Commercial banking

Michelle Westfort, Chief Product Officer at InStride, is a globally recognized leader in post secondary education with over 20 years of experience. An integral member of InStride since its inception in 2019, she brings a bold sense of innovation to drive successful programs and partnerships derived from a humble immigrant family upbringing. Her career has centered around unlocking access to education from high school launch programs to adult career pathways and from digital transformations to workforce skilling. Her work has spanned marketing, business development, program design, and strategy at mission-centric organizations such as The Learning House (acquired by Wiley NYSE: WLY), Pivot, Navias (ASX:NVT) and Education Management Corporation.

Kathy Pattillo is a managing partner at executive search and leadership consulting firm Boyden, where she also serves as global practice leader of its financial officers practice. She has over 20 years of experience in executing searches for and consulting with finance-focused C-suite leaders, including CFOs, CAOs, CIOs and functional leaders in finance.

The latest revision to state regulators' guidelines for non-traded real estate investment trusts could change who can invest and how advisors can recommend the products to clients.

Nicky Brown is vice president of public policy and government affairs at HealthEquity. Her 20+ year career has focused predominantly on the benefits space in implementation, compliance, and advocacy.

Larry Mohr, CPA, MBT, is a tax principal with Baker Tilly's not-for-profit practice. He has 35 years of experience providing tax-related services for not-for-profit organizations.

New Fidelity research reveals how university professors approach retirement differently, offering key insights for financial advisors.

After right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was killed, some workers found out the hard way that personal social posts had professional consequences. Experts say the time for firms to strengthen policies is now.

The music superstar and Kansas City Chiefs football player together would have a vast fortune and are likely to need expert tax and financial planning advice.

Nancy Beaton, President of Uphold U.S. and CRO/CMO of Uphold Ambre Soubiran, CEO, Kaiko Raghav Chopra, Managing Partner, Tephra Digital Moderator: Holly Sraeel

Amit Ranjan is Executive Vice President, Global Head of Data and Risk Analytics at Xceedance, a global consulting, technology, and operations leader for insurance organizations. With 25 years of diverse experience, he oversees catastrophe modeling, actuarial and data insight services. He specializes in leveraging advanced modeling techniques, statistical analysis, and data-driven strategies to optimize underwriting, pricing, and portfolio management.

David Klasing Esq. CPA M.S.-Tax, is founder and managing attorney at the Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing. He has earned dual California licenses that enable him to simultaneously practice as an attorney and as a CPA in the practice areas of taxation, estate planning and business law. He provides businesses and individuals with tax representation, planning and compliance services, and criminal tax representation. He has more than 20 years of professional tax, accounting and business consulting experience, coupled with extensive knowledge about federal and state tax codes, regulations and case law.

Nicole is a strategic HR leader with demonstrated experience collaborating with all levels of leadership to drive successful People initiatives in dynamic and fast-paced environments. Known as an out-of-the-box thinker who offers creative and effective solutions to support an exceptional employee experience and drive high performing teams.

Her industry experience includes technology, wellness, consumer goods, entertainment, and aerospace & defense. Experienced with global organizations, both private and public, spanning start-up to established large firms. She is skilled in engaging complex, evolving, distributed, and diverse employee populations to achieve business results.

The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury issued final regulations on the new Roth catch-up contribution rule from the SECURE 2.0 Act.

In an earlier than usual announcement, UBS said it will update its 2026 compensation grid for U.S. advisors, aiming to curb departures and encourage more work with high net worth clients.

Hanna Bjornn is the Vice President of Product at Canopy Tax, Inc., where she leads product strategy and development for one of the accounting industry's most innovative SaaS platforms. With a career spanning both startups and established tech companies, Hanna has built a reputation for delivering customer-centric solutions that drive measurable impact and user delight.

Her leadership at Canopy reflects a deep commitment to solving real problems for accounting professionals—streamlining workflows, enhancing client collaboration, and simplifying complex tax resolution processes. Known for her strategic clarity and collaborative approach, Hannah blends technical insight with a strong understanding of market needs.

Older and younger Gen X clients have very different needs, goals and outlooks. Advisors who treat them as one group risk missing the mark.

Sandy Fernandez is vice president for social impact at the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, and head of Mastercard Strive USA.