Past Event

The Way Forward for Public Companies: Diversity in the Board Room and C-Suite – SEC Disclosure, Implications and Other Key Issues

The Honorable Luis A. Aguilar, Commissioner of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), was instrumental in helping promulgate SEC disclosure rules in late 2009 that aid investors' ability to assess a public company's commitment to developing and maintaining a diverse board. Thanks in part to his efforts, the SEC requires a corporation to disclose whether diversity is a factor in considering candidates for nomination to the board of directors and how the company assesses the effectiveness of its policy for considering diversity. Almost four years later, how is corporate America doing in this respect? Are public company boards more diverse? What challenges do they face in seeking such diversity? And is public company disclosure regarding diversity meeting the legal requirements and SEC expectations?

You are cordially invited to join a special Women’s Executive Circle of New York (WECNY) luncheon on Wednesday, May 22 aimed at shedding new light on these questions. As keynote speaker, Commissioner Aguilar will look at what current regulation and evolving sentiment spell for the future of corporate diversity. WECNY is supported by Squire Sanders, Columbia Business School, KPMG, Morgan Stanley and VCG Governance Matters. The luncheon is hosted by Squire Sanders and will also feature a subsequent panel discussion involving the Commissioner and noted executives and board members. Their discussion will cover the evolving diversity landscape and what current statistics tell us on the progress of diversity in the board rooms and executive suites of New York-based and other US public companies.

Webinar Recording

For those unable to attend the event in person, we have arranged for a broadcast-only webinar (no remote Q&A) of the live event. A recording of the webinar is now available online.

Text Transcript of Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar's keynote

View text transcript here; http://www.sec.gov/News/Speech/Detail/Speech/1365171515760#.UkSX0WT9C3I

Event Program

A .pdf copy of the event program is available for download here.

Additional Discussion documents

Executive Compensation Around the Globe: Need for Robust Disclosure and Accountability in the 2013 Proxy Season
Women Board Members Lead to Better Returns, SEC's Aguilar Says
Merely Cracking the Glass Ceiling is Not Enough
Improving a Different Type of Disclosure: Reporting Corporate Board Diversity

Date

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Time

11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Agenda

11:30 a.m.
Registration and Networking; Lunch

Noon
Welcome

Candace L. Quinn and Yesenia Scheker-Izquierdo, WECNY

Introductions
James J. Maiwurm, Chair and Global CEO, Squire Sanders

12:15 p.m.
Luis A. Aguilar, Commissioner, United States Securities and Exchange Commission

The transcript of the commissioner's keynote address may be downloaded here.

12:45 p.m.
Panel Discussion: The Way Forward

SEC Commissioner Aguilar
Dr. Ann P. Bartel, Merrill Lynch Professor of Workforce Transformation, Columbia Business School
Sandra Leung, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Peggy Smyth, Vice President of Finance, Con Edison

Moderated by Abby E. Brown and Candace L. Quinn, Squire Sanders

1:45 p.m.
Questions & Answers

2 p.m.
Wrap-up & Conclusion
Kate Waters, Morgan Stanley

Location

The University Club of New York
1 W. 54th St.
New York, NY 10019

RSVP

Registration has closed for this event.

If you have any questions about registration please email: info@wecny.com

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Columbia Business School logo
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Speakers

Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar

Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar
Keynote Speaker Commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

View Bio

Ann P. Bartel

Ann P. Bartel
Merrill Lynch
Professor of Workforce Transformation at Columbia Business School.

View Bio

Sandra Leung

Sandra Leung
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

View Bio

Margaret (Peggy) M. Smyth

Margaret (Peggy) M. Smyth
Global Business Executive, Chief Financial Officer, and Board Director.

View Bio

Katherine K. Waters

Katherine K. Waters, CFP ®, CPM®
Vice President – Wealth Management
Morgan Stanley

View Bio

Speakers' Bios

 

Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar
Commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Luis A. Aguilar is a Commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He was sworn in on July 31, 2008. Commissioner Aguilar was appointed by President George W. Bush and was reappointed by President Barack Obama in 2011.

Prior to his appointment as an SEC Commissioner, Mr. Aguilar was a partner with the international law firm of McKenna Long & Aldridge, LLP, specializing in securities law. During his career, his practice included matters pertaining to general corporate and business law, international transactions, investment companies and investment advisers, securities law, and corporate finance. He also focused on issues related to corporate governance, public and private offerings (IPOs and secondary offerings), mergers and acquisitions, mutual funds, investment advisers, broker-dealers, and other aspects of federal and state securities laws and regulations.

Commissioner Aguilar's previous experience includes serving as the general counsel, executive vice president, and corporate secretary of Invesco, with responsibility for all legal and compliance matters regarding Invesco Institutional. He also was Invesco's managing director for Latin America in the late 1990's. His career also includes tenure as a partner at several prominent national law firms and as an attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Commissioner Aguilar represents the Commission as its liaison to both the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) and to the Council of Securities Regulators of the Americas (COSRA). He has served as the primary sponsor of the SEC's Investor Advisory Committee.

Commissioner Aguilar has received various honors and awards, including:

  • Recipient of Honorary Doctor of Public Service, awarded by Georgia Southern University to honor notable achievements in his profession as well as his dedication to public service (May 11, 2013)
     
  • Recipient of the Atlanta Falcons “2012 NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership Award” (2012)
     
  • Named by Poder.Hispanic Magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics in the Nation” (2011)
     
  • Named by Latino Leaders Magazine as one of the “Top 101 Most Influential Latinos in the United States” (2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012)
     
  • Named to the NACD Directorship 100, the Who’s Who of the Boardroom (2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012)
     
  • Recipient of The Center for Accounting Ethics, Governance, and the Public Interest “Accounting in the Public Interest Award” (2010)
     
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008)
     
  • Named as one of “Georgia’s Super Lawyers,” as published in Atlanta Magazine and Georgia Super Lawyers Magazine (2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008)
     
  • Recipient of the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism of the Supreme Court of Georgia “Justice Robert Benham Award for Community Service” (2007)
     
  • Named by Atlanta Magazine as one of the “Most Influential Foreign-Born Atlantans” (2007)
     
  • Listed on the Who's Who in Law in the Atlanta Business Chronicle (2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007).
     
  • Named by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the “100 Influential Hispanics in the United States” (2006)
     
  • Recipient of the MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) "Excellence in Leadership" Award (2005)
     
  • Named by the Hispanic National Bar Association as “Latino Attorney of the Year” (2005)
     
  • Named by the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as “Member of the Year” (2005) and “Atlanta Hispanic Businessman of the Year” (1994)

He has been active in numerous civic and business associations. From May 2005 to May 2007, he chaired the Latin American Association (LAA), a non-profit organization that has served Georgia's Latino community since 1972 with comprehensive services that foster healthy, self-sufficient individuals, families and communities. The LAA offers employment, immigration, youth, family, housing, and translation services, as well as English and Spanish language classes. In recent years, the LAA has provided services to over 70,000 Hispanics annually.

He has served on various Boards, including the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), Girl Scouts Council of Northwest Georgia, Inc., Georgia Hispanic Bar Association, United States Fund for UNICEF Southeast Regional Chapter, and CIFAL Atlanta, Inc. He has been very active with national organizations such as the Hispanic National Bar Association. In 2002, Commissioner Aguilar was Co-Chair of its Annual Convention and also served as Regional President (for Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi) from 2002 - 2006, Chair of its Financial Committee from 2003 - 2005, and a member of its Board of Governors since 2002. In addition, he served as the President of the Hispanic National Bar Foundation from September 2006 to July 2008.

He is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, and also received a master of laws degree in taxation from Emory University. Additionally, he has successfully completed Series 7, 24, 63, and 65 examinations in connection with serving as president and a director of a registered broker-dealer. Commissioner Aguilar has also written numerous articles over the years. He is married to Denise T. Aguilar.

Commissioner Aguilar serves as sponsor of the SEC's Hispanic Employment Committee, the African American Council, and the Caribbean American Heritage Committee.

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Ann P. Bartel
Executive Vice President, Office of the Chairman MetLife, Inc.

Professor Bartel is the Merrill Lynch Professor of Workforce Transformation at Columbia Business School and the Director of Columbia Business School's Workforce Transformation Initiative. She is an expert in the fields of labor economics and human resource management and has published numerous articles on employee training, human capital investments, job mobility, and the impact of technological change on productivity, worker skills, and outsourcing decisions. Bartel received the 1992 Margaret Chandler Award for Commitment to Excellence in teaching. She teaches Managerial Negotiations and Economics of Organizational Strategy. Bartel is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and the recipient of numerous research grants. She has also served as a consultant for many companies on strategic human resource management issues and has directed executive education programs for talented women executives who are positioning themselves for career advancement.

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Sandra Leung
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Sandy Leung serves as legal advisor to the Board of Directors and company executives, and is responsible for shaping the company’s legal strategy, both currently and prospectively. Sandy is also responsible for Environment, Health & Safety, Corporate Security and Philanthropy.

"To enhance shareholder value and transform into a next-generation BioPharma company, we need to be an agile organization, able to make quick but thoughtful decisions,” says Sandy. “In-house counsel brings value by advising our internal clients so that they may make appropriate decisions on both a short and long-term basis."

Sandy joined Bristol-Myers Squibb in 1992 as a staff attorney in the litigation department. In 1996, she became assistant counsel and one year later, was named associate counsel. In 1999, Sandy was appointed to the position of counsel and corporate secretary. In 2006, she was appointed acting general counsel and in 2007, she was named general counsel.

Prior to joining the company, Sandy was a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Sandy earned her law degree from Boston College of Law and her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University.

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Margaret (Peggy) M. Smyth
Global Business Executive, Chief Financial Officer, and Board Director.

Margaret (Peggy) M. Smyth is a global business executive, chief financial officer, and board director recognized for creating significant bottom line impact through her strategic thinking and planning. She has extensive experience in business, financial and people management. These skills have helped her create a superior track record in operating businesses and finance functions, performance improvement strategies, process and change reengineering, governance, and merger execution.

Peggy also is known for her ability to establish excellent business relationships with Boards of Directors, CEOs and senior corporate and business unit management. She is an energetic leader with high personal integrity and boundless business drive that has served her well in attracting, developing and retaining top talent and building high performance teams.

Peggy is the Vice President of Business Finance at Consolidated Edison, Inc. in New York - a diversified energy company with $13 billion in revenues and $40 billion in assets. At Con Ed, Peggy works closely with the business units in key operational and financial matters. She also leads a team of over 200 professionals with responsibility for all financial management, budgeting and forecasting for the company.

Peggy has also been Chief Financial Officer and Vice President, Finance of Hamilton Sundstrand, aUnited Technologies (UTC) company. UTC is a diversified Fortune 50 conglomerate that provides high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries. As CFO, Peggy led the worldwide finance organization and provided financial guidance to management to maximize the business performance of Hamilton Sundstrand’s $6 billion global business.

Previously, Peggy was Vice President and Corporate Controller for UTC. In that role, she oversaw global financial policies and processes for more than 8,000 finance professionals worldwide, a $25 billion annual spend shared services center and the $400 million corporate office budget. Prior to joining UTC, she served as Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer of 3M in St. Paul, MN. She was also a Senior Managing Partner at Deloitte & Touché and Arthur Andersen in NYC.

Over the years, Peggy has served on a variety of corporate, industry and charitable boards. Currently, she serves as a member of the board of directors and chair of the finance committee of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO). She is also a director and member of the audit committees of Vonage Holdings Corporation(NYSE: VG), of Mutual of America Investment Corporation and of Mutual of America Institutional Funds. She is a trustee for Concern Worldwide (U.S.) Inc. and a Trustees Fellow at Fordham University. She is a member of the International Accounting Standards Board Interpretations Committee, Aspen Institute Global Leadership Network, National Association of Corporate Directors and Business Executives for National Security.

Peggy has been named one of Treasury & RiskMagazine’s 2008 “Most Influential People in Finance” and one of Irish America Magazine’s “Business 100” Honorees in 2010. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and CFO Magazine, and is regularly asked to speak and participate in conferences and seminars.

Peggy earned her MS in accounting from the NYU Stern School of Business, and her BA in economics from Fordham University, graduating summa cum laude from both. She is also an alumna of the Aspen Institute's Henry Crown Fellows Program.

Peggy resides with her family in Connecticut, has a second home in County Roscommon, Ireland and maintains dual citizenship.

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Katherine K. Waters, CFP ®, CPM®
Vice President – Wealth Management
Morgan Stanley

Kate advises successful individuals on all facets of their financial, professional & personal wellbeing. She believes that people should lead a stress free financial life and takes a holistic approach to understanding her clients' values, wants and needs. She places a specific emphasis on working with female executives and the “next generation” to help ensure they make smart decisions with their money. As a partner on a wealth management team, she oversees her clients entire financial picture and utilizes extensive resources to deliver solutions that are unique to their specific needs.

Prior to joining Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Kate worked as an Investment Banker for a boutique New York firm specializing in Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Placements and IPO’s. Kate received her Bachelor's degree from Villanova University along with an International Accreditation from the University of London. She received the distinguished Certified Financial Planner® designation and completed the Certified Portfolio Management® program from the Fu Foundation School of Engineering at Columbia University.

She serves on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Executive Circle of New York (WECNY) and is actively involved in Camp Venture, an organization her grandparents co-founded, that assists mentally and physically disabled adults and children. She sits on the board of the Villanova Financial Club and is currently the Morgan Stanley Co-Captain for the Multiple Sclerosis Bike Race in NYC. She resides in Manhattan with her husband and three children and loves to cook, ski, golf and stay active.

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Webinar Recording

For those unable to attend the event in person, we have arranged for a broadcast-only webinar (no remote Q&A) of the live event. A recording of the webinar is now available online.

Text Transcript of Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar's keynote

View text transcript here; http://www.sec.gov/News/Speech/Detail/Speech/1365171515760#.UkSX0WT9C3I

Event Program

A .pdf copy of the event program is available for download here.

Additional Discussion documents

Executive Compensation Around the Globe: Need for Robust Disclosure and Accountability in the 2013 Proxy Season
Women Board Members Lead to Better Returns, SEC's Aguilar Says
Merely Cracking the Glass Ceiling is Not Enough
Improving a Different Type of Disclosure: Reporting Corporate Board Diversity