American Directors are Warming to Activist Investors
Activist investors tend to cause headaches for CEOs and company directors, yet it appears that many of them don’t seem to mind all the extra scrutiny,
Activist investors tend to cause headaches for CEOs and company directors, yet it appears that many of them don’t seem to mind all the extra scrutiny,
Following a competitive bidding war earlier this year, Alaska-Virgin America secured its spot alongside Delta, United and American Airlines within the pantheon of the top-five largest U.S. carriers. Pair this with a trio of healthcare deals worth a combined $45 billion—involving big names like Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie and Sanofi—and Microsoft’s recent acquisition of LinkedIn for $26.6 billion, it’s clear that the M&A boom has been reignited.
Imagine the president of your largest business unit slips into your office at the end of the day. As you know, margins are down and she’s sweating blood for every iota of market share. Now she has a proposal for a bold move that could take the company to the next level.
Managing cash holdings used to be a relatively simple matter of plonking money in the bank and watching it earn a modest return. Now, the whole world of liquidity management is seemingly turning upside down, forcing CEOs and their treasurers to consider different investment strategies to avoid being punished for saving.
Wells Fargo announced last week that it would pay $5 million to customers and $185 million in penalties to settle a fraud case where regulators said the bank pushed customers into fee-generating accounts they never requested.
For a man heading a bank plagued by a series of scandals, Deutsche Bank CEO John Cryan appears to be avoiding a common mistake made by leaders of companies stung by poor workplace cultures or rogue employees. He hasn’t fallen into the micromanagement trap.
Manufacturers may need to do a better job of thinking about how best to manage their cash and working capital.
Many middle-market firms lack sufficient disaster plans, business continuity plans, and insurance to prepare for and recover from large-scale natural disasters, according to a recent survey of its partner firms and brokers by Assurex Global.
As technology, security, and compliance issues become increasingly complex, more CFOs at companies of all sizes are turning to outside consultants for expertise and assistance.
Nothing ails the U.S. economy that a strong and sustained dose of new business investment wouldn’t solve, many economists say. But some feel that what’s holding investments back is that CEOs aren’t being confident enough to make investments right now.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.