C-Suite Perspectives

The Conference Board announced that the Consumer Confidence Index® increased slightly in March. In this episode of CEO Perspectives, The Conference Board President and CEO Steve Odland and Dana Peterson, Chief Economist at The Conference Board, sit down to discuss what this means for the US economy. Tune in to find out: 

• How do the current outlook and expectations differ?
• What effect is inflation having on consumer confidence?
• What is the core driver of US inflation?
• How many more interest rate hikes can we expect?
• What will drive economic improvement in China?
• In which European economies can we expect a recession?
• Is the banking crisis ending or are there still issues left in the banking sector?

Will inflation ever end?

In this episode of CEO Perspectives, The Conference Board President and CEO, Steve Odland, sits down with Principal Economist Erik Lundh to discuss US inflation. Tune in to find out:

• What is the current state of inflation in the US?
• What are some of the biggest drivers of inflation?
• What role does stimulus and government spending play in inflation?
• Why is inflation continuing to linger?
• What are the economic ramifications if the Fed goes beyond 5% discount rate? Will it create more stress on banks?
• What are the effects of inflation on the economy?

How can a banking crisis like we’ve recently seen be avoided in the future?

In this episode of CEO Perspectives, The Conference Board President and CEO, Steve Odland, and Hollis Hart, Former President of International Franchise Management at Citi, discuss the ins and outs of the recent banking crisis. Tune in to find out:

• What caused this most recent situation?
• Why didn’t the regulations put in place after the 2008 financial crisis work in this case?
• Should all deposits be insured by the FDIC or does that remove accountability?
• Who should be held accountable?
• What needs to change in the system to prevent this from happening again?

As work and the workplace change, how can you be an intentional leader?

In this episode of CEO Perspectives, The Conference Board President and CEO, Steve Odland, and Rebecca Ray, Executive Vice President of Human Capital at The Conference Board, discuss leadership in a hybrid world of work. Tune in to find out:

• What percentage of the workforce will be hybrid in the future?
• How has leadership changed—or stayed the same—in a hybrid work environment?
• What are the key elements of a virtual leadership development program?
• How can CEOs and CHROs assess leadership capabilities remotely?
• What are the biggest risks facing leaders in a hybrid world?

Within the last week, two banks were shuttered after an insolvency scare at Silicon Valley Bank, prompting a run by depositors. Were you impacted by this crisis? Are you worried you might be?

In this episode of CEO Perspectives, Dana Peterson, Chief Economist, and Erin McLaughlin, Senior Economist, both of The Conference Board, discuss what happened and what it means for CEOs.

• What happened within the banking industry this last week and how was the crisis addressed?
• What made this bank run different from previous ones?
• How can CEOs outside of the financial sector protect their assets and clients?
• What is the risk of contagion?
• How does this banking crisis affect the likelihood of a recession?

How prepared are you for shareholder activism at your company?

Shareholder activism has drastically changed in recent years, but companies can prepare for this new era of activism. In this episode of CEO Perspectives, The Conference Board President and CEO, Steve Odland, and Paul Washington, Executive Director of the ESG Center, discuss what’s driving shareholder activism, red flags for investors, and much more. Tune in to find out:

• Why are social and environmental issues increasingly triggering activism?
• What are the implications of “small A” and “big A” activism merging?
• Is having an activist on your board good or bad? What are the benefits and downturns?
• How does multi-stakeholder capitalism affect activism?
• What are the characteristics of companies that don’t provoke activists? And, on the other hand, what are the characteristics of those that do provoke activists?

You may have heard the term "black swan," which describes entirely unforeseen events that can't be predicted. In this episode of CEO Perspectives, however, The Conference Board President and CEO Steve Odland and Dana Peterson, Chief Economist at The Conference Board, sit down to discuss "grey swans” and what business leaders can do to prepare for them.

Tune it to find out:

• What are grey swan events, and how are they different from black swan events?
• To what extent are gray swans predictable?
• What gray swan events could happen this year?
• How can business leaders prepare for them?

In this episode of CEO Perspectives, Steve Odland, President and CEO of The Conference Board, and Anna Mok, Partner at Deloitte and Co-Founder and President of Ascend, sit down with Deb Liu, CEO of Ancestry, to discuss pathways to becoming a CEO. Tune in to find out:

• What are some of the obstacles and detours that women face on the journey to becoming CEO?
• How can you create a sense of belonging for all workers?
• How can business leaders create more pathways for women and communities of color?
• What can women do to create new opportunities for themselves?
• What are some techniques to reframe your mindset for success?
• How do you lead if you’re an introvert?

The Conference Board announced that the Consumer Confidence Index® declined in February for the second consecutive month. In this episode of CEO Perspectives, Dana Peterson, Chief Economist at The Conference Board, and Ataman Ozyildirim, Senior Director of Economics at The Conference Board, discuss what this drop in confidence means for the US economy. Tune in to find out:

• Should we still be worried about a recession?
• What is consumer confidence telling us?
• What do consumers think about current labor market conditions and how do they expect the availability of jobs to change in the coming months?
• Is inflation having an impact on spending?
• What items are consumers likely to cut back on?
• What could improve confidence in the coming months?

In this episode of CEO Perspectives, The Conference Board President and CEO, Steve Odland, sits down with Constantine Alexandrakis, CEO of Russell Reynolds Associates, for a wide-ranging conversation on the role of the corporate board. Tune in to find out:

• How has the focus of boards evolved over the past few decades?
• What are the core duties of the board?
• What are the characteristics of an ideal, high-performing board?
• When too many specialists sit on a board, what are the risks?
• How should directors engage with management—especially when there’s disagreement?
• What does dysfunction look like on a board, and how can it be resolved?