Strategic Happy Hour: Ensuring a Fit for Purpose Board: Strategic Succession Planning and Assessment

Panelists

Elaine J. Eisenman, Ph.D. Board Member, Private Directors Association Chair

Elaine is seasoned independent board member, executive, educator, and advisor to high growth companies, both public and private, Elaine is Managing Director of Saeje Advisors, which provides strategic advisory services to companies seeking to capitalize on new growth opportunities and drive large scale transformation. A director on public and privately-held boards since 1998, Dr. Eisenman is currently on the boards of DBI (NYSE), Atmos, and Miravan. Previously, she was on the boards of UST, Inc., Active International, and Harvard Vanguard.

Dr. Eisenman is a founding member of Women Corporate Directors Foundation, and is currently an Advisory Board member and Chapter Co-chair member. This organization for women public board members, has over 3000 members with over 100 global and domestic chapters.

She is a member of the core faculty team at Entrepreneurship Policy Advisors to facilitate and support the implementation of entrepreneurial ecosystems, focused on growing and scaling companies. For 12 years, she was Dean of Executive and Enterprise Education at Babson College. She has been a senior executive at American Express, Enhance Financial Services Group, and The Children's Place.

She is the co-author of "Betrayed: A Survivors Guide to Lying, Cheating, and Double-dealing” and “I Didn’t See it Coming: The only guide you’ll need to prevent being blind-sided at work.” She also has written or been featured in numerous articles including the New York Times, Boston Globe, Worth Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Directors and Boards, Corporate Executive and was featured on a 20-20 segment on how to thrive after failure.

Douglas Ferguson Board Member

Over the past 35 years, Doug has advised CEOs, boards, and management teams on numerous transactions, including acquisitions, technology licensing, and joint ventures. He also has deep management experience, having worked with manufacturing, high-tech, financial, healthcare, aerospace, and professional services firms to develop and implement detailed operating plans and performance management systems.

Doug is currently on the Board of Directors of Galvion (a global leader in the manufacture of protective head gear for soldiers) as the Lead Director. In 2020 and 2021, Doug served as the COO for AI Fintech, CMind, and is on the Innovation Advisory Board for MyHealthMath, a provider of decision support optimization services for health care plan selection. Doug’s additional board experience includes being a member of the Board and Compensation Committee for Centra Software (NASDAQ: CTRA) and a former Board Member and Member of the Audit Committee for Saba Software (NASDAQ: SABA). As a Board Member at Centra, Doug hired a new CEO and assisted in the sale of Centra Software to Saba Software.

In 2007 Doug joined Hay Group (later acquired by Korn Ferry) as a Senior Partner. In that role, Doug worked with leading international banking, software, manufacturing and retail organizations to renovate corporate organizational structures – both at the C-Suite and for operating divisions. Doug often advised boards and incumbent CEOs about succession planning and provided transition advisory services. Prior to 2007, Doug founded and lead Gunnison Partners which on provided innovation management guidance to packaged food companies, telecommunications and software companies. In particular, he identified acquisitions and negotiated transactions to accelerate innovation.

Earlier, Doug was a partner with The Planning Technologies Group, an advisory firm specializing in communications tools to optimize senior management decision-making (sold in 1999 to NextEra through a Mike Milken and Larry Ellison deal). Prior to NextEra, Doug lead operations as the General Manager for Lotus Development in East Asia, where he restructured distribution, launched localized versions of Lotus Notes, and built national management teams. During the 1980s, Doug worked at McKinsey & Co.’s New York office, where he served global aerospace, telecommunications, and financial services companies.

Doug earned his BA (Economics and Political Science) from Yale University and studied for his M.A.L.D. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Gordie Spater CEO Katahdin Group

Gordie Spater is the CEO of Katahdin Group and was formerly the co-founder and CEO of Kurgo, the leading dog travel product company in North America. Before coming to Katahdin Group, he celebrated a successful exit of the business to Radio Systems Corporation after 16 consecutive years of revenue growth.

Kurgo’s products are sold nationwide from Petco to the local pet store around the corner. The offerings include everything a dog owner and dog need to get out and enjoy the world together from car harnesses, to seat covers to lifejackets for dogs. Kurgo is an 8-time Honoree of the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing companies in the US.

Prior to founding Kurgo with his brother in 2003, Gordie helped start two other companies. Pharmaneer was an importer of durable medical equipment where Gordie was the VP of Sales and Marketing. At myteam.com, Gordie was part of the startup team and Director of Business Development. Gordie started his career in advertising on Madison Avenue and then applied those skills to the ski business as the Director of Marketing at Sunday River Skiway and the American Skiing Company.

Gordie lives in Topsfield, MA with his wife Brooke, three children and two dogs a Golden-Doodle Baxter and a Labradoodle Winnie. He is a Cum Laude graduate from the University of Vermont and obtained his MBA from the Harvard Business School. Gordie was elected to the Topsfield School Committee in 2010 and the Board of Directors of the American Pet Products Association in 2012; he currently serves as a Director of W.F. Young

Moderator

Christine Rivers Ph.D. Board Governance Professional

Christine Rivers is a seasoned board governance professional who has successfully coached boards ranging from those that are going through significant transition events to those that simply want to ensure they are operating at their peak. Her primary areas of expertise include; board structure and composition, board and CEO succession, board effectiveness and board evaluation. She is a trusted advisor to board chairs and directors on their own professional development.

Christine has been a frequent speaker at NACD, Financial Times-Outstanding Director Exchange (FT-ODX), Equilar and other industry association events. She has been published in Agenda Magazine, Bloomberg BNA, Chief Executive Magazine, Directors and Boards, Boardroom Briefing, Directorship Magazine, Financier Worldwide, Modern Healthcare and others. Christine is a contributing author to the text, Executive Compensation and Governance; A Practical Guide.

Christine received her Ph.D. in Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation from Boston College, a Masters in Counseling from Northeastern University, and a Bachelor’s in Sociology from Boston College. She spent the majority of her thirty-year career with Hay Group and was a member of the Board Solutions Leadership Team. When Hay Group was acquired by Korn Ferry in 2015, Christine was named Senior Partner and a member of the Board and CEO Services Group before retiring from the firm in 2020. She currently is a Principal with Christine A. Rivers LLC, serves on the Private Director’s Association New England Chapter Leadership Team, is a member of the Boston College Carroll School of Management Advisory Network and the Boston College Club and was recently appointed to the Salvation Army Greater Boston Advisory Board.

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