributions, opportunities for growth, work/life balance, hopes and concerns about the future, and of course, their compensation? SurveyMonkey’s Chief Research Officer looks inside the numbers for a unique view of what makes your employees tick.
Jon Cohen, Chief Research Officer, SurveyMonkey
Interviewed by: Tyler Mathisen, “Power Lunch” Co-Anchor & Vice President, Events Strategy, CNBC
TRUST ME
Trust, it appears, is broken. One recent survey shows that less than half of workers globally trust their employers. Certainly innovation has brought uncertainty: Is my job safe from automation? Will my employer help me gain the skills I need to compete? What is my career path as my company evolves? We will discuss strategies to honestly and effectively address these concerns, while maintaining loyalty and focus in an era of uncertainty.
Francine Katsoudas, EVP and Chief People Officer, Cisco
Rita McGrath, Professor, Columbia Business School; Author, “The End of Competitive Advantage”
Jayne Parker, Senior EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, The Walt Disney Company
Interviewer: Andrew Ross Sorkin, “Squawk Box” Co-Anchor, CNBC
MAKING WORK BETTER
New technologies, shifting business needs, an evolving workforce. The very definition of “work” is changing, and prompting big questions: What are our most valuable human skills? What should workers expect from their employers, and employers from their workers? What is the right balance between people + tech and work + life? We’ll talk to two top leaders who are searching for the new equilibrium.
Jason Fried, Co-founder and CEO, Basecamp; Author, “Rework”
Vasant Dhar, Professor, Stern School of Business and Center for Data Science, NYU
Interviewer: Jon Fortt, Co-Anchor, “Squawk Alley,” CNBC
THE EQUITY IMPERATIVE
The statistics say it all: 4.8% of CEOs in the S&P 500 are women; 17% of board directors at the top 200 S&P companies are people of color.
It’s 2019 and still diversity and inclusion in business is a goal, not an accomplishment. What hasn’t worked…and what will? In this conversation, we will explore actionable ideas and initiatives aimed at moving the needle on diversity in the workplace, with a focus on executive and leadership roles.
Amy Lui Abel, Managing Director of Human Capital, The Conference Board
Eric Hutcherson, EVP and Chief Human Resources Officer, National Basketball Association
Nancy Reyes, President, TBWA\Chiat\Day New York
Interviewer: Craig Robinson, EVP and Chief Diversity Officer, NBCUniversal
CHRO 3.0
You spend your days working to future-proof your organization: finding new sources of talent for ever changing needs, maximizing retention, adopting new technologies. But what about you? The future-proof talent executive is a critical strategic business partner, a person who leverages data and analytics to tie workforce-related decisions to tangible business outcomes. Learn the key qualities that will optimize your role and make the CHRO of the future indispensable.
Presentation: Adam Bryant, Managing Director, Merryck & Co.; Fmr. “Corner Office” columnist, New York Times
Joined in conversation by:
Kathleen Hogan, Chief People Officer and EVP of HR, Microsoft
Donna Morris, Chief Human Resources Officer and EVP, Employee Experience, Adobe
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center dedicated to musculoskeletal health, powered by Hospital for Special Surgery – ranked #1 in the nation for Orthopedics for the past eleven years in a row by U.S. News & World Report. HSS helps some of the nation’s largest and highest-performing corporations with population-scale support to improve workforce wellness and performance.
Learn more at HSS.edu/EmployerConnect.
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a global financial services leader and premier active global investment manager with more than $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of March 31, 2022, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees help to make lives better by creating financial opportunity for more people. Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit news.prudential.com.
Workday is a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, helping customers adapt and thrive in a changing world. Workday applications for financial management, human resources, planning, spend management, and analytics have been adopted by thousands of organizations around the world and across industries—from medium-size businesses to more than 45 percent of the Fortune 500.
For more information about Workday, visit workday.com.
ZipRecruiter is a leading online employment marketplace. Powered by AI-driven smart matching technology, the company actively connects millions of all-sized businesses and job seekers through innovative mobile, web, and email services, as well as partnerships with the best job boards on the web. ZipRecruiter has the #1 rated job search app on iOS & Android. Founded in 2010, the Santa Monica-based marketplace has over 1000 employees in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Israel.
HR Certification Institute®(HRCI®), headquartered in the U.S., is the premier credentialing organization for the human resources profession. For 40 years, HRCI has set the standard for HR expertise and excellence around the globe.
An independent nonprofit organization, HRCI is dedicated to advancing the HR profession by developing and administering best-in-class accredited certifications.
Founded in 1916, The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what’s ahead. Our agenda is simple: to help leaders navigate the biggest issues facing business and better serve society. We believe in innovative approaches that make you think- and act- differently. And everything we do reflects the input of our members and their real-world challenges.
To learn more, visit www.conference-board.org
