Conversations Outside the Boardroom is our new recorded webinar series featuring discussions with people whose stories need to be shared. Kicking off this series is Maryann Bruce, experienced corporate board director and former accomplished Fortune 100 senior operating executive, who has lived through a number of close calls.
Maryann fled down 33 flights of stairs during the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. She evacuated a hotel during a tsunami. She experienced the aftershocks of the 1994 Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles. She was scheduled to fly to Boston on 9/11 but was escorted from the airport by the National Guard instead. And in 2009, she was aboard the airplane that made the emergency landing in the Hudson River in the event known as the “Miracle on the Hudson”.
These series of events shifted where Maryann spends her time, thoughts and energy and has led to lessons that she’s learned about board leadership. Maryann shares a portion of her story with us, as well as a few of these lessons, including:
- The right person at the helm can save the day
- Have courage in crisis
- Put the corporation ahead of yourself
- Stick to the script
