AESC Announces Virtual Conference, Thriving in the Next Normal

We are experiencing societal shift on a massive scale. A global pandemic, inequality and climate risk have expedited the need to operate differently, think differently and lead differently. Are business leaders prepared to lead in the next normal?

These are the issues leaders from executive search and leadership consulting firms and their clients will address at AESC's virtual conference, Thriving in the Next Normal, on May 12, 2021.

Steven Van Belleghem, customer experience expert and author of The Offer You Can't Refuse, will discuss how companies can involve customers in the solutions of today's top challenges from healthcare to climate change.

Jennifer J. Fondrevay, Founder of Day1 Ready™, will share her experience of how to best prepare for the human capital challenges of M&A, facilitated by Cathy Logue, AESC Board member and Global Leader of the CFO and Financial Executives Practice Group at Stanton Chase.

Although extensive research supports diverse leadership teams as drivers of tangible dividends in innovation, market share, and revenue, why is Silicon Valley still struggling to identify and place the best talent in executive leadership roles? Shellye Archambeau, a Black Woman and former CEO of MetricStream, a Silicon Valley-based tech company, will share how taking strategic and courageous risks—and leaving fear by the wayside—propelled her success trajectory. The conversation will be facilitated by Matrice Eillis-Kirk, Managing Director at RSR Partners.

Dr. Linda Ginzel, Clinical Professor of Managerial Psychology at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business will invite us to rethink leadership. Linda reminds us that while executives are people, leading and managing are actions. By ditching the cliches of what “leaders” look like, we can think more broadly about the act of leadership and how it affects the choices that we make.

Dana Peterson, Executive Vice President and Chief Economist at The Conference Board will share economic insights for leading in the post-COVID-19 recovery. The strategies CEOs say they will focus on in 2021 are a mix of prudent financial management and cultural changes to drive growth and improve performance.

Hubert Joly, former Chairman and CEO of Best Buy transformed from a hard-charging, deeply analytical McKinsey consultant to a leader who believes in what he calls “human magic,” or how to mobilize people to give their best. Panelists, Viviana Alvarez Sanchez, Head of Sustainability North America at Unilever and Sophia Mendelsohn, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of ESG at Cognizant, will discuss how Joly’s leadership revolution aligns with the future of global stakeholder sustainability, moderated by Clarke Murphy, Chief Executive Officer of Russell Reynolds Associates.

Erica Dhawan, author of Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance, will share the art and science of using Digital Body Language to enhance virtual engagement, marketing and selling tactics, make the most of phone and video visits, and stand out in the current marketplace.

AESC President and CEO, Karen Greenbaum, will guide the audience through a fresh framework for thinking about how to deliver value to clients in a rapidly accelerating environment of change. With data insights from AESC's State of the Profession report and client survey feedback, she’ll discuss how the executive search profession is positioned to support clients for success in the next normal.

AESC's event is sponsored by AESC partners BoardEx, The Cluen Corporation, Executive Search Leaders (ESL), Invenias and Mintz Group. Conference group supporters include, Platinum level: Heidrick & Struggles, Spencer Stuart and WittKieffer; Gold level: Diversified Search Group and Russell Reynolds Associates; and Silver level: Ellig Group, Kincannon & Reed, Leathwaite and Vetted Solutions.

To learn more or to register, please visit the AESC website at aesc.org.

About AESC

Since 1959, AESC has set the quality standard for the executive search and leadership advisory profession. AESC Members represent 16,000+ trusted professionals in 1,200+ offices, spanning 70+ countries. AESC Members are recognized leaders of global executive search and leadership advisory solutions. They leverage their access and expertise to place more than 100,000 executives each year in board of directors and C-level positions for the world’s leading organizations of all types and sizes. Dedicated to strengthening leadership worldwide, AESC and its members share a deep commitment to the highest quality standards in executive search and leadership consulting—for the benefit of clients and the profession. We Shape. Connect. Educate. Learn more about us at aesc.org. For AESC’s career service for executive-level candidates, visit bluesteps.com.