The 2007 subprime lending meltdown brought corporate headaches of epic proportions, bringing venerable institutions like Bear Stearns to its knees with a fire sale to JPMorganChase, and Countrywide posting 1Q 2008 losses of $893 million while being acquired by Bank of America. Stock prices fall while Microsoft tries to acquire Yahoo and Merck’s new cholesterol drug isn’t approved by the FDA. Gas prices are soaring. The “r-word” is bandied about in connection with the U.S. economy. Seems like corporate directors are suffering the ancient curse of living in “interesting times.” How are boards dealing with these novel new issues while still managing the old standards like board diversity and independence, CEO compensation, compliance and ethics? Directors M. Michelle Burns, Virginia Gambale and Alice T. Kane will discuss these and many more issues, and will tell how they began serving on boards, including the networking process, recruiters and the importance of industry/functional specializations.
This event is intended for members who are currently serving on corporate boards, are board ready, or are interested in learning more about corporate board service. The Director’s Dinners are small and intimate events that have lively and interactive discussions among attendees and the guest directors. Questions and ideas are welcome.
Special Note:
Registration is limited to 35 registrants on a first come, first served basis.
Speakers
 M. Michele Burns is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mercer LLC, a global leader for consulting, outsourcing, and investments, and a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (MMC). Ms. Burns currently serves on the board of directors of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and Cisco Systems, Inc. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, where she holds the title of Treasurer.
 Virginia Gambale is a successful investor and technology leader who is Managing Partner of Azimuth Partners LLC, which she founded in 2003. She has served on over 20 public and private boards including: JetBlue, Motive, Workbrain, Synchronoss Technologies, IQ Financial (Chairman), and KNOA Software.
 Alice T. Kane is the General Counsel of North America for Zurich Financial Services. Ms. Kane is a board member of Guess? Inc. and Corinthian Colleges, Inc. and a trustee for Sparx Funds Trust, a Japanese equity mutual fund.
Special thanks to NASDAQ Board Recruiting for underwriting the event, and to Adam Ross, V.P. for Board Tools and Monica Goldstein, Director of Business Development for Board Recruiting, for their assistance and support.
This event is organized by the Directorships & Corporate Governance Committee.
Thanks also to Ziporah Janoswki for her help in pulling this event together.
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