Top Women Board Leaders to Convene for WomenCorporateDirectors Global Institute May 8-10 in New York

NEW YORK, April 12, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As companies face shifting trade, marketplace, cultural, and geopolitical challenges during threats of deglobalization, the WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation (WCD) will put these challenges at the top of the agenda for its 2018 Global Institute, May 8-10 in New York. More than 200 board leaders and top executives from 30+ countries ? representing companies including Airbnb, News Corp, Aflac, Dun & Bradstreet, and Nestlé ? will convene to address how directors can guide companies through this era of "radical insecurity."

"One of the greatest challenges for boards today is preparing for the long-term health of the company while so many factors are so uncertain," says Susan C. Keating, CEO of WCD, the largest member organization of women corporate and privately-held company directors around the world. "Changes around everything from trade policy to regulation to the very future of key social media platforms are forcing companies to take a hard look at business models and strategy. How directors are addressing these disruptions and the leadership challenges at the top of their organizations will drive our Institute discussions and calls to action when we return to our boardrooms."

Panel topics at the Global Institute include:

• Shareholder Activists, NGOs, and Other Outside Interests
• Agrimagination: Exploring Opportunities around the Interrelationship Between Food and Technology
• Industrial Futures: Using Machines to Reach the Next Level of Productivity
• The Future of Cities and What It Means for Business
• Decision-Making in the Visionary Boardroom
• The Digital Disruption of Industries: What Your Board Needs to Know

Speakers at the Institute represent companies from every region of the world, and include Monique Leroux (Canada), chair of the board of Investissement Québec and former president, chair and CEO of Desjardins Group; Herta Von Stiegel (Kenya), founder and executive chair, Ariya Capital Group Limited, and director, LeasePlan Corporation NV; and Fatima Al Jaber (United Arab Emirates), board member and head of projects committee, Al Jaber Group, Al Bashayer Investment Company PJSC, and chairperson of the UAE Businesswomen's Council.

As part of the Institute, WCD will hold its Visionary Awards dinner on the evening of May 9, honoring leaders in corporate governance and diversity. The 2018 Award winners are NextEra Energy, Dot Foods, CN Railway, Maggie Hanson-Muse, and Susan Stautberg, founder and chair emeritus of WCD. Additionally, WCD's Family Business Governance Institute, focusing on the particular challenges for boards of family-run companies, will be held on May 8.

To apply for media credentials to cover the WCD Global Institute, please contact Suzanne Oaks Brownstein or Trang Mar of Temin and Company at 212-588-8788 or [email protected].

About the WCD Global Institute
The WomenCorporateDirectors Foundation (WCD) 2018 Global Institute is an unprecedented opportunity for global board directors to share corporate governance and business strategies and to build partnerships with a purpose, in a private, invitation-only setting. The Institute is a high-powered idea forum exploring compelling issues on the minds of today's board directors and their companies. The program includes keynotes, panels, and discussion groups ? as well as the Visionary Awards Dinner ? that facilitate informal peer exchanges.

Sponsors of WCD include KPMG, Spencer Stuart, Pearl Meyer, Vinson & Elkins, Latham & Watkins, Marsh & McLennan, The Center for Audit Quality, and Marriott. Global Institute sponsors include JPMorgan Chase, Sullivan & Cromwell, St. John Knits, Equilar, and NextEra Energy.

About WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc.
The WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc. (WCD Foundation) is the only global membership organization and community of women corporate directors. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, the WCD Foundation has 80 chapters around the world. The aggregate market capitalization of public companies on whose boards WCD Foundation members serve is over $8 trillion. In addition, WCD Foundation members serve on numerous boards of large private and family-run companies globally. For more information visit www.womencorporatedirectors.org or follow us on Twitter @WomenCorpDirs, #WCDboards.

SOURCE WomenCorporateDirectors Education and Development Foundation, Inc.