Hear from thought leaders and leading industry experts in General Sessions on the key topics that are shaping the future of investor relations and capital markets engagement - live from 12-2pm ET on December 8-10 and available on-demand until March 1, 2021.

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

• The Age of Disruption

Keynoting Tuesday's opening General Session will be Ford's new CFO John Lawler, in conversation with Lynn Tyson, Ford's Executive Director of Investor Relations. Next, Apollo's Chief Economist Torsten Slok who will discuss the Economics of Disruption. The COVID-19 pandemic has raised unprecedented economic uncertainty throughout the world. What are the implications for the global economy? Learn how the coronavirus pandemic has affected global financial markets—and what to expect moving forward.

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

• The Age of Disruptive Politics

Disruption seems to have gripped a variety of aspects of many people’s lives. Nowhere has this been more pronounced, perhaps, than in U.S. national politics. The lead-up to a consequential U.S. presidential election in the new world of second-by-second political news coverage and social media as a tool of political influence, has left many experiencing a feeling of increased political divisiveness and general unease. Join two high-profile political thought-leaders, Amy Walter of The Cook Political Report, and GOP Strategist and Political Contributor to CNN and Telemundo, Ana Navarro, who will provide an understanding of the post-U.S. presidential election landscape, and what to expect in the future. 
 

• Organizational Change in a Time of Social Disruption

The disruption of 2020 has brought conversations about diversity and inclusion to the fore with renewed urgency. Jonathan Mayes, Chief Diversity Officer at Albertsons Companies will lead an enlightening and empowering session on the importance of — and how to bring — more diversity and diverse viewpoints into an organization. This session will assist attendees in learning how to identify common types of bias, how various types of bias can impede growth, and provide practical tips on how to fight and remove bias in the workplace before it causes issues. Through powerful personal and business examples, Mr. Mayes will make a strong business case for increasing organizational diversity.  Next, a panel of institutional investors, featuring Brown Advisory's Karina Funk, Anthony Garcia from Nuveen, and Benjamin Colton from State Street Global Advisors, moderated by John Moten, IRC, VP of IR at Foundation Building Materials, will discuss how a company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is no longer considered auxiliary strategy or a proof point that sets them apart. In determining their financial decisions, many investors are paying close attention to how companies incorporate these initiatives into their business.

Thursday, December 10, 2020

• Standardized ESG Disclosure – Have We Reached a Tipping Point?

According to the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, worldwide ESG assets under management have grown to more than $30 trillion. The groundswell of attention about the need for standardized corporate ESG disclosure creates the sense of a rapidly approaching inflection point. Competition is also increasing among private organizations developing ESG disclosure standards. Should the government have a role in regulating this? What ESG information do investors want from public companies, and how do companies decide what is relevant disclosure? In a dynamic panel discussion featuring SASB CEO Janine Guillot, Tom Quaadman, Executive Vice President at the US Chamber of Commerce, Richard McMahon, Senior Vice President at Edison Electric Institute, and moderated by Edelman's Head of ESG Heidi Dubois, you'll learn the significant investor relations ramifications, understand who the key players are, and where this issue is likely headed.
 

• Technology and the Increasing Use of Automation

In Thursday's General Session, William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, will discuss cyber risk and how IR can play a role in securing their company's critical information. Finally, you'll hear from NIRI Think Tank leaders Sam Levenson, CEO of Arbor Advisory, Darrell Heaps, CEO of Q4, and Shelly Hubbard, Director of Investor Relations at Nike, with NIRI's President & CEO Gary LaBranche on the key takeaways from the 2020 Think Tank on Artificial Intelligence in IR, which represents a clear call to action for IR professionals to develop the capabilities required to work effectively in a world with greatly increased automation.