VIEW THE WEBINAR

Human Capital Management (HCM) involves finding and hiring the right people while managing an evolving set of workforce challenges and opportunities so as to “optimize” productivity. This effort, previously more art form than science, has evolved recently from an administrative function to a critical area of management and board responsibility with accompanying norms, expectations, and reporting requirements . Human capital is the largest expenditure category for the majority of companies and the newly introduced SEC disclosure requirements around this topic are fraught with both opportunity and risk. Talking about HCM is easy (and common these days) but unearthing actionable areas of HCM improvement includes a discussion of: financial security for employees, workforce retention strategies during the “great resignation”, tax goals as related to ESG strategies, and more. How, for example, does a company manage these many layers of HCM strategy while also considering new disclosure requirements? How does company culture, tone from the top, diversity, and career (and workplace) flexibility factor into smart strategies for improving HCM? Where should the board play a role? Join us for a webinar about what the board needs to know about HCM including the opportunities around new disclosure requirements, DE&I trends, training and retention innovations, a more holistic view of employee well-being, employee financial security, and the new normal of engagement with flexibility.

SPEAKERS

BANAFSHEH AKHLAGHI

Banafsheh Akhlaghi has over 20 years of experience as founder of a civil rights nonprofit, consultant to the United Nations, Regional Director with Amnesty International, and founder of an international private law practice. Her expertise includes Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG), Risk Management, Legal & Business Strategy, Diversity & Inclusion, and Public Policy. Immediate past co-chairwoman, and a member since 2010, of the Legal Services Trust Fund Commission of the State Bar of California, focusing on legal advocacy for underserved and underrepresented populations. Member of the Board of Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco focused on access to low-cost liquidity, essential financial services, and resources for affordable housing and economic development to our member banks. Member of Board of Advisors of Entefy, an advanced AI and process automation company.

She has won several awards for her work, including the Fred Korematsu Civil Rights Award, nominated for the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award, and received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives. She has been named “Top 100 Leading Lawyers in California” and “Top 100 Most Influential Lawyers in California” by the Daily Journal. Keynote speaker & panelist at over 300 public speaking engagements and an advisor providing commentary and analysis. She received her Bachelorette of Arts from the University of San Francisco, with attendance at Cambridge University, and her Juris Doctorate from Tulane University. She is a member of the California Bar.

MARY DENT

Mary Dent is former CEO, Green Dot Bank, and former GC of Silicon Valley Bank. Mary is an experienced executive and Board member who has spent more than 30 years in the financial services and technology sectors, working with companies ranging in size from early stage startups to large, publicly traded global enterprises.   In addition, she has a long-standing commitment to public interest Board service.  In addition to serving on Commonwealth’s Board, Mary currently serves as Chairman of the Board of All Five, a not-for-profit preschool program, and as an Advisory Board member for Stanford University’s Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (“IRiSS”).

PRIYA CHERIAN HUSKINS

Priya Cherian Huskins is Senior Vice President, Management Liability at Woodruff Sawyer.  Priya is a recognized expert and frequent speaker and guest lecturer on D&O liability risk and its mitigation. In addition to consulting on D&O insurance, she counsels clients on corporate governance matters, including ways to reduce their exposure to shareholder lawsuits and regulatory investigations. Priya is the author and editor of the D&O Notebook blog. In addition to serving as a board member at Woodruff Sawyer, Priya is on the board of directors of Realty Income Corporation, The Monthly Dividend Company®, and also serves on the advisory board of the Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance. Priya earned her undergraduate degree with high honors from Harvard University. She was awarded her juris doctorate with honors from the Law School at the University of Chicago.

DEBORAH LIFSHEY 
Deborah Lifshey is a managing director in the New York office of Pearl Meyer, where she specializes in advising clients on compensation matters from a legal perspective including securities disclosure, taxation and corporate governance issues, negotiation contracts, and reasonableness opinion letters. She is a graduate of the Industrial and Labor Relations School at Cornell University and the University of Florida College of Law, and served as a federal clerk for the Honorable Judge Susan H. Black on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to joining Pearl Meyer, Ms. Lifshey practiced at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, where she specialized in executive compensation, ERISA matters, and corporate transactions, and at Holland and Knight, where she specialized in employment litigation matters.

Ms. Lifshey has authored and/or co-authored the following works: “The New Qualified Plan Minimum Distribution Rules,” The New York Law Journal (Winter, 1996); “IRS Changes Rules Through Field Service Advice – This Time on FICA and ESPP,” Journal of Taxation of Employee Benefits (January/February 2000); Perquisites, Executive Compensation and Benefits Handbook, BNA Publications (2002); Negotiating and Drafting Employment Agreements, Executive Compensation and Benefits Handbook (2004); and Executive Compensation: The Perspective of the Compensation Consultant, Chapter 15 of Corporate Governance: Law and Practice (2005). Ms. Lifshey is a frequent speaker and panelist on disclosure and taxation issues, and is regularly quoted on executive compensation best practices.

Ms. Lifshey is a member of the New York and Florida Bars.

F. DANIEL SICILIANO, moderator

F. Daniel Siciliano is a successful technology CEO-founder and  entrepreneur, as well as Chairman of the board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, and a recognized expert in corporate strategy and governance, capital financial markets, executive compensation, and technological disruption (including fintech, AI and cybersecurity).  He is currently Chairman of SVDX, board member of the Latino Corporate Directors Education Foundation, and a fellow at Stanford University.

NANCY EASTERBROOK, introductory remarks
Nancy Easterbrook is the Executive Director of Silicon Valley Directors' Exchange. With almost two decades of experience in creating partnerships and raising money to support nonprofit organizations, she has built strategic relationships through communication, community outreach, and innovative collaborations. Prior to SVDX, Nancy was Director of External Affairs at the Stanford Center on Longevity, and Associate Director of Development at Stanford Law School.