The Massachusetts Business Roundtable’s Board of Directors today unanimously voted to elect Bob Rivers, Chair and CEO, Eastern Bank, to serve as Chair during its 39th Annual Meeting, hosted by Foley Hoag in Boston. The Roundtable is a non-profit, member-driven, public policy organization representing CEOs and senior executives from companies in diverse industry sectors that employ more than 250,000 people across the Commonwealth.
Rivers, who has led Eastern Bank since 2017, joined the bank as Vice Chairman and Chief Banking Officer in 2006. Under his leadership, Eastern Bank has grown to become the largest mutual bank in the United States, while emerging as a corporate leader in community service, philanthropy and outspoken advocacy.
The Annual Meeting also featured a conversation with State Senate Majority Whip Michael Rodrigues and business leaders from a variety of industries focusing on public policy challenges and the Legislature’s priorities moving into next session, as well as efforts to strengthen the state’s competitiveness in regions throughout the Commonwealth.
Roundtable members during the Annual Meeting elected Cathy Minehan, Principal, Arlington Advisory Partners and former President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, to serve as Vice Chair of the Board. Additional officers elected by the Board include C. Jeffrey Cook, Chairman of Cohen Kinne Valicenti & Cook in Pittsfield as Secretary and Katherine Craven, Chief Administrative Officer for Babson College as Treasurer. Roundtable members approved a slate of leaders to chair policy task forces and serve on the Executive Committee.
“On behalf of our membership, I want to thank Marcy Reed for her dynamic leadership and commitment to the Roundtable, which had a significant impact on public policy during the past two years,” said Rivers. “Massachusetts is fortunate to have so many diverse businesses working to make this a great place to live and work. I look forward to working with Roundtable members to celebrate and highlight ways that businesses are operating as a force for good across the Commonwealth.”
The Roundtable’s mission is to strengthen the state’s economic vitality with the goal to make Massachusetts a highly desirable place to do business in the global economy. Its member-driven agenda includes a focus on public policy in the areas of talent, transportation, energy, health care and competitiveness issues. Marcy Reed, President MA and Executive Vice President for Policy and Social Impact, National Grid US, led the Roundtable Board of Directors serving as Chair from 2016-2018.
“The Roundtable is a highly effective advocacy organization because of the outstanding support, expertise and creativity of our business-leader members from every area of the state,” said Reed. “I want to thank the members and staff at the Roundtable for this terrific opportunity to support our shared goals to improve the state’s economy and continue the state’s leadership role on education, clean energy, health care and many other issues.”
“Marcy Reed is a rock star not only in the business community but all across our state,” said Roundtable Executive Director JD Chesloff. “I am enormously grateful for her guidance, hard work and leadership to make the Roundtable a better, more effective voice in the policy arena during the past two years. I know that Bob Rivers will continue the outstanding legacy of leadership demonstrated by Marcy, and we look forward to incorporating his vision, energy and activism into our work.”
The Roundtable’s member companies represent a wide array of industries across the state including high technology, advanced manufacturing, financial services, real estate development and construction, health care, energy and professional services. To learn more about the organization’s programs, policy work and membership opportunities, please follow on Twitter: @MABizRoundtable or visit online at www.maroundtable.com.