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Panel Proposals

Effective Governance

The Next Chapter: Critical Steps to Ensure a Smooth CEO Transition

Tuesday, April 7, 2026
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM CDT
Location: Baird Ballroom G
CE: 1
CE Type: SHRM
Education Level: Advanced
This session will be an open discussion sharing the experiences of MyPath, an ESOP that has been through two planned CEO transitions in the last six years, and will include both the current CEO and the newly appointed CEO of the company.

The current/retiring CEO will share his experience of taking over from an owner, and both CEOs will share their experience of the most recent transition earlier this year. They will share both positives and negatives: what went well and what they may have done differently if given the chance. Their conversation will include topics such as board interaction and involvement in the transition process, evaluation of potential candidates, communication with leadership and employee-owners, and other key aspects of a transition.

NCEO Publication: Leadership Development and Succession

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand key steps leading up to a CEO succession in your ESOP.
  2. Establish the key players involved in a CEO transition process and what roles they play.
  3. Learn best practices and how to avoid pitfalls in a CEO transition process.