NYC Spring EF Leadership Event
Agenda and Panel Details
Evolving Hiring Dynamics for Senior Executives
Date: May 28, 2026
Location: The Penn Club: 30 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
Agenda:
5:30 – 6:30 pm: Cocktails, appetizers and networking
6:30 – 6:50 pm: Opening remarks and Keynote (PE Operating Partner
6:50 – 7:20 pm: Moderated panel discussion
7:20 – 7:35 pm: Audience Q&A
7:35 – 8:00 pm: Networking
Register Here:
In Person Attendance: https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/DET3DAM5SCKU4
Remote Participant via Zoom (Click here to register)
Moderator:
Avi Sahi, President & CEO of Computrition, Inc.
Avi Sahi is President and CEO of Computrition, Inc., a healthcare technology company providing nutrition and foodservice operations optimization software designed to improve clinical and operational performance. Previously, Avi served as General Manager of Honeywell’s AI-SaaS Emissions Business and as an Operating Partner at OGCI Climate Investments, a $2B VC/PE fund. He also served as Chief Strategy Officer at Elevance Health.
Earlier in his career, Avi held roles in sustainable investing at NIKE Ventures, private equity at Perseus, a $2.5B AUM buyout fund, and investment banking at SG Cowen.
Avi earned an MBA from Georgetown University, completed graduate studies in Latin American Economics at New York University, and holds a B.S. in Finance from Rutgers University.
Keynote Speaker:
Anish Baijal, Corporate Vice President Global HR & Organizational Development
Anish Baijal is a recently retired Nissan executive and global human capital leader who spent nearly 20 years with Nissan leading large-scale organizational transformation, talent strategy, and culture initiatives across some of the world’s most complex international markets. During his tenure, Nissan underwent significant transformation and performance initiatives amid evolving shareholder and market pressures, many of which Anish helped operationalize through enterprise-wide talent excellence and organizational development programs.
Over the course of his career at Nissan, Anish led global human capital, leadership, workforce transformation, and organizational development strategies spanning North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, Japan, and Oceania. Most recently, he served as Global Vice President of HR, General Affairs & Transformation for Nissan’s AMIEO region, overseeing approximately 25,000 employees across 140 countries while also supporting global organization development and corporate culture transformation efforts across the Nissan enterprise.
Featured Panelists:
Cristin Bagley, Head of Portfolio Talent, Aldrich Capital
Cristin Bagley is Head of Portfolio Talent at Aldrich Capital Partners (ACP), a growth equity investment firm with $1.2B in assets under management. Founded in 2014, ACP invests in founder-led technology companies across healthcare IT, fintech, and application software.
Prior to joining ACP, Cristin was Vice President of Talent at Accordion Partners, a private equity-focused financial and technology consulting firm, where she led talent strategy and executed senior leadership searches. She has placed C-suite, board, and vice president-level executives across domestic and global markets.
Joseph Huddle, Partner, Heidrick & Struggles
Joe Huddle is a partner in Heidrick & Struggles’ New York office. He is the sector lead for the Private Equity and Financial Officers practices and is a member of the global Industrial Practice. Joe focuses on recruiting chief financial officers for public and private sectors, leveraging extensive experience with private equity sponsors. He is the sector lead for the private equity and financial officers practices at the intersection of industry, PE ownership, and portfolio company CFO leadership.
Joe’s industry sector experience spans light and heavy manufacturing, including discrete and process, value-added distribution, and business and industrial services.
Panel Overview
This session brings together leaders from global enterprise HR, executive search, and private equity talent advisory to explore how senior executive hiring is evolving in today’s market.
The discussion will examine how organizations are assessing leadership capability amid business transformation, economic uncertainty, AI-driven change, and increasing expectations for agility, culture leadership, and enterprise impact.
Attendees will hear perspectives from leaders who actively shape executive hiring decisions across multinational corporations, growth-stage businesses, and private equity-backed organizations. The conversation will move beyond generic career advice and focus instead on the real-world factors influencing CEO and C-suite selection today.
Key Themes
1. How executive hiring expectations have shifted over the past 24 months
2. The growing importance of transformational leadership, adaptability, and enterprise influence
3. Why strong candidates fall short during final-stage executive selection processes
4. Signals that increase confidence in executive candidates early in the assessment process
5. How organizations are evaluating leadership readiness in periods of disruption and change
6. What differentiates executives who successfully navigate today’s hiring environment
Key Takeaways for Attendees
Participants will leave the discussion with:
- A clearer understanding of how executive hiring expectations are evolving
- Insight into how organizations assess senior leadership capability and readiness
- Perspectives from leaders directly involved in executive talent, succession, and hiring decisions
- Practical guidance executives can apply immediately in career transitions, networking conversations, and leadership positioning