Fresh Value CEO Terry Stanley to Step Down
Terry Stanley announced he will step down as chief executive of Fresh Value, the Alabama‑based grocery chain, effective May 2, 2026. He will be succeeded by Shane Holliday, the company’s vice president of operations, who assumes the role on May 3. Stanley, who became CEO in May 2025 after a stint as COO, said he will focus on writing a book, speaking engagements, and consulting with other operators. Fresh Value operates 15 stores, 14 in Alabama and one in Mississippi, positioning the transition as a continuity move for the regional retailer.
“Seven Out of 10 Deals We Close Are Partner-Led” - Cato’s Channel Chief, Karl Soderlund
Cato Networks reports that roughly seven out of ten closed deals are led by partners, a stark contrast to the 30‑35% benchmark at peers like Palo Alto and Zscaler. The company’s AI‑enhanced security stack, bolstered by the Aim Security acquisition,...
HR on the Board | CEO-CPO Relations - Why HR Leaders Have to Work Harder to Be Heard in the...
New Russell Reynolds data shows a surge in chief people officer turnover in 2025, with 155 global CHRO appointments—a 25% rise year‑over‑year. First‑time CHROs dominate hiring, making up 60% of all appointments and 63% of S&P 500 moves, largely sourced from internal...
It's Not Just an AI Strategy - You Need a Talent Strategy Too: Aon CEO
Aon CEO Greg Case warns that AI investments must be paired with a world‑class talent strategy. He cites Aon's $1.3 billion AI spend and early Nvidia chip adoption, but stresses continuous reskilling of its 60,000 employees. Case argues against hiring freezes,...
Disaster & After Podcast Explores Leadership and Loss in the Wake of Columbine High School Shooting
The third episode of the *Disaster & After* podcast features retired Rear Admiral Dr. Brian Flynn discussing his role in the federal delegation that visited Colorado after the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. The team, which included Vice President Al...
Dairy Checkoff Elects New Officers
The Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) board re‑elected farmer Marilyn Hershey as chair and added new vice‑chair, secretary, and treasurer from Colorado and California. The National Dairy Promotion and Research Board (NDB) chose Lolly Lesher as chair, with a full slate...
New AAD Leaders Aim to Fix ‘Broken’ Access to Care, Serve Next Generation of Dermatologists
Murad Alam assumed the presidency of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) on April 27, 2026, with a focus on fixing the broken access‑to‑care model that hampers dermatology practices. He outlined a strategy to rally AAD members, lobby Congress, and secure resources...
New Chief Executive Officer for The Shannon Airport Group
Ray O’Driscoll has been appointed permanent chief executive officer of The Shannon Airport Group, after serving as interim CEO since Mary Considine’s departure in September. He previously held the deputy CEO and chief operating officer roles, giving him more than...
Autodesk Nominates Omar Abbosh to Board of Directors
Autodesk announced the nomination of Omar Abbosh, CEO of Pearson and former Microsoft and Accenture executive, as an independent director to be elected at its upcoming annual meeting. At the same time, Stephen Milligan disclosed he will not seek re‑election,...
Sam Altman Outlines Five Principles that Double as Justification for OpenAI's Business Decisions
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman published five guiding principles that double as a public rationale for the company’s recent strategic choices. The principles stress democratized AI access, user empowerment, universal prosperity, societal resilience, and adaptability. Altman uses them to justify heavy...
Regal Rexnord Corp. Announces Aamir Paul as Next CEO
Regal Rexnord Corp. announced that Aamir Paul will become chief executive officer by July 1, 2026, succeeding Louis Pinkham who will remain in place until the transition. Paul, currently Schneider Electric’s North America president, brings a record of double‑digit growth and experience...
People on the Move: Aspen Power, Vontier Corporation, and More
Aspen Power announced CEO Jorge Vargas will depart and named Michael Sheehan, former Dimension Energy COO, as his replacement. Crane Company elevated long‑time executive Alex Alcala to president and CEO, while founder Max Mitchell moves to executive chairman. Vontier Corporation...
A New Playbook for Founders Navigating Uncertainty in MENA
Funding in the MENA startup ecosystem slowed sharply in Q1 2026, dropping more than 20% to roughly $941 million as geopolitical tensions heightened. Investors, including sovereign wealth funds, are pulling back, turning a previously growth‑driven market into one defined by delayed...
WTA CEO Portia Archer Steps Down Amid Leadership Transition
Portia Archer will leave the Women’s Tennis Association as CEO effective April 20, 2026, ending a tenure of just under two years. She succeeded Steve Simon in July 2024 and was charged with overseeing daily operations and expanding commercial revenue. The announcement,...
Synertrade Relaunches as Independent Company Following Management-Led Transaction
Synertrade completed a management‑led transaction on March 31, 2026, separating from French IT services group Econocom and becoming an independent company. The deal installed former COO Laurent Jeanmaire as CEO and Fabien Guionnet as COO, backed by a consortium of...
Sandvik Appoints Patrick Murphy New President of Business Area Mining
Sandvik announced that Patrick Murphy will assume the role of President of its Mining business area effective July 1, 2026. He replaces Mats Eriksson, who is slated to step down ahead of his planned 2027 retirement. Murphy, a Canadian who joined Sandvik...
Human Connection Sets the Tone for Everything, Says Maira Genovese
MG Empower CEO Maira Genovese says human connection is the foundation for brand success in an increasingly digital landscape. She notes a growing trend where brands seek richer, experience‑driven engagements rather than purely technical solutions. Genovese stresses that psychological safety...
CEO Transitions in Disruptive Times
CEO turnover reached a new global high in 2025, climbing 16% year‑over‑year and 21% above the eight‑year average, while average tenure shrank to seven years from just over eight in 2021. The acceleration reflects heightened technological, geopolitical and market turbulence...
Built to Breakthrough: The Power of One Vision
Kathleen Wood’s latest piece expands the "Built to Breakthrough" playbook, urging restaurant founders to replace generic vision statements with a "Power of One Vision" that defines whether they are building a scalable company or merely adding locations. She outlines three...
Node4 Names New CEO and Chair in Double Leadership Swoop
Node4 announced a dual leadership overhaul, naming Neil Muller as chief executive officer and Patrick De Smedt as non‑executive chair. Muller will steer the company’s AI‑driven managed‑services platform and broaden its ERP, CRM, and data‑analytics portfolio. De Smedt will provide strategic oversight as the...
7 Deadly Sins of Giving Tough Feedback
The article outlines the "seven deadly sins" of delivering tough feedback and offers concrete alternatives, drawing on insights from Annie Rosencrans of HiBob. It highlights common missteps such as being unprepared, over‑generalizing, and avoiding directness, then provides sample language for...
Scotland Women in Technology to Fund AI Leadership Training
Scotland Women in Technology (SWiT) will sponsor two cohorts of The Data Lab’s Data and AI Leadership Programme, covering 40 women over 2026‑2027. The hybrid 10‑hour course teaches AI readiness, strategy development and responsible data leadership. In parallel, SWiT will...
The ‘Doers’ Need a Budget: Why a $100 Million Council Fund Can End Federal Management Failures
The article argues that the Federal Executive Councils, which bring together senior career executives from across agencies, are chronically underfunded and lack authority to address cross‑government management failures. Currently, the Office of Management and Budget’s Management side creates policy without...
One CEO Explains Why She Values Her Union Workforce
Judy Marks, chair, CEO and president of Otis Worldwide, highlighted the strategic value of the company’s unionized workforce. About 64% of Otis’s 72,000 employees in the United States are covered by collective bargaining agreements, and many international staff are similarly...
Unilever Appoints Faraz Zaidi as Head-HR, Global Customer Operations
Unilever has named Faraz Zaidi head of HR for its global customer operations, placing HR strategy at the core of the business’s execution engine. In the role, Zaidi will steer organisation design, workforce planning, productivity gains and large‑scale transformation initiatives...
Wilson Learning | When Training Isn't Enough: The Case for Learning Transfer in Global Leadership
Global firms are pouring resources into leadership and communication training to manage cultural complexity, yet many programmes fail to deliver measurable business impact. Wilson Learning’s research shows that when structured learning transfer is added, participants use new skills over 100%...
Dallas Market Center Promotes Cunningham and Harper to New Positions
Dallas Market Center announced two senior promotions: Jill Cunningham is now Executive Vice President of Apparel Leasing, and Amy Harper has been elevated to Executive Vice President of Marketing. Both leaders will report directly to President and CEO Cindy Morris. Cunningham,...
Why You Want More Disagreement in the Workplace
Julia Minson, a Harvard Kennedy School professor, argued at the Ragan Employee Communications and Culture Conference that disagreement—differences in belief or expertise—should be embraced rather than instantly resolved, because it fuels learning without escalating into conflict. She introduced the HEAR...
New Dark Matter CEO Eyes Deals, AI-First Future
Dark Matter Technologies named former CTO Vikas Rao as its new CEO, pledging an AI‑first roadmap for its Empower loan‑origination platform. At the Horizon conference the firm unveiled Ask Aiva, an AI chatbot that will evolve into a task‑performing copilot across...
What Founders Get Wrong About Resilience
Nearly 90% of startups fail, often not from a sudden collapse but from a slow erosion of systems, culture, and leadership during the “long middle” of growth. Founders mistake early momentum for maturity, overlooking the operational complexity that scaling brings....
Dentsu Bolsters Americas Leadership as It Seeks Turnaround in Key Region
Dentsu announced a sweeping leadership overhaul in the Americas, elevating Beth Ann Kaminkow to CEO of the region and chief global client officer. The agency also created a new chief client experience officer role for Christena Pyle and hired Steve...
Women over 50 Outperform in Business. Why Are They Still Overlooked?
Meryl Rosenthal turned a 2005 human‑capital consultancy into a thriving two‑decade business after becoming a solo founder at age 50. She highlights how women over 50 leverage decades of experience, adaptability, and confidence to out‑perform peers, despite facing age‑and‑gender bias....
Slow Down to Speed Up: Why Steadfast IT Leadership Is Critical in the Age of AI
The article argues that steady IT leadership and disciplined governance are essential for sustainable AI adoption. Canadian data shows 87% of tech leaders anticipate faster AI cycles, yet 75% still rely on structured pilots to manage risk. Nearly half of...
Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Appoints Parthasarathi V as Head-HRBP
Cholamandalam MS General Insurance has named Parthasarathi V as head of HR business partnership, a move aimed at deepening HR’s role in business outcomes. He will oversee talent acquisition, workforce planning, employee engagement, HR service delivery and capability building across...
John Lewis Urges Staff to Return to Office to Strengthen Competitiveness
John Lewis has instructed head‑office staff to spend more time in the workplace, shifting toward a more in‑person hybrid model as rivals enforce return‑to‑office policies. The retailer, which runs department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, plans to expand its London office...
Winning Through People and Stories: Crafting Cultures of Change
Zoë Arden argues that modern organisations achieve lasting impact by prioritising people and the stories they tell rather than relying on rigid plans and polished PowerPoint decks. She cites neuroscience showing that narratives release dopamine and oxytocin, fostering trust, empathy...
John Lewis Tells Staff to Get Back to the Office as Turnaround Pressure Mounts
John Lewis Partnership has asked its central office staff to spend more time working on‑site, urging them to be “more in person than not” with colleagues, suppliers and shops. The directive follows a £21 million pre‑tax loss (about $27 million) for the...
Up the Ranks: Rohini Sachitanand Undertakes Role of Head of People & Culture, APAC at NTT DATA, Inc.
Rohini Sachitanand has been appointed Head of People & Culture for APAC at NTT DATA, Inc., reporting to the global chief people officer from Singapore. She emphasizes listening to teams, data‑driven talent pipelines, and inclusive leadership as the foundation for the region’s...
CONSTRUCTION/DEVELOPMENT: Hui, Cyrolies
Cumming Group bolstered its Los Angeles office by appointing Sonnet Hui as Senior Vice President of Private Project Management and promoting Michael Cyrolies to Cost Management Senior Director. Hui arrives with more than 25 years overseeing complex projects for Fortune‑100...
How 6sense's New CPO Kimberly Bloomston Is Helping Re-Set the Company's Roadmap and Reputation
6sense appointed Kimberly Bloomston as chief product officer to steer its revenue‑intelligence platform toward an AI‑first, agentic model. Drawing on a background that blends philosophy, product leadership at LiveRamp, and hands‑on AI experimentation, Bloomston is resetting the roadmap from pure...
Less Bread and WFH Fridays – What Pret Boss Knows About Our Habits
Pret A Manger’s CEO Pano Christou says the chain is adapting to post‑Covid habits by tweaking its subscription service, expanding higher‑priced "Super Plates" salads and re‑thinking store locations. The subscription now costs $6 a month for half‑price drinks, and sign‑ups...
Recruitment: The Importance of Hiring for a Good Cultural Fit
Hiring for cultural fit has become a strategic priority in agribusiness, where shared values such as teamwork, integrity and respect shape daily operations. Research shows that employees who align with their organization’s culture enjoy higher job satisfaction, stronger identification with...
71% of Lopez Family Unites to Remove ‘Piki’ Lopez
Members controlling 71% of Lopez Inc. voted to remove Federico “Piki” Lopez as president, citing a loss of trust. The board resolution to install Rafael Lopez was blocked by a Mandaluyong court injunction, keeping Piki on the board. The family...
Pushing Past “Nope, It’s Not Going to Work”
The article warns that perfectionist, all‑or‑nothing mindsets can cripple teams by dismissing new ideas and prompting premature dismissals. It argues executives should resist the reflexive “Nope, it’s not going to work,” instead mediating disputes and encouraging collaboration. Real‑world examples show...
Cracking the Code of Conflict: What HR Professionals Need to Know About Building Conflict-Capable Teams
Citation Canada’s upcoming webinar, "Cracking the Code of Conflict," will be hosted on April 30, 2026, featuring HR consultant Carlie Bell. It addresses how hybrid, generational, and cultural shifts make early conflict detection harder for leaders. The session introduces a...
Nista CEO Becky Wood on How Diversity of Thought Benefits Infrastructure Delivery
The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (Nista) celebrated its first year in April, having been created in April 2025 by merging the National Infrastructure Commission and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority. Under CEO Becky Wood, Nista is steering the UK’s...
On the Move: Latest Arts Sector Appointments
Susan Provan AO will step down as Festival Director and CEO of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival later this year, ending a 31‑year tenure that began in 1995. Under her leadership, MICF grew into the world’s largest dedicated comedy festival...
The Inner Game
Lisa Towles argues that today’s CEOs must go beyond financial metrics and embrace deep self‑reflection. A surge in ethical dismissals, younger first‑time CEOs, and heightened transparency have reshaped the leadership calculus. Studies from PwC, Spencer Stuart and Egon Zehnder show ethics,...
The Ripple of Accountability: Why CEOs Need To Hold The Mirror Up To Themselves
The article warns CEOs that a silent crisis—waning accountability—threatens organizational performance. Culture Partners’ survey shows 82% of employees avoid holding peers accountable, highlighting a cultural drift from ownership to blame avoidance. By reframing accountability as a privilege and modeling it...
An Interview with Matthew Abrams
Leadership coach Matthew Abrams unveils the five‑step P.E.A.C.E. Process in his upcoming book *Inviting Genius*, releasing August 4. The framework—Pursue Alignment, Extract Facts, Assess Story & Emotions, Compassionately Spar, Express Needs—transforms conflict from a threat into a collaborative engine. Abrams draws...