NABE CHICAGO Event

2026 HOT SECTORS: M&A, IP, AI, & TAX STRATEGIES

May 12, 2026, 1:00pm – 5:00pm CT

Location: Union League Club of Chicago
65 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL

Cost: $70 NABE CHICAGO Members; $90 Non-Members

Three 1-hour long sessions: 3 different Experts — that’s 9 Experts total — providing 30 minutes of discussion per session, followed by the Experts then joining the attendees’ roundtables for another 30 minutes of one-on-one discussion. NOTE: Attendees will rotate to a different table each time AND drinks & snacks are always available at self-serve refreshments table. Premium hors d’oeuvres and wine served in final social hour.

ROUNDTABLE 1: STATE OF THE ECONOMY & BUSINESS: (1pm-2pm, ½-hour experts; ½-hour table talks w/drinks/snacks) M&A, Taxes, Tariffs, Inflation, Interest Rates, Employment, Trade, Economic Incentives, Regulations—how are they affecting your business, your industry, your Intellectual Property (IP) value & future corporate growth?

  • Expert 1: Thomas Walstrum, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF CHICAGO Economist on The State of The US & Midwest Economies: Forecasts & Impacts of Wars/Tariffs.

  • Expert 2: Ping Liang, Chief Economist , NUCOR—the largest US steel manufacturer on The New Landscape for Manufacturing in a Policy-Driven Economy.

  • Expert 3: PLATINUM SPONSOR NERA’s MD, Vlad Starkov on Implications of Taxes, Tariffs, and Regulations on Intellectual Property and Economic Incentives.

ROUNDTABLE 2: BUSINESS & AI—Our Journey Together: (2pm-3pm, ½-hour experts; ½-hour table talks w/drinks/snacks) Deploying AI: Expectations vs Deployment and What’s Next with AI; AI with Human Workforce: Optimal Interactions and Concerns, The Legal Perspective: Transformation of Industry, Risks and Returns.

  • Expert 1: Khwaja Shaik, IBM Chief Technology Officer on The AI Accountability Gap: What Boards/Leaders Need to Ask, Answer; Prepare for in the Age of Agentic AI.

  • Expert 2: Gwendolyn Tedeschi, NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE Economics Professor & Department Chair on Critical Thinking, AI, Young Workforce Skills Development.

  • Expert 3: Oceana Wang, Platinum Sponsor NERA’s Global Consultant on AI & Value Creation’s Shifting Landscape: Tax, Risk, and Defensibility Implications.

ROUNDTABLE 3: WHAT SOLUTIONS CAN WE OFFER: (3pm-4pm, ½-hour experts; ½-hour table talks w/drinks/snacks) Speakers Discuss Possible Solutions for Already Mentioned & New Related Topics, plus prior Roundtable Experts Join in with Their Commentary.

  • Expert 1: Eric Welchko, President, HARNEY CAPITAL, an investment bank with 5 US major city offices—known for Designing Effective Creative Strategies that Resolve Challenging Financial/Business Situations.

  • Expert 2: Negar Sedghi, Cheese General Manager, BEL BRANDS USA—global manufacturer of cheese/healthy snacks (The Laughing Cow, Boursin, Baby Bel,…) on M&A, Turnarounds, Manufacturing Expansion, and Organizational Transformations to Capture Nutrition & GLP-1 Impacts on the Snack Industry.

  • Expert 3: Gary Meyers, Founder, THE MEYERS REPORT, on his Independent, Non-Partisan Think Tank’s 3 Top Economic Forecasts (93% accuracy,177 forecasts in ‘25/’26).

SOCIAL HOUR: 4PM – 5PM with passed appetizers and wine.

NABE CHICAGO
Platinum Event Sponsor:

REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT BELOW.


  




  
    
  




  
  
    
    
      
        
        
        
        
          

        
        
        
      
    
  




    

  
  

  



  
    
    


  
  













  

    

    
      
    
    

  

  

    

      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      
      

  
  
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