AI

The kitchen sink committee – AI, Cyber, ESG, and now, tariffs. Are Audit Committees ready?

Leave a Comment / AI, Boardroom, Energy Transition & Sustainability, Governance, Supply Chain /

Audit committees have long been the mandated nexus of corporate financial reporting, internal controls, and risk management. Even though these committees face a full slate of topical oversight and compliance – financial, internal audit, AI, cyber, ESG, Sustainability, DEI – 2025 has also brought forward a new suite of risks. Namely, trade and tariffs, and geopolitical conflict. With so much responsibility across a broad spectrum of issues, have audit committees become the “kitchen sink” of corporate boards?

The kitchen sink committee – AI, Cyber, ESG, and now, tariffs. Are Audit Committees ready? Read More »

Board series: Will your next board member be an AI agent?

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Over the last two years, the AI conversation in boardrooms has shifted from “What is this?” to “How can we best deploy?” The next wave for early adopters is to advocate for including AI agents as de facto members of the board – embedded in the board portal, continuously scanning risk, proposing agenda items, and generating draft resolutions. For large multinationals, the question is no longer whether AI will set in the boardroom – it already does. The question becomes, how far should boards go in treating AI systems as quasi-members of the governance team? And, what does it mean for fiduciary duty, legal liability, and board dynamics?

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Board series: Markets moving faster than board skills – Facing the hard reality of AI, ESG, supply chain, and cyber

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In the next decade, the most competitive companies will be governed not by the most prestigious resumes, but by boards engineered for complexity. U.S. boardrooms are re-skilling under pressure from four converging forces: (i) AI deployment and risk, (ii) supply chain and ESG regulation that reaches deep into suppliers, (iii) increasing geopolitical tensions, and (iv) heightened investor scrutiny of board capability, disclosure, and refreshment. In 2025 and beyond, governance sophistication is no longer optional – it is a determinant of market value, stakeholder trust, and competitiveness.

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Management Briefing: The next frontier — How AI is transforming supply chains into a strategic asset

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The passage of The Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA) on Friday, July 4th, marks a decisive recalibration of U.S. clean-energy policy and incentive structure—elevating urgency, compliance, and strategic flexibility for corporations. The upending of financial incentives create a real-time operational challenge. Boards must respond by aligning capital schedules, fortifying supply chains, and taking out cost from their decarbonization strategies. How should enterprises evolve their capital allocation for operational effectiveness, ESG targets, and financial return?

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Board series: Self-driving supply chains – How AI is reshaping multinational operations for resilience, agility, and profitability

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Geopolitical volatility, shifting trade policies, and rising tariffs are redefining supply chain risk. More than ever, agility and transparency raise to the top of board and management’s priorities. Generative artificial intelligence offers powerful tools—predictive insights, scenario modeling, and real-time visibility—that can help enterprises anticipate shocks, ensure compliance, and sustain continuity. Moreover, agentic AI will allow companies to deploy “self-driving” supply chains to hasten decision-making and realize greater benefits of timeliness, cost-containment, and more. The challenge for directors is not whether to adopt AI, but how to govern its integration: ensuring management has the data infrastructure, talent, and oversight to capture value.

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Higher Education Brief: How could AI make campus more energy-efficient and greener

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From smart HVAC controls to emissions-conscious computing, artificial intelligence is reshaping how college campuses manage energy and emissions. But as colleges and universities embrace these tools, questions remain about scalability, tradeoffs, and who benefits most from the shift.

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Board series: The Kitchen Sink Committee – AI, Cyber, ESG, and, now, tariffs. Are Audit Committees ready?

Leave a Comment / AI, Boardroom, Energy Transition & Sustainability, Governance /

Audit committees have long been the mandated nexus of corporate financial reporting, internal controls, and risk management. Even though these committees face a full slate of topical oversight and compliance – financial, internal audit, AI, cyber, ESG, Sustainability, DEI – 2025 has also brought forward a new suite of risks. Namely, trade and tariffs, and geopolitical conflict. With so much responsibility across a broad spectrum of issues, have audit committees become the “kitchen sink” of corporate boards?

Board series: The Kitchen Sink Committee – AI, Cyber, ESG, and, now, tariffs. Are Audit Committees ready? Read More »

Board Series: Real Estate’s AI moment – opportunity and uncertainty

Leave a Comment / AI, Insights, Real Estate Brief /

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant frontier — it is a present and pressing force across industries, and real estate is no exception. From smart buildings and predictive analytics to generative design and personalized tenant services, AI has arrived with the potential to radically transform how real estate is developed, operated, and invested in. But as the sector races to adopt new tools, boards must remain clear-eyed: AI’s potential benefits for real estate firms are significant, but so too are the emerging risks. The AI revolution may bring as many new constraints as it does capabilities. In this rapidly evolving environment, directors must lead with balance — understanding not just where AI can unlock value, but also where it may strain the foundations the industry relies on, from energy infrastructure to labor markets.

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Telesto CEO & Founder Alex Kruzel releases new book, The Courage to Continue, at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Leave a Comment / AI, Banks, Boardroom, Built Environment Insights, Climate Risk, Corporate Director Insights, CPG, CPG Director, EcoVadis Brief, Energy Transition & Sustainability, Featured Insights, focus areas, Governance, Healthcare, Higher Education Brief, Industrial insights, Industrials & Manufacturing, Insights, Manufacturing, News, Not-for-profit, Real Estate Brief, REIT Corporate Directors, Supply Chain, Transportation & Logistics Insights /

“Has Sustainability failed . . . ?”

A provocative and critical question that was raised in last week’s public launch of Alex Kruzel’s, CEO & Founder of Telesto Strategy, book The Courage to Continue at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Patrick Shewell, Director of Global Packaging Sustainability of Mondelez, provided the expert moderation to an at-capacity audience full of public and private sector leaders. Watch full discussion: Securing a Sustainable Future in a Polarized Era

Telesto CEO & Founder Alex Kruzel releases new book, The Courage to Continue, at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs Read More »

From Corporate Strategy to Global Policy: The New Book The Courage to Continue Explores The Rationale For Corporate Sustainability in Support of President Trump’s Whole-of-Government National Security Agenda

Leave a Comment / AI, Banks, Boardroom, Built Environment Insights, Climate Risk, Corporate Director Insights, CPG, CPG Director, EcoVadis Brief, Energy Transition & Sustainability, Featured Insights, focus areas, Governance, Healthcare, Higher Education Brief, Industrials & Manufacturing, Insights, Manufacturing, News, Not-for-profit, Real Estate Brief, REIT Corporate Directors, Supply Chain, Transportation & Logistics Insights /

As global trade and security challenges continue to escalate as President Trump begins his second term, an insightful and compelling new book, The Courage to Continue, calls for a non-partisan approach to evaluate how businesses can effectively advance their environmental sustainability agendas and support America’s national security priorities. Authored by Alex Kruzel, founder of Chicago-based management consulting firm Telesto Strategy, the book prompts decision-makers across all industries and sectors with crucial questions and considerations for leaders to advance their corporate sustainability goals.

From Corporate Strategy to Global Policy: The New Book The Courage to Continue Explores The Rationale For Corporate Sustainability in Support of President Trump’s Whole-of-Government National Security Agenda Read More »

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