Laura Agharkar, Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Culture – Nasdaq

Laura Agharkar leads Nasdaq’s global diversity, equity and culture team, responsible for a strategy that encompasses 39 countries spread throughout the globe. By appreciating each employees’ individual strengths combined with driving a culture of belonging for all employees, Laura helps to power Nasdaq’s talent engine.

Prior to leading the DEC team, Laura managed Nasdaq’s talent and culture team, and similar roles at Global Pharmaceutical, Ferring, and Samsung Electronics America.

Aileen Alexander, Chief Executive Officer – Diversified Search Group

Aileen K. Alexander is the chief executive officer of Diversified Search Group, the largest woman-founded executive search firm in the world. Her responsibilities include oversight and management of the company. She previously served as vice chair, leading the firm’s global corporate practice. Aileen is a global board member of AltoPartners, a leading international alliance of executive search firms, with Diversified Search Group as the exclusive U.S. partner.

Based in Philadelphia, Aileen is a recognized leader in the executive search and talent management industry, having led C-suite and board level searches from large, global corporations to high growth entrepreneurial companies. She leverages her expertise in technology, cybersecurity, risk management, leadership, and succession planning to enable clients to achieve their purpose and strategic priorities. Alexander is committed to ensuring client service that is creative, nimble, responsive, and centered on people first and building diverse teams that drive innovation, growth, and inclusive cultures.

Prior to joining DSG, Alexander was a managing partner at Korn Ferry where she co-launched and co-led the firm’s global cybersecurity practice. She had leadership responsibilities for Philadelphia and was also a member of the technology officers and aerospace and defense practices. She entered the industry with Heidrick & Struggles, in their Washington, DC office.

Before embarking on her career in executive search, Aileen worked in international security and defense policy at the Department of Defense and U.S. House of Representatives. She is also a military veteran, having served as a captain in the U.S. Army.

Aileen is a member of the CEO Council of Growth at the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. She also sits on the board of her alma mater, Villa Joseph Marie High School in Holland, PA.

Singleton Beato, Global EVP, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer – McCann Worldgroup

Singleton Beato was promoted to the role of global EVP, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, McCann Worldgroup, in 2021. Singleton reports to Bill Kolb, CEO of McCann Worldgroup, ensuring that the agency network take an aggressive approach to driving forward our mission to promote systemic and structural change that results in all our employees, as well as our clients, and the consumers our clients serve, all feel seen, heard, represented and respected, both in the workplace and the marketplace.

Singleton joined McCann Worldgroup in the global position of chief diversity & engagement officer in 2017. In this role, she is responsible for designing and leading strategic workforce diversity and engagement solutions that drive business performance and innovation across MWG agencies.

Singleton was previously executive VP, diversity strategy and talent development at the 4A’s, where she developed and led strategic initiatives to advance the talent leadership and diversity agenda across the advertising, media and communications industry.

While at the 4A’s, Singleton was called upon by top agency executives to provide leadership, partnership, guidance and support in the design and application of best practices in diversity and talent development that increase organizational capacity and growth. Her accomplishments include the design and development of The Face Of Talent symposium as well as industry’s only national Talent Leadership Conference, Talent@2030 along with the transformation of the industry’s legacy Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) and the renowned 4A’s Foundation.

Singleton has over 20 years of experience as an accomplished human resources executive and is recognized for her success driving large scale people and organizational change initiatives across a wide range of industries, having held talent leadership roles at J. Walter Thompson, Crunch Fitness International, and Bloomberg L.P.

Kerryann Benjamin, Chief Diversity Officer and Head of Talent Development – KKR & Co.

Kerryann Benjamin joined KKR in 2021 as chief diversity officer and head of talent development. Prior to joining KKR, Kerryann was head of human capital management for the consumer and wealth management business at Goldman Sachs & Co., where she spent nineteen years in various roles across the business and human capital management. Prior to that, she was head of firm wide programming and digital learning for the learning and engagement function.

Brian Blake, Senior Director of Diversity & Inclusion – National Hockey League

Brian Blake is the National Hockey League’s first senior director of diversity and inclusion. In this capacity, Brian is building a more robust employee engagement strategy across the league and leads efforts in advising NHL Clubs on best practices in recruitment, culture and growth strategies with diverse audiences.

Previously, Brian was the founding principal of learning & leadership development at Blake Solutions, a management consultancy that provided innovative employee engagement strategies to private industry and government. Brian’s practice area was particularly focused on learning solutions and initiatives related to diversity and inclusion – how to adopt an inclusive mindset, understanding unconscious bias, and how to leverage our differences as an asset.

Prior to Blake Solutions, Brian served as Senior consultant of learning & organizational development and diversity & inclusion at Turner (now Warner Media). In this capacity, Brian provided thought leadership and advisory services to senior executives across the New York region, including advertising sales, CNN, and TruTV. Here he focused on organizational transformation, team effectiveness, leadership and management development, as well as cultural strategy development. Brian helped Turner “re-energize” their efforts around diversity and inclusion – from hiring efforts, to mentorship and internship programs, to marketing and advertising for multicultural audiences.

Clinton Browning, Partner & Head of Dreamscape – Daversa Partners

Clint Browning is responsible for leading Daversa’s business unit, Dreamscape, which is dedicated to ensuring there is Black representation on the boards and executive teams of the most important companies and investing firms in technology. Knowing that Black executives have largely not been afforded the same opportunities in tech startups and venture capital, Dreamscape and the rest of the Daversa team considered ways the firm could uniquely and effectively make an impact on this urgent issue. The result was Dreamscape, which connects well-established members of startups and venture capital firms that are looking for executives or board directors with accomplished, proven and board-ready Black talent. Its early partners include mission driven companies such as Brex, Robinhood, AppLovin, and venture capital firms such as Venrock and Greylock Partners.

Clint’s 25+ year career in search started at Korn Ferry where he helped develop and scale their diversity practice on a global scale. In addition, Clint is an entrepreneur, a builder, and an advocate – having founded two boutique search firms dedicated to placing diverse talent.

Pamela Culpepper, Managing Partner – Hanold Associates

Pamela Culpepper is managing partner of the leadership advisory practice at Hanold Associates where she focuses on leadership development, diversity and human sustainability strategies. She has extensive experience in coaching and advising C-level executives, senior level functional leaders and human resources leaders to drive business results and outcomes while achieving maximum personal and professional success. Pamela serves as a trusted advisor and counsel to CEOs and boards of directors on matters of diversity, equity and inclusion. Pamela is a board director for Prada S.p.A, where she joined the board of directors in 2022, making history as the first Black woman to serve on Prada’s board in their 109-year history.

Before joining Hanold Associates, Pamela co-founded Have Her Back, LLC., a female-owned and led culture consultancy focused on advancing equity for all. Before Have Her Back, she served as the chief HR officer at Cboe Global Markets, Inc., one of the world’s largest exchange holding companies, where she was a key advisor to the executive team and board of directors on all matters related to talent, including Cboe’s M&A activities. Prior to Cboe, she was the chief people officer for Golin. Pamela held progressive leadership roles within PepsiCo for over 14 years, including serving as the chief global diversity and inclusion officer; vice president, HR for Quaker Foods and Snacks; vice president, HR for PepsiCo’s beverages supply chain and vice president, talent management and diversity for Quaker, Tropicana and Gatorade. Before PepsiCo, she held progressive roles with McKesson Corporation, Clorox and Wells Fargo.

In addition to currently serving on the board of directors of Prada S.p.A., Pamela is a former board trustee of VSO International, based in the United Kingdom, and Navy Pier, Chicago.

Allison Dubrow, Partner – Caldwell

Allison Dubrow is a partner in Caldwell’s financial services and insurance practices, focusing on the recruitment of senior business and functional leaders across the C-suite and boardroom in the insurance industry including property & casualty and life insurance carriers, as well as brokers and other industry-related service providers.

With more than a decade of executive search experience, Alison has worked on more than 200 client engagements, spanning a wide range of firms and functions. Along with placing senior business leaders, her functional work has included sales and marketing executives, chief financial officers, chief investment officers and chief risk officers. She partners with Fortune 100 and 500 corporations as well as private operators and private equity portfolio companies across the U.S. and abroad.

Allison has written and spoken about the merits of increasing diversity in the insurance industry. It has become a passion for her personally and professionally.

Allison joined Caldwell from Spencer Stuart, where she was a key member of the financial services and insurance practices. Prior to her career in executive search, she worked in asset management marketing at M.D. Sass, in equity research at Sanford Bernstein, and in private equity at Easton Hunt Capital Partners.

Christine Greybe, President, Leadership Consulting – DHR Global

President of DHR Leadership Consulting, Christine leads a global team of experts who help organizations identify and develop executives who are ready to take on high-stakes, high-pressure and high-complexity decisions. As an executive search consultant, she helps public and private companies recruit leaders across the C-suite and board and for key functional roles.

Christine joined DHR in 2004 as the managing director of Asia-Pacific and has held roles of increasing corporate responsibility, including as a member of the board of directors, president and head of global. Her services include assessment and coaching, succession planning, team effectiveness, onboarding and DE&I.

During a key period of growth for the firm, Christine led the expansion of DHR’s brand globally, opening offices in Australia, China, Dubai, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore, and supported growth into Europe and LATAM. More recently, she has been a part of the acquisition team providing strategic direction for international operations.

Christine has been quoted in business media including Bloomberg TV, CCTV, China Business News, CNBC Asia, Nikkei Financial Daily, Reuters, Shanghai Business Review and The Wall Street Journal.

Mikeisha Anderson Jones, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer – Milbank, LLP

Mikeisha Anderson Jones, Esq. (she/her) is the global chief diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer of Milbank LLP. She leads the firm’s global DEI strategy working closely with offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia on the unique challenges and opportunities in each region.

Mikeisha previously served as vice president of global inclusion & diversity at American Express. Earlier in her career, she held various general counsel roles in-house, was an associate at Reed Smith LLP and Lowenstein Sandler LLP, and clerked for the Hon. John J. Hughes, USMJ for the District of New Jersey.

She is a frequent speaker on career development and inclusion and has received accolades for her professional accomplishments including as Women of Color Magazine’s Women in Finance Diversity Champion, Face2Face Africa’s 30 Black Stars, and the National Diversity Council’s Top 100 Diversity Officers.

Dominic Levesque, President – Randstad Business Professionals & Tatum US

Dominic Levesque leads Tatum US and the office professionals business of Randstad USA. An influential leader in the field of human capital with more than 15 years’ experience, Dom’s first instinct is to push boundaries, challenge the status quo and advance new ways of thinking. He is a frequent conference speaker, the author of the book “The Wav Model” and a recognized thought leader on all things human capital, from HR strategy to emerging trends shaping the future of work.

Tracy McMillan, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Partner – BroadView Talent Partners

Tracy McMillan has over 25 years of experience providing executive search, retention solutions and leadership advisory services to clients. He has developed a strong focus within the affordable housing, non-profit, and middle-market sectors, and established a track record of well-placed, long-tenured C-Suite executives.

Prior to starting BroadView Talent Partners (formerly HCGA Consulting Partners) in 2015, Tracy served as the VP of global talent acquisition for the NBA. Previously, he spent five years as a managing director at The Diversified Search Group, a Top 10 global executive search firm. Past experience also includes founding, leading, and managing The McMillan Group, a Philadelphia area-based retained executive search firm that served clients of distinction across all functional areas and industries. Tracy began his executive search career with Carrington & Carrington, Ltd. in Chicago and later joined LaMonte Owens, Inc. where he served as senior vice president.

Tracy’s passion lies in delivering a positive experience for both client and candidate, treating each with professionalism and respect. His ability to truly listen allows him to deliver solutions tailored to their unique needs. As a result, his clients achieve long-term business success as well as an enhanced workplace culture driven by diversity, equity and inclusion. Tracy regularly leads and advises boards and on various topics, including executive search, leadership assessment, succession planning, talent management, executive compensation and retention strategies. A dynamic keynote speaker and presenter, he frequently speaks on these topics at conferences and organizations nationwide.

Lisa Moore, Head of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion – Guardian

Lisa Moore is head of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (J.E.D.I.) at The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. In this capacity, she is responsible for leading the company’s efforts to prioritize competitive-differentiating cultural and business initiatives that help Guardian unleash what’s possible for its colleagues, consumers, and communities. As the leader for Guardian’s J.E.D.I. journey, Lisa advocates the importance of stretching mindsets and changing behaviors to ensure Guardian’s workplace reflects the world around us.

Serving as a senior team member within the insurance, textile, point-of-purchase display, oil and refining, and consumer products industries, Lisa has excelled at leading large cultural, inclusion, consumer experience, change management, supply chain operations, and business process optimization efforts. Prior to joining Guardian, Lisa held leadership roles across multiple disciplines at Humana, Pepsi, and British Petroleum, and was a leading consultant on cultural transformation at BMW, Wells Fargo, and Lowe’s.

She has been recognized in the Raleigh News and Observer and several other publications for her contributions in successfully implementing major cultural and process changes, positively impacting organizations.

Ruben Moreno, Chief Executive Officer – Blue Rock Search

Ruben Moreno is a founding member of Blue Rock Search and leads the Blue Rock HR executive search practice specializing in the identification, assessment, recruitment, and onboarding of chief HR officers and their teams. As a subject matter expert and highly specialized executive recruiter, Ruben has been dedicated to partnering with his clients to identify, assess, and recruit the best human resources leadership talent available for over 15 years. He has helped place hundreds of HR professionals and built deep relationships within the HR executive community across multiple industry verticals. His clients consider him a trusted partner who takes the time to understand their business and add value beyond executive search.

Ruben also has extensive experience in the design and implementation of recruiting systems, processes, and tools and has worked directly with multiple clients to develop and implement “fit for purpose” talent solutions. Sample work in this area includes: execution of a talent availability study of five targeted US cities; working with a North American TA leader to build out organizational/staffing plans; providing interim global staffing leadership for a high-growth client; and working abroad as the on-the-ground HR/TA integration resource for a global acquisition.

Prior to entering the world of executive search, Ruben held multiple senior-level HR leadership roles for several well-known Fortune 500 organizations.

Wendy Murphy, Managing Partner & Global Practice Leader – ZRG Partners

Wendy Murphy joined ZRG Partners in June of 2018, and she leads the global human resources officers practice. Wendy was previously a managing partner at RSR Partners for seven years where she founded, built, and lead the firm’s human capital practice. Prior to RSR Partners, Wendy led the global human resources officers practice at Heidrick & Struggles for six of her ten years at HSII.

Wendy has been involved in executive search and management consulting for over 25 years and has personally completed hundreds of senior-level executive searches. Prior to executive search, Wendy was a consultant with ODI, a global management consulting and training company. At ODI, she was part of the Asia Pacific start-up team living in Asia, where her focus was on assessing executive leadership teams coupled with ensuring their efficiency and effectiveness in leading and driving strategy.

Wendy is active in multiple industry associations, trained in several different assessment methodologies, and frequently speaks on the subject of “Talent as a Competitive Advantage”. She actively follows technological and social trends affecting the future of the workforce and her client organizations.

Susan K. Reid, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion – Morgan Stanley

Susan Reid is a managing director and global head of diversity and inclusion and the Institute for Inclusion at Morgan Stanley, and is a member of the firm’s management committee. Susan works closely with the firm’s leaders in the design of the firm’s diversity and inclusion strategy with emphasis on hiring, retention, development and advancement of key talent.

Susan has 25 years of human resource experience across a broad range of industries including financial services, telecommunications and higher education. Susan joined Morgan Stanley in 2008 as a human resource business partner supporting the investment management division. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Susan held a number of roles at various companies, including human resource business partner, and head of campus recruiting and diversity at Marsh and McLennan Companies, head of campus and diversity recruiting at Bell Atlantic, head of recruiting at RR Donnelley’s financial services division and head of employment at New York University. Prior to transitioning to human resources, Susan was an assistant director in student services at New York University where she developed and led programs to retain and advance academically gifted students of color.

Susan serves on the boards of the Morgan Stanley Foundation, Storefront Academy Charter Schools, iMentor New York City’s Advisory Board, and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council.

Laurie Ryan, Managing Partner – Prais + Barnette

Laurie Ryan is a managing partner and CMO at Prais + Barnette. She is a marketing veteran with an extensive history creating and managing brands, products, and the businesses they drive. A creative business strategist with over 20 years of leadership experience, Laurie has held senior marketing and strategy positions at companies like Samsung Mobile, Motorola, and Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising. She has extensive experience in brand strategy, channel sales and marketing, and product development and launch across industries ranging from telecom and technology to QSR and CPG.

Paige C. Scott, Senior Partner and Leader of the Asset Management Practice – Kingsley Gate Partners

Paige C. Scott is a senior partner and leader of the asset management practice with Kingsley Gate Partners. She was most recently managing director and head of the U.S. asset management practice and member of the U.S. executive committee of a global financial services retained search firm. Over a career that spans two decades in executive search, Paige played a leading role in the build-out of Sextant Search Partners’ U.S. asset management practice and served as a senior client partner with Korn/Ferry International’s asset management practice. She infuses this experience with our state of the art scientific, cloud-based tools to assess candidates, ensuring that executives placed with our clients reflect a holistic and ideal fit.

Paige has placed investment professionals spanning CEO’s, CIO’s, PM’s, senior analysts (multiple asset classes), heads of distribution across institutional, retirement, sub-advisory and intermediary channels, strategic & digital marketing experts, and solutions and product experts in North America. When using its Synchronous Fit® framework, she utilizes relevant data from hundreds of these searches to ensure a successful, long term outcome. She is considered a thought leader on topics such as compensation structure and design and is a regular speaker at the European Institutional Investor Institute, The Global Fixed Income Forum and the European Institute.

Karthik Venkataraman, Partner – Bain & Company

Karthik Venkataraman is a leader in Bain’s Travel & Leisure and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practices, based in Washington, D.C. He is also an expert in our Change Management and Implementation and Organization practices.

Karthik has more than 15 years of industry and consulting experience and previously worked in our London and Singapore offices.

He is a deep expert in Travel & Leisure, has previously led Bain’s Airline Practice in the Americas, and has previous experience in Hospitality, Cruises, Theme Parks.

Karthik focuses on ESG and Organization, and is a leader in the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, having led the firm’s own DE&I transformation. He is also a leader in the firm’s Asians@Bain affinity group.

He also leads transformational projects in Bain’s Higher Education Practice, and cares deeply about Economic Development, spearheading many of the firm’s Social Impact efforts in impact investing, financial inclusion and workforce development.

Prior to joining Bain in 2007, he worked in the technology space at SAP.

Karthik earned an MBA from the Wharton School, where he graduated as a Palmer Scholar. He also earned an MA in international studies with distinction from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a bachelor’s degree in history with high honors from Princeton University.