Our Blind Spots in the Boardroom series is focused on critical business issues that can significantly impact an organization's strategy and operations, particularly those that the board and/or C-suite are not focused on at all or enough.   
In this episode, Qiaoni "Linda" Jing and Frank Kurre explore the complexities of being both a CEO and board member. Linda shares strategies for effective role execution and efficient decision-making in the boardroom, offering insights on managing these dual responsibilities.
Linda serves as the President, CEO, and Board Director of Genective, a joint venture between Limagrain and KWS, focusing on sustainable biotech solutions for seeds. She played a pivotal role in transforming Genective into an operationally independent company. Previously, Linda held various executive roles at Monsanto, covering commercial, supply chain, R&D, and corporate affairs. She is Directorship Certified™ by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and recognized as one of the inaugural 50 Women to Watch for Boards in North America. Additionally, she is a member of the NYSE’s Board Advisory Council, a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year® Award in the U.S. Midwest, and part of the Young Presidents Organization and Extraordinary Women on Boards. Linda contributes to her community as a Board Director for Forest Park Forever and the U.S. Heartland China Association. Holding an MBA, an MA in Economics, and a BS in Industrial Engineering, Linda is a naturalized U.S. citizen fluent in Mandarin and English, with working proficiency in Spanish.
With more than 40 years of experience in consulting, Kurre guides Protiviti’s global board, CEO and alumni programs. He is also a senior advisor to Protiviti's Global Private Equity and Public Sector (Not for Profit) practices and leads several of the firm's strategic initiatives and accounts. During his career, Kurre has advised more than 200 boards – including many Fortune 1000 companies, and Russell 1000 and Russell 2000 public companies – on board governance, finance, financial reporting, internal audit, leadership development, risk management, and strategic planning.  
For further information on this and other relevant topics for the boardroom, visit our Board and C-Suite Leadership insights collection on Protiviti’s website.  
For information about Frank and to contact him, visit www.protiviti.com/us-en/frank-kurre.
For more information about Linda and to contact her, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/qiaonilindajing/.

Our Blind Spots in the Boardroom series is focused on critical business issues that can significantly impact an organization's strategy and operations, particularly those that the board and/or C-suite are not focused on at all or enough.   
In this episode, Frank Kurre, Managing Director at Protiviti, and Lance Mangum, Staff Vice President of Government Affairs at FedEx Corporation, explore the critical supply chain considerations that corporate boards must address as the new administration takes office. They discuss the potential impacts on business operations and strategies to mitigate risks amidst political changes.
Mangum is a Corporate Officer, Vice President for Government Affairs and Chief Lobbyist at FedEx Corporation. Mangum oversees the department and strategy that advances the government, political, public policy, and diplomatic interests of FedEx. He also coordinates public policy issues and engagements between FedEx’s International, State and Local, Regulatory, Legal, and Public Affairs Departments.   
With more than 40 years of experience in consulting, Kurre guides Protiviti’s global board, CEO and alumni programs. He is also a senior advisor to Protiviti's Global Private Equity and Public Sector (Not for Profit) practices and leads several of the firm's strategic initiatives and accounts. During his career, Kurre has advised more than 200 boards – including many Fortune 1000 companies, and Russell 1000 and Russell 2000 public companies – on board governance, finance, financial reporting, internal audit, leadership development, risk management, and strategic planning.   
Thoughts shared during this episode are their own personal viewpoints to share experience, expertise and insights with us. Their discussion is intended for general information only and is not intended as legal analysis or advice. Companies should seek legal counsel on specific questions as they relate to their unique circumstances.     
For further information on this and other relevant topics for the boardroom, visit our Board and C-Suite Leadership insights collection on Protiviti’s website.  
For information about Frank and to contact him, visit www.protiviti.com/us-en/frank-kurre.   
For more information about Lance and to contact him, visit www.linkedin.com/in/lancemangum/.

Our Blind Spots in the Boardroom series is focused on critical business issues that can significantly impact an organization's strategy and operations, particularly those that the board and/or C-suite are not focused on at all or enough.   
This episode features a dialogue between Frank Kurre, Managing Director at Protiviti, and Lance Mangum, Staff Vice President of Government Affairs at FedEx Corporation. They delve into the implications of the current administration for corporate boards and the potential impact on your business operations.
Mangum is a Corporate Officer, Vice President for Government Affairs and Chief Lobbyist at FedEx Corporation. Mangum oversees the department and strategy that advances the government, political, public policy, and diplomatic interests of FedEx. He also coordinates public policy issues and engagements between FedEx’s International, State and Local, Regulatory, Legal, and Public Affairs Departments.   
With more than 40 years of experience in consulting, Kurre guides Protiviti’s global board, CEO and alumni programs. He is also a senior advisor to Protiviti's Global Private Equity and Public Sector (Not for Profit) practices and leads several of the firm's strategic initiatives and accounts. During his career, Kurre has advised more than 200 boards – including many Fortune 1000 companies, and Russell 1000 and Russell 2000 public companies – on board governance, finance, financial reporting, internal audit, leadership development, risk management, and strategic planning.   
Thoughts shared during this episode are their own personal viewpoints to share experience, expertise and insights with us. Their discussion is intended for general information only and is not intended as legal analysis or advice. Companies should seek legal counsel on specific questions as they relate to their unique circumstances.     
For further information on this and other relevant topics for the boardroom, visit our Board and C-Suite Leadership insights collection on Protiviti’s website.  
For information about Frank and to contact him, visit www.protiviti.com/us-en/frank-kurre.   
For more information about Lance and to contact him, visit www.linkedin.com/in/lancemangum/.

Our Blind Spots in the Boardroom series is focused on critical business issues that can significantly impact an organization's strategy and operations, particularly those that the board and/or C-suite are not focused on at all or enough.
In this episode, Protiviti Managing Director, Frank Kurre and Lance Mangum, Staff Vice President of Government Affairs at FedEx Corporation discuss blind spots related to Tax, Trade and Tariffs. They share great insights on how to respond to these changes as it pertains to your business.
Mangum is a Corporate Officer, Vice President for Government Affairs and Chief Lobbyist at FedEx Corporation. Mangum oversees the department and strategy that advances the government, political, public policy, and diplomatic interests of FedEx. He also coordinates public policy issues and engagements between FedEx’s International, State and Local, Regulatory, Legal, and Public Affairs Departments.
With more than 40 years of experience in consulting, Kurre guides Protiviti’s global board, CEO and alumni programs. He is also a senior advisor to Protiviti's Global Private Equity and Public Sector (Not for Profit) practices and leads several of the firm's strategic initiatives and accounts. During his career, Kurre has advised more than 200 boards – including many Fortune 1000 companies, and Russell 1000 and Russell 2000 public companies – on board governance, finance, financial reporting, internal audit, leadership development, risk management, and strategic planning.  
Thoughts shared during this episode are their own personal viewpoints to share experience, expertise and insights with us. Their discussion is intended for general information only and is not intended as legal analysis or advice. Companies should seek legal counsel on specific questions as they relate to their unique circumstances.
For further information on this and other relevant topics for the boardroom, visit our Board and C-Suite Leadership insights collection on Protiviti’s website.
or information about Frank and to contact him, visit www.protiviti.com/us-en/frank-kurre.  
For more information about Lance and to contact him, visit www.linkedin.com/in/lancemangum/.

In this episode of Board Perspectives, our guest is Matthew Sekol, a sustainability global black belt on Microsoft's cross-industry team. Matthew leads Microsoft's Sustainability Partners to help companies understand their challenges through data.
In 2024, Matthew released a book called ESG Mindset, a guide for companies to think critically about ESG and take a holistic approach to the business. Matthew also serves on the LP Advisory Committee of Morgan Stanley's Next Level fund, which invests in diverse-led and founded startups.
In this podcast, Protiviti Associate Director Alyse Mauro Mason talks to Matthew about the ESG mindset, technology and where we are headed.
Alyse is an Associate Director with Protiviti and helps lead the firm’s ESG and Sustainability practice.  
For further information on this and other sustainability topics, visit www.protiviti.com/esg. We also invite you to read our paper, Sustainability FAQ Guide: An Introduction: www.protiviti.com/us-en/research-guide/esg-sustainability-reporting.

Our Blind Spots in the Boardroom series is focused on critical business issues that can significantly impact an organization's strategy and operations, particularly those that the board and/or C-suite are not focused on at all or enough.
In this episode, Protiviti Managing Director Frank Kurre and Lance Mangum, Staff Vice President of Government Affairs at FedEx Corporation, discuss blind spots related to government affairs and geopolitical risk. They share great insights into where and how to recruit board members that have expertise in policy and geopolitical risks.
Lance is a Corporate Officer, Vice President for Government Affairs and Chief Lobbyist at FedEx Corporation. Lance oversees the department and strategy that advances the government, political, public policy, and diplomatic interests of FedEx. He also coordinates public policy issues and engagements between FedEx’s International, State and Local, Regulatory, Legal, and Public Affairs Departments.
With more than 40 years of experience in consulting, Frank guides Protiviti’s global board, CEO and alumni programs. He is also a senior advisor to Protiviti's Global Private Equity and Public Sector (Not for Profit) practices and leads several of the firm's strategic accounts. During his career, Frank has advised more than 200 boards – including many Fortune 1000 companies, and Russell 1000 and Russell 2000 public companies – on board governance, finance, financial reporting, internal audit, leadership development, risk management, and strategic planning.   
Thoughts shared by Lance and Frank during this episode are their own personal viewpoints to share experience, expertise and insights with us. Their discussion is intended for general information only and is not intended as legal analysis or advice. Companies should seek legal counsel on specific questions as they relate to their unique circumstances.  
For further information on this and other relevant topics for the boardroom, visit our Board and C-Suite Leadership insights collection on Protiviti’s website.  
For information about Frank and to contact him, visit www.protiviti.com/us-en/frank-kurre. 
For more information about Lance and to contact him, visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/lancemangum/.

Our Blind Spots in the Boardroom series is focused on critical business issues that can significantly impact an organization's strategy and operations, particularly those that the board and/or C-suite are not focused on at all or enough.
In this episode, Protiviti Managing Directors Frank Kurre and Chad Volkert discuss legal blind spots and how to proactively prepare for potential investigations and litigation, including discussions around when and how the board should be engaged.
Volkert serves as Protiviti’s Global Legal Consulting Leader and has been with both Protiviti and Robert Half (Protiviti’s parent company) for nearly 25 years providing legal-based solutions for corporate clients and law firms.  
With more than 40 years of experience in consulting, Kurre guides Protiviti’s global board, CEO and alumni programs. He is also a senior advisor to Protiviti's Global Private Equity and Public Sector (Not for Profit) practices and leads several of the firm's strategic accounts. During his career, Kurre has advised more than 200 boards – including many Fortune 1000 companies, and Russell 1000 and Russell 2000 public companies – on board governance, finance, financial reporting, internal audit, leadership development, risk management, and strategic planning.   
For further information on this and other relevant topics for the boardroom, visit our Board and C-Suite Leadership insights collection on Protiviti’s website.
For information about Frank and to contact him, visit www.protiviti.com/us-en/frank-kurre. 
For more information about Chad and to contact him, visit www.protiviti.com/us-en/charles-volkert-iii-esq.

An increasingly important issue for board members to address today is sustainability – specifically, sustainable sourcing and operations. These challenges not only have global compliance implications, but also brand and reputation issues, which are especially important to the board.
In this episode, we speak with Protiviti’s Radhi Subramanian and Debjani Mallick about strategic and sustainable sourcing, including the why’s and how’s of the role of the board of directors.
Radhi has over 20 years of experience in operationalizing technology and digital transformations across industry, academia, start-ups, technology and consulting organizations. Her specialty is value realization at the intersection of business, technology and emerging trends. Radhi serves as the Sustainable Operations lead for Protiviti’s ESG group, focusing on building supply chain innovation capabilities to accelerate the journey to value realization.
Debjani is a Senior Manager within the ESG and Supply Chain practice areas of Protiviti's Business Performance Improvement practice. Her primary focus is to develop the firm’s Sustainable Operations business solution.
For further information on this and other sustainability topics, visit www.protiviti.com/esg.
We also invite you to read our paper, Sustainability FAQ Guide: An Introduction: www.protiviti.com/us-en/research-guide/esg-sustainability-reporting.

In this episode of Board Perspectives, Sam Stark of Green Project and Michael Vigario of ACT Commodities join Protiviti’s Alyse Mauro Mason to discuss emissions reporting and demystify some of the common fears and misinterpretations in the market. They also talk about areas of opportunity for organizations.
Michael joined ACT in its North American infancy. Prior to ACT, he worked at several startups in New York, helping to scale and build the financial functions. Mike started his career at Deloitte and Barclays and is a New York state licensed CPA.
Sam founded Green Project three years ago after working in sustainability at Goldman Sachs. During that time, Sam saw financial institutions struggling to achieve accurate scope three emission calculations from their portfolio companies and suppliers, who tended to be less sophisticated in the greenhouse gas inventory space. Sam founded Green Project to be a more accessible software to help with scope three engagement.
Alyse is an Associate Director with Protiviti and helps lead the firm’s ESG and Sustainability practice.
For more information about Michael, visit his LinkedIn page: www.linkedin.com/in/michael-vigario/.  
For more information about Sam, visit his LinkedIn page: www.linkedin.com/in/sam-stark-818616104/.
For more information on this and other ESG topics, visit Protiviti.com/ESG. We also invite you to read our paper, Sustainability: Frequently Asked Questions: www.protiviti.com/us-en/research-guide/esg-sustainability-reporting.

In September 2023, California legislators passed the first mandatory climate disclosure bills in the United States. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the two climate-impact reporting measures into law on October 7, 2023. The measures are expected to have far-reaching effects not only for the U.S.-based businesses that are required to comply but also for their trading partners around the world.  
In this episode of Board Perspectives, Protiviti Associate Director Alyse Mauro Mason talks with Michael Littenberg and Marc Rotter from Ropes and Gray, along with Ricardo Buitron from Protiviti, about how these laws in California will affect organizations in and out of the state, as well as other regulatory considerations.  
Michael is a senior partner at Ropes and Gray. He is the global head of the firm's ESG, CSR and business and human rights practice and a member of the securities and public companies practice. He has more than 30 years of experience advising in these areas.  
Marc is a counsel at Ropes and Gray and also is a member of the securities and public companies practice. He has extensive experience advising leading companies and sponsors on their mandatory and voluntary ESG disclosures.  
Ricardo is an associate director with Protiviti and the financial services leader in our sustainability practice to support clients in their sustainability journey. His experience ranges from first-, second- and third-line program stand up and enhancement to sustainability report delivery.  
For more information on this and other ESG topics, visit Protiviti.com/ESG. We also invite you to read our paper, Sustainability: Frequently Asked Questions: www.protiviti.com/us-en/research-guide/esg-sustainability-reporting.