​​“21 Questions about CEO Succession” Book Launch with Stanislav Shekshnia

Impact Boards EM are delighted to invite you to a book launch webinar with Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Business at INSEAD, Stanislav Shekshnia on Tuesday 23 June 2026, 13:00–14:00 UK time.

This session will centre around his upcoming book 21 Questions About CEO Succession ​​which presents a definitive and practitioner-focused guide to one of the most critical leadership decisions any organisation faces. The book is the result of over 30 years of experience advising boards, owners and CEOs, as well as teaching executive audiences around the world. 

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Drawing on insights from more than 5,000 executives who have attended his renowned CEO Succession programme, the book is structured around 21 essential questions reflecting the real dilemmas of boards, CEOs and owners. It combines rigorous frameworks with practical governance tools and real-world cases from multinational corporations, family enterprises and entrepreneurial ventures. 

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Organised into four parts, the book addresses the foundations of CEO succession, the roles of key stakeholders, the methodologies for selecting the right leader and the challenges of transition and post-decision dynamics, including the growing role of AI.

This is an open event for both members and non-members of Impact Boards EM. Members can register below.

If you are not a member but would like to attend, you can express your interest by writing to us at info@iboardsem.com with your full name, job title and company for a complimentary registration.

Moderator:

​​Olga Pascault​ is Co-Founder and Chair of Impact Boards EM.

Speakers:

Stanislav Shekshnia is a Senior Affiliate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise at INSEAD, co-director of Leading from the Chair and Scandinavian Executive Institute Executive Board and Advanced Board development programs. His research concentrates on leadership, leadership development and effective corporate governance at emerging markets and organizations. Shekshnia is the author, co-author, and editor of 11 books, including Leading a Board (2nd edition, 2021), CEO School (2018), Athletic CEOs (2018), and more than 50 articles on corporate governance, entrepreneurship, leadership, people management and intercultural management.

Stanislav is a senior partner at WH advisors (Dubai) and provides advice and personal coaching to business owners, senior executives and executive teams. Since 2001 he has been an independent chair and director at a number of companies in the USA, France, Russia, Ukraine, The Netherlands and Serbia.

In 1991-2002 he held positions of CEO, Alfa-Telecom, President and CEO, Millicom International Cellular, Russia and CIS, Chief Operating Officer of VimpelCom, Director of Human Resources, Central and Eastern Europe of Otis Elevator. Stanislav has a Ph.D. and Master's Degree in Economics from Moscow State University, and an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston.

View Stanislav's LinkedIn profile here

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Rud Pederson is an accomplished international executive with more than 25 years of senior leadership experience across finance, general management and board leadership. He has served in CFO roles at Lenta, one of Russia’s leading retail chains, Carlsberg Eastern Europe and Korzinka, Uzbekistan’s leading supermarket chain. He has also held senior finance leadership positions with Cadbury, AstraZeneca, Levi Strauss & Co. and IC Group. Public disclosures confirm his prior CFO leadership at Lenta. 

Rud currently serves as Chair of the Supervisory Board of Umai Group, Kyrgyzstan’s leading multi-format food retailer and FMCG distributor. He has held board-level roles across both private and public listed companies in emerging markets.

View Rud's LinkedIn profile here.