In this committee-centric episode of Executive Session, the official podcast of Directors & Boards, Bill Hayes, editor in chief of Directors & Boards, talks to Jan Babiak, director and audit committee chair of Walgreens Boots Alliance, about issues set to challenge audit committees in 2025. He is also joined by Herman Bulls, chairman of the board of Fluence and vice chairman of the board of USAA, who explains why every director is a member of the risk committee. Shannon Nash, compensation committee chair of SoFi Bank, closes the show, covering emerging trends for compensation committees.
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Guests
Jan Babiak
Jan Babiak is a director and audit committee chair of Walgreens Boots Alliance and director and committee chair of Bank of Montreal. Previously, she was lead independent director of GHD, senior independent director of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, and director and audit committee chair of GlobalLogic. Her additional board service includes time as a director of Royal Mail and Logica. She enjoyed a 27-year stint with EY, attaining the position of managing partner.
Herman Bulls
Herman Bulls is international director and vice chairman, Americas, of JLL, and a member of the United States Department of Defense Policy Board. He is chairman of the board of Fluence and vice chairman of the board of USAA. He is a director of Host Hotels & Resorts, Comfort Systems USA and Collegis Education, and he serves on the board of governors of American Red Cross. Bulls is also a member and former vice chair of the board of West Point Association of Graduates, a member of the New York States Teachers’ Retirement System Real Estate Advisory Committee and an emeritus director on the board of the Military Bowl (presented by Northrop Grumman). The president & CEO of Bulls Advisory Group LLC and retired colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve has served on a host of other prestigious boards, including Tyco International, Exelis (now part of Harris Corporation), DXC Technology and American Campus Communities. He was recently recognized by the National Association of Corporate Directors as their 2024 Public Company Director of the Year.
Shannon Nash
Shannon Nash is a director and compensation committee chair of SoFi Bank, a director and audit committee chair of NETSCOUT, and a director and audit committee chair of Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar. She is a limited partner of Operator Collective and an executive producer of OnBoard, a film about the rise of Black women on American boards and the evolution of board diversity. She previously served as lead independent director, nom/gov chair and audit committee member of UserTesting, and has been CFO for companies like Wing, Reputation, Insidesource and Sunseeker Media. Previously, she served as vie president finance and HR for Cumulus Media, chief operating officer for Aspire Public Schools, partner at Register Lett LLP and executive director of Debbie Allen Dance Academy. After beginning her career as senior tax manager for KPMG, she was an associate for K&L Gates, senior associate of Cooley LLP and senior counsel at Amgen.
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