Corporate Secretary Forum
SUPPORTING the BOARD THROUGH CHANGE

Rich has been in the financial services industry since 1987 with most of his career focused on shareholder communications and proxy event management.

Rich is the Director of Issuer Solutions at Mediant, responsible for overseeing the delivery of investor communication solutions to funds, annuities, alternative investments and corporate issuers. Rich and his team support Mediant’s distinctive high tech and high touch approach, delivering technology leadership with an unparalleled white-glove service model. Rich brings his extensive experience in the proxy lifecycle to support Mediant’s continued growth across all issuer types.

Prior to joining Mediant, Rich managed corporate issuer programs at Georgeson LLC, where he designed and executed successful solicitation strategies to support long-term corporate governance goals. Prior to Georgeson, Rich spent over 12 years in leadership roles at Broadridge Financial Solutions, where he was responsible for client services, operations and product management for mutual fund proxy solicitation services. He has held management roles at D.F. King & Co., leading call center operations for corporate issuer and mutual fund proxy solicitation campaigns and John Hancock Signature Services, where he led shareholder and broker service teams. Earlier in his career, Rich held the position of assistant vice president of legal operations at Putnam Investments where he led all proxy efforts including vendor selection and oversight.

Rich is an active member of leading industry associations including National Investment Company Service Association (NICSA), Insured Retirement Institute (IRI), Investment Company Institute (ICI), Society for Corporate Governance, Institute for Portfolio Alternatives (IPA), and National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI).

Rich is graduate of the Securities Industry Institute, sponsored by SIFMA and The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a certificate from the Corporate Governance Bootcamp Program at New York University’s School of Law. Rich attended Northeastern University where he studied organizational leadership.

Simon Bryan heads up the North American arm of Lumi, and has over 20 years knowledge and experience of delivering successful annual meetings and stakeholder engagement events for some of the largest organisations across the US. Working with all the leading TA’s in the market, as well as directly with Issuers, Simon’s extensive market knowledge has helped companies successfully harness the power of virtual meetings, and coupled with Lumi’s market leading on-premise capabilities, delivered hundreds of successful hybrid meetings.

Dr. Nita N. Chhinzer is an Associate Professor of Human Resources at the Department of Management, University of Guelph.  Her research is concentrated on Strategic Human Resources Management, with a strong focus on downsizing practices, procedures and ethics.  Having completed her MBA in 2000, Nita Chhinzer went on to work in management positions at various companies including HP and Nortel. It was then she recognized that the execution, decisions and implementation of downsizing have significant individual, organizational and societal outcomes, prompting her to return to academe to advance our understanding of downsizing. She completed her PhD in Management from McMaster University in 2006, focusing on HR.  Accordingly, her research area is largely focused on downsizing activities, antecedents, consequences and decision making.

She was the recipient of the 2019 Emerald Literati Award (Education +Training) based on her research about how employers define graduate student employability and in 2016, she was recognized as one of the top 25 HR Professionals in Canada.

She also co-authors the Human Resource Management in Canada textbook (now in its 14th edition) and the Management of Human Resources textbook (now in 5^th edition).

Melodie Craft is a corporate lawyer and business advisor with more than two decades of experience strategically advising public and private companies nationwide. Melodie has a Certificate in Sustainable Capitalism and ESG from University of California Berkeley and chairs her Company’s ESG Committee.  Melodie currently serves as VP of Legal Affairs and Risk Management, and Corporate Secretary for a publicly traded portfolio company. She was previously a senior partner at a large national law firm. In addition to her JD, Melodie has a Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations, as well as a Certificate in Strategic Decision Making and Risk Management from Stanford and a Certificate in Global Business through Yale and the Global Network for Advance Management. 

Matt DiGuiseppe is the Vice President of Research & ESG at Diligent Corporation, leading provider of secure board communication and governance, risk and compliance software used by over 700,000 corporate leaders globally. In his role, Matt leads the ESG (environmental, social and governance) Center of Excellence and a research team focused on ESG topics. He is also responsible for ensuring that Diligent meets its ESG commitments, including a pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

Previously, as Head of Americas Asset Stewardship at State Street Global Advisors, Matt and his colleagues were responsible for developing and implementing SSGA’s global proxy voting policies and guidelines across all investment strategies and managing SSGA’s proxy voting activities and issuer engagement on material ESG issues. He was also a member of the internal Proxy Review Committee. Prior to this role he held a similar position on the Nuveen (fka TIAA) Stewardship & Corporate Governance Team.

Brandon Egren is Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary at Verizon.  He advises on corporate governance policies and procedures, securities law compliance matters, subsidiary governance, and Delaware corporate law matters.  His responsibilities include, among other things, overseeing activities relating to Verizon’s annual meeting of shareholders, including preparation of the proxy statement and management of shareholder proposals; preparing governance-related filings and reviewing periodic reports pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; overseeing domestic legal entity management activities; and supporting internal legal restructuring initiatives.

Prior to joining Verizon, Brandon practiced in the capital markets groups of Jones Day and Hogan Lovells US LLP in New York City and Washington, D.C., respectively.  He holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

As the Deputy Corporate Secretary, Kristina is an advisor and resource to the American Express Board of Directors and to senior management providing strategic advice and counsel on board responsibilities and corporate governance matters. Kristina leads a team that provides governance support to the American Express National Bank, its committees, as well as American Express’s global subsidiaries. In addition, she drafts and oversees the annual proxy statement process for the Corporate Secretary’s Office. Kristina joined American Express on June 2017 as Corporate Governance Counsel and Assistant Secretary and she was promoted to Vice President and Deputy Corporate Secretary in May 2020.

Kristina is an Officer and Advisory Board member of the NY Chapter of the Society of Corporate Governance Professionals, and a member of the Shareholders Relations Society as well as an active participant in several other governance groups and forums.

Kristina joined American Express from The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America in June 2017 where she was Assistant Corporate Secretary supporting the Board of Directors, its Committees and subsidiaries for three years.  Before joining Guardian, Kristina was a senior associate at Clifford Chance US LP for six years where she was part of the Capital Markets group, and provided corporate governance advice to clients and worked on company periodic reports and securities offerings.  She began her legal career at Bear Stearns as an in-house securities lawyer where she worked for five years.

Kristina grew up in Westchester County, NY and graduated from Tulane University cum laude majoring in History and graduated from Brooklyn Law School where she served as an Articles Editor of The Journal of Law and Policy.  Kristina resides in New York City with her husband Zack, her daughter Serena and their dog.

Jacob Jenkelowitz is Corporate Secretary of Brighthouse Financial. In his current role, Jacob is responsible for managing the corporate governance for Brighthouse Financial, Inc. He also advises on a wide range of matters including executive compensation and corporate and securities laws. He is also the corporate secretary for Brighthouse Financial’s operating subsidiaries. Before becoming Deputy Corporate Secretary, Jacob was senior counsel, general corporate law, and assistant secretary at MetLife. Jacob joined MetLife in 2011, bringing with him a diverse set of experiences and skills, including general corporate law, securities law, mergers and acquisitions and litigation.

Jacob is active in corporate governance professional organizations. He currently serves as the chair of the Small and Mid-Cap Companies Committee of the Society for Corporate Governance (formerly known as the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals) and has previously served as president and program chair of the Society’s New York Chapter.

Jacob graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Ms. Kamlet is Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Vontier Corporation. Prior to joining Vontier in November 2019, Ms. Kamlet served as in-house securities and governance counsel, with roles of increasing responsibility, for several mid- to large-cap companies. Ms. Kamlet started her career as an Attorney-Adviser in the Division of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.  Ms. Kamlet has a J.D. degree (2001) and B.S. degree (1998) from the University of Florida. Ms. Kamlet serves on the Society for Corporate Governance National Board andchairs its Membership Committee. Ms. Kamlet also co-created a podcast, Women Governance Gurus, highlighting women in the field of corporate governance.

Byron Loflin is the Global Head of Board Engagement at Nasdaq, where he leads the Board Engagement team in providing a strategic, collaborative, and technology-based approach to support boards’ efforts in strengthening governance effectiveness.

The portfolio of governance services and products includes a variety of board, CEO, and management evaluations, streamlined Directors’ and Officers’ Questionnaire and pre-proxy disclosure processes, and the Nasdaq Boardvantage board portal.

Byron is the founder and former CEO of the Center for Board Excellence (CBE), which was acquired by Nasdaq in 2019. His experience and expertise are in the design and administration of evaluations, as well as advising boards, board chairs, CEOs, and executive management on board strategy.

Granville Martin is Head of Americas Policy and Outreach at the Value Reporting Foundation (VRF, formerly Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)) where he leads engagement with US and Latin American regulators, corporates and trade associations.

Prior to joining VRF, Granville was Senior Vice President for Policy & Advocacy and General Counsel at the Society for Corporate Governance where he led the Society’s advocacy efforts related to corporate governance, securities law and regulation and other related issues.  Granville also led the Society’s ESG-related efforts including assisting members in navigating the increased demands for disclosure and engagement, creating dialogue among issuers, investors and other stakeholders, and representing Society views in a variety of forums.

Prior to joining the Society, Granville was a Managing Director of Sustainable Finance for JPMorgan Chase & Co. where he led a range of ESG-related initiatives, including working with investment and commercial banking units to manage environmental and social risks, engaging with clients and external stakeholders and advising the senior management and the Board.  Key sectors included oil and gas, mining, timber, prison services, firearms, and other sectors with significant environmental and/or social impact.

After graduating law school, Granville joined the Office of the Counsel to Governor George Pataki of New York working on environmental issues such as wastewater treatment, New York City watershed protection and green buildings.  He also worked on local government and mental health issues and negotiated with the State Legislature.  After leaving the Pataki Administration, Mr. Martin represented the Financial Services Forum prior to joining JPMorgan Chase in 2005.

Mr. Martin earned a B.A. from Boston University and a J.D. from University of San Francisco and is admitted to the bar in New York and California.

Marvin J. Owens, Jr. currently serves as Chief Engagement Officer for Impact Shares. In this role, Marvin has engagement responsibility for both fund managers and corporations, as well as cultivating and maintaining relationships with financial intermediaries with the goal of AUM growth. Marvin is also responsible for strategic relationships with our social advocacy partners, and leads the firm in broader social impact and advocacy conversations. Prior to joining Impact Shares, Marvin served as Senior Director of Economic Programs for the NAACP. In this role, Mr. Owens was responsible for the NAACP’s national economic inclusion agenda, including asset and wealth creation programs with efforts that support financial education, homeownership, minority business development, franchising, workforce development and diversity, advocacy and sustainability initiatives with efforts around economic justice and social impact investing and research with ongoing efforts to track and report economic conditions, as well as recommended public policy changes.

Prior to joining the NAACP, Mr. Owens served as a consultant, lecturer, and technical assistance provider in the areas of community and economic development, small business development and community organizing. Mr. Owens serves as an Advisory Board Member of the Stonehenge Capital NMTC fund.. Guest lecturer credits include Oxford University’s Saïd School of Business on the subjects, “Responsible Leadership,” and “Economic Development in the Black Church.” Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Mr. Owens served as Vice President for Economic Empowerment at the National Urban League (NUL) where he managed all aspects of NUL’s corporate, foundation, and government relationships with specific focus on affiliate economic development activities, small business development, and finance.

• Phil Redman serves as the Offering Manager for OneTrust ESG which simplifies the complex task of collecting and reporting on corporate ESG data. In his role, Redman is responsible for the product development and direction of the offering, leading the sales and product engineering team on OneTrust ESG, and day-to-day delivery. He enjoys working with customers and providing features and benefits they now love but didn’t know they needed. Redman brings over 15 years of global, enterprise experience and has led teams on technology product development and strategy at Accenture, Citrix, and was VP and Distinguished Analyst at Gartner. He has a B.A. from Temple University and an M.S. from Boston University on Business Communications.

Abby Roberts is responsible for developing Datasite’s corporate product marketing strategy. Prior to Datasite, Abby was VP, Strategy at Pearson and Global Editor of Mergermarket at Acuris. As a financial journalist, Abby covered the consumer, eCommerce and retail industry. She received her JD from Georgetown University Law Center and BA from Bard College.

As Head of ESG Strategy and Engagement, Michael leads outreach and engagement with corporate issuers, the buy side and sell side, and other capital markets participants and service providers to rewire the capital markets towards the long term. Michael joined CECP from the sell side where he was most recently a Director of Investor Access at UBS Investment Bank. In this role, he advised Investor Relations Officers (IROs) on the development and implementation of investor marketing programs as well as educated IROs on broader industry trends including MiFID II and the mainstream shift by active investors toward integrating financially material ESG factors into their investment processes. Prior to joining UBS, Michael held various positions on both the buy side and sell side including at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Morgan Joseph TriArtisan Group, and Citi Global Markets. Michael has an MBA from Temple University’s Fox School of Business and a BA in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Michigan.  He is also a SASB FSA Credential holder and was named to NIRI’s 40 under 40 class of 2020.

Brian Short is a corporate transactional attorney and Co-Leader of the firm’s Securities and Capital Markets practice. He focuses on securities, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, corporate finance, and general corporate matters.

Brian represents companies, private equity firms, and investment banks in a range of corporate transactions, including negotiating and executing public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances, and joint ventures. He counsels public and privately held companies on corporate governance and board issues, compliance matters, and periodic reporting.

Brian also represents investors and companies in capital financings, handling both structuring issues and the negotiation of deal documentation. He advises corporate clients across a range of industries, including life sciences, technology, aerospace and defense, business and financial services, and consumer products.

Prior to joining the firm, Brian was a partner at an AmLaw 50 firm and General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer of a publicly-traded international engineering, information technology, and staffing services company.

A partner in the Corporate Department, Krishna Veeraraghavan is a member of the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions Group. Krishna focuses his practice on a range of corporate matters and has extensive experience advising public and private companies on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and other transactions. He also regularly advises boards of directors and special committees on activist defense, proxy contests and the full range of corporate governance matters.

Rosanna Weaver has been working in the governance and compensation fields since 1992. She began her work in governance with a position in the Corporate Affairs office at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, supervising research on corporate governance and management practices. She has served as a panel member at a number of conferences including: the Practicing Law Institute’s Corporate Governance Institute; and an Investor Relations Business conference on “Understanding and Responding to Shareholder Activism” and appeared on “Your World with Neil Cavuto.” She joined the Investor Responsibility Research Center (IRRC) in 1999 and served as an expert on labor shareholder activism, writing reports on labor fund activism, executive compensation shareholder proposals and golden parachutes. At Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), she worked on the executive compensation team as a senior analyst until 2010, with a particular focus on change of control regarding single triggers, modified single triggers and excise tax gross-ups. At ISS, Ms. Weaver also participated in policymaking and meetings with corporations and analyzed “say on pay” resolutions. From 2010 to 2012 she was governance initiatives coordinator at Change to Win. Ms. Weaver holds a BA in English from Goshen College and a Masters in American Studies from the University of Notre Dame.

Derek Windham is currently Vice President, Associate General Counsel at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, leading the Corporate, Securities, and Finance legal team.  Prior to that, he was Vice President, Securities and Executive Compensation at Del Monte Corporation, after having served as corporate counsel at the firms of Morrison & Foerster, O’Melveny & Myers, and Shearman & Sterling.  He received his J.D. From Harvard Law School in 2002, and B.A. in economics from Yale University in 1999.

Laurie Havelock is a journalist, writer and podcaster who has worked with IR Magazine for almost a decade. Outside of writing about investor relations, corporate governance and green finance, he also works for the i newspaper as a news editor and culture writer. Away from writing, he works on several comedy podcasts including Podshambles and Idle Fantasy and was formerly a radio DJ, and hosted a weekly show on Shoreditch Radio called What’s Your Plan B? He lives in London with Mischa, his dog.

Ben Maiden is the editor-at-large of Corporate Secretary, an IR Media publication, having joined the company in December 2016. He is based in New York. Ben was previously managing editor of Compliance Reporter, covering regulatory and compliance issues affecting broker-dealers and asset management firms in the US and Europe. Before that, he was editor of Euromoney Institutional Investor’s International Financial Law Review and IFLR’s Americas editor, working in London and New York.