New England Executive Summit
Hosted in Burlington Tuesday, May 5, 2026 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EDT
Event Overview
Every Decision, Obstacle, and Success Has Shaped the Leader You Are Today
The Vistage Executive Summit is your day to build on that experience through expert insights, meaningful peer connection, and practical tools that drive growth.
My biggest takeaway from the Vistage Executive Summit is the importance of aligning long-term planning with both business goals and personal well-being. Success isn’t just about short-term wins—it’s about building something sustainable over time. When both areas are nurtured, they reinforce each other, leading to more consistent progress and a better quality of life.
— Davinder Harcharan Singh, Vistage member and 2025 Executive Summit attendee
Event Speakers
Tara Bayke
Economist, ITR EconomicsAnticipating Changes in Business Direction
Anticipating changes in the market over the second half of 2026 and through 2027 will be essential for leaders preparing for the next stage of the economic cycle. ITR Economics expects approximately two notable shifts in business trajectory during this period, and understanding these movements will help leaders stay proactive rather than reactive.
This presentation will provide you with invaluable insights from ITR Economics’ latest forecast to help inform your decision making on how to navigate forthcoming changes effectively. By leveraging these insights and actionable recommendations, you can ensure your organizations remain resilient in the ever-evolving market landscape.
Rajeev Kapur
Author & CEO, 1105 MediaLeading Digital Transformation: 6 Key Takeaways for AI Success
The AI revolution is here—but adoption doesn’t happen by inspiration; it happens by execution that starts with you as a leader. In this presentation, Rajeev Kapur, author of AI Made Simple and CEO of 1105 Media, shares the specific steps leaders must take to implement AI successfully, and what they should be worried about. This presentation, tailored to the CEO audience, will include the tools you should use to turn your AI adoption into measurable productivity gains.
Anne Petrik
VP of Research, Vistage Worldwide, Inc. | Summit EmceeInflection Point: Growth at the Speed of Now
To navigate through inflection points in the business cycle, Vistage Research reveals that CEOs must focus on growth, talent, infrastructure and technology. Learn insights and sentiment from your peers as well as expert perspectives from trusted Vistage community experts in this presentation featuring the latest Vistage CEO Confidence Index data.
A deep dive into the economic forecast facing your market.
See below for a full listing of breakouts
See below for a full listing of breakouts
From Skid Row to CEO: Building Mental Resilience One Step at a Time
Celebrate your community's Vistage Member Excellence Award winners and finalists and connect with fellow peers. Refreshments to be served in the Marketplace.
Breakout sessions
11:20 - 12:20 PM
Financial Insights to Grow and Elevate Your Business Valuation
Presenter: Bob McDonnell, Business Development Director | Preferred CFO
Gain practical insight into how your business creates value. This session explores how mindset, team structure, and financial tools enable clearer decisions. Learn the difference between historical reporting and forward-looking planning, review essential financial tools every CEO should understand, and see how profitability, risk, and predictability influence valuation. You’ll leave with a framework to evaluate your financial foundation and identify next steps to strengthen it.
Topic: Financials - Financial Management
11:20 - 12:20 PM
Predictable Marketing ROI: A Framework for Guaranteed Outcomes
Presenter: Gretchen Adamson, Executive Advisor | Culture Index
Marketing shouldn’t be a black box. In this workshop, Lori shares her 12 Battles™ Framework—a proven system that reveals hidden gaps costing you growth and replaces gut instinct with data-backed decision-making. Learn how to uncover true customer drivers, conduct perfectly legal competitive surveillance, identify the touchpoints most responsible for a customer's decision to purchase, pressure-test strategies before spending, and build a pay-for-performance team.
Topic: Customer Engagement – Marketing
11:20 - 12:20 PM
Who Else has the Keys to your Company?
Presenter: Chris Brescia, Founder | Freshtech IT
One in twenty Vistage member companies will suffer a cyber breach. That translates to one in nearly every Vistage group. Many never fully recover. In this executive level session, Freshtech's Founder and Chief Cyber strategist exposes where hidden vulnerabilities threaten enterprise stability and value and how CEOs can proactively reduce risk. Includes a live cyber risk scorecard and practical steps to reduce exposure and strengthen recovery capacity.
Topic: Business Operations – Technology
1:15 - 2:15 PM
Beyond the Hype: Practical AI Solutions for Your Business
Presenter: Jon Adams, Co-Founder and President, SALIX Data
You’ve sat through countless AI presentations, but few focus on real-world applications, proven successes, and potential pitfalls. This session will equip you with actionable use cases, a clear understanding of what’s possible today, and a framework for evaluating future AI and automation opportunities in your business.
Topic: Business Operations – Technology
1:15 - 2:15 PM
Lead Your Market and Win More Customers in the Age of AI
Presenter: Bob Ruffalo, Founder & Chief Executive Officer | IMPACT
Learn how strong companies become the most known, trusted, and recommended brands in their market. Discover how market leaders use content, search, AI, YouTube, and social media to get found by more buyers, earn trust earlier, and influence decisions long before sales conversations begin. You’ll also see how the Endless Customers System™ helps businesses stand out online and consistently attract the right customers.
Topic: Customer Engagement – Marketing
Sponsors
National
Thought Leader
