Dallas

GUARDING THE CORPORATE REPUTATION AND CREATING SECURITY IN A NEW WORLD ORDER  

The morning plenary coincides with this year's theme, the evolving role of senior in-house legal teams as the "Guardian of the Corporate Reputation." The panel, comprised of general counsel and board directors, will aim to explain how legal departments are guiding their boards on key issues impacting the enterprise, including innovation, geopolitical developments and risk management.

Moderator:

Gloria Santona, Baker McKenzie - Chicago 

Former Executive Vice President, Corporate Secretary and General Counsel of McDonald’s Corporation. 

Panelists:

Rhys J. Best, Chairman, MRC Global

Lawrence J. Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Fogo de Chão

Mary R. Korby, Independent Director, Darling Ingredients

Daniel W. Rabun, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Apergy Corporation, member of Board of Directors, Apache Corporation, member of the board and former Chairman of the Board, Golar LNG Ltd., and former Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ensco plc.

Session I   12:30 pm to 1:30 pm (Choose One Panel)

Option A: The Evolving Regulatory Landscape for Autonomous Technology

• Recent developments in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and autonomous technologies in the transportation sector
• Regulatory overview for autonomous vehicles, including drones, and mobility options in the US
• How legal issues impact the development of new autonomous technologies in the transportation sector
• Overview of current cybersecurity issues and challenges

Option B: Reducing the Risk of Inheriting an Enforcement Action: Compliance due diligence in M&A and JV transactions

• Which M&A team structures and practices enable effective compliance due diligence?
• Common pitfalls in conducting compliance due diligence and how to address problems
• How to integrate an acquired entity into your compliance program 
• Overview of M&A compliance diligence survey and lessons learned

Option C: Translating Tax Reform: The game-changer you need to understand

• What are the implications of the largest tax overhaul in three decades? What GCs and senior management need to know
• Understanding the changes to rules permitting repatriation of cash to the US – how will the changes impact M&A?
• How rule changes may impact current and prospective third-party and related-party transactions and planning

Session II   1:40 pm to 2:40 pm (Choose One Panel)

Option A: Protecting the Attorney-Client Privilege in International Transactions, Investigations and Litigation

• What are the inter-country differences in the attorney-client privilege?
• Recent court decisions on waiver in the context of cross-border investigations and litigation
• Best practices for mitigating the risk of waiver

 Option B: Enterprise Risk Management and Your Global Supply Chain

• How to mitigate risk and maximize value when structuring your supply chain
• What are the critical policy-related matters that impact supply chains, including trade agreements, import/export controls and crossborder transit, FCPA and anti-corruption, and other emerging legal requirements?
• Best practices for integrating enterprise-wide supply chain risk management, including streamlining diligence and ensuring compliance with disclosure obligations

 Option C: Financing Your Next Deal: Addressing geopolitical implications in Latin America and other emerging economies

Latin America

• How will the current geopolitical landscape impact growth and foreign direct investment in Latin America?
• Addressing the infrastructure financing gap – strategies for financing the growing pipeline of new projects in Latin America

Africa

• With solid growth projected in Nigeria but a looming infrastructure finance gap, how will projects be financed to support the country’s growth?
• How the slowdown in China could lead the country to invest more heavily in Africa, particularly in infrastructure

Session III   2:50 pm to 3:50 pm (Choose One Panel)

Option A: Anticipating Board Level Issues in Global Brand Expansion

• Trade wars, changing tax laws and global political uncertainty – what the Board needs to consider in global brand expansion
• Board-level concerns with global brand expansion – how to assess enterprise-wide risk
• Which mode of market entry makes the most sense from a risk management perspective?
• E-commerce, privacy and data security – understanding new dimensions of country risk, including new regulations, cross-border contagion and political risk

Option B: Emerging Trends in Advancing Corporate Diversity and Inclusion Goals

• Building a strong corporate culture that fosters diversity, professionalism and respect 
• Successful strategies employed by in-house legal departments to improve diversity in companies and law firms
• Interactive discussion of emerging trends, including measuring the impact of diversity initiatives

Option C: Top Trends in Cross-Border M&A

• CFIUS reform and how it will affect companies doing cross-border deals
• Strategies to consider based on trends in reps and warranties insurance
• The rise of carve-out transactions and how this may impact your business strategy 

Session IV   4:00 pm to 5:00 pm (Choose One Panel)

Option A: Conflicts Between US Legal Demands for Data and Global Data Protection Laws

• How to keep up with proliferating data laws
• Strategies for managing the increased legal demands for data
• How to identify conflict scenarios between US legal demands and non-US data laws and establishing a multi-layered approach to addressing conflicts

Option B: Spotlight on Doing Business in Mexico: What does the change in administration mean for risk management and business strategy?

• The impact of recent developments in major international trade agreements on multinationals operating in Mexico
• Best practices for tackling challenges presented by an ever-changing tax environment and what companies should consider to protect their investments
• The new administration – changes and considerations by industry

Option C: Distribution Channel Conflict in the Consumer Goods and Retail Industry: Managing the rise of e-commerce

• Channel conflicts – what are the causes?
• How to build brand balance and strategy for various distribution channels
• Managing, mitigating and resolving channel conflict
• Evaluating license agreements across distribution channels
• Discussion of best practices and how to turn problems into opportunities