Reynolds CEO and Lead Director to Present On Board-Level Communications Styles That Work

Tom Wajnert, an advisor to boards and CEOs and the lead director of the board of Reynolds American Inc., will join the tobacco products company’s CEO, Susan Ivey, in a forum to be held June 22–23 at the New York Stock Exchange.

Wajnert, a frequent writer and speaker on CEO-board relations, will be participating in the “Chairman & CEO Peer Forum” sponsored by Corporate Board Member magazine on June 22. The conference is designed for CEOs, independent chairs, and lead directors to discuss critical and sometimes sensitive issues.

Ivey and Wajnert will be leading discussion about the most important characteristics of a successful working relationship between the CEO and the board’s lead director. They will discuss their management roles; common challenges, how they communicate effectively, and the ways previous experience has contributed to their productive relationship today.

They also will discuss the pros and cons of splitting the roles of CEO and chair, a timely topic given the Securities and Exchange Commission’s recent expansion of leadership structure disclosure rules. Under those rules, companies now need to disclose why they have chosen to combine or separate the CEO and chair positions. Wajnert has written on this subject for another magazine, Directorship, at http://www.directorship.com/separation-anxiety.

The June conference details are at Chairman & CEO Peer Forum (www.boardmember.com).