Highlights from the 2025 ALUMS Conference & Awards

EnterpriseAlumni hosted The ALUMS 2025 Conference & Awards on November 20–21, 2025, at the buzzing Times Square EDITION Hotel in New York City. Senior alumni managers, HR executives, academics, and industry leaders gathered to exchange strategies for advancing corporate alumni programs through targeted sessions and collaboration.

Sessions explored alumni ROI, AI integration, human capital strategies, and leadership challenges. Key panels like “Who Owns Alumni?” featured Brigitte Trafford (Howden), Charlotte Wager (Jenner & Block), and Kathleen Orlin (IBM), complemented by workshops such as Dr. Matt Call’s on emerging alumni opportunities.

Influential speakers included Chris Yeh (The Alliance co-author) in a fireside chat on talent evolution; Maya Leibman (former CIO, American Airlines), Rochelle Rivas (Ember Group), and Steven Leist (CTO, Progyny) on alumni-driven transformation; and Professors Ali Dachner & Erin Makarius (HBR contributors) on designing alumni roles. Joe Ham-Silvestre (Genentech) highlighted executive sponsorship’s “flywheel effect,” while Jillian Kaminski (BlackRock) shared insights on global networks.

One of the biggest draws of The ALUMS has always been the people, and this year was no exception. The conference created a rare space for alumni leaders to gather with others who truly understand the field—sharing challenges, trading ideas, and forming new relationships. This sense of cross‑industry community remains one of the event’s strongest differentiators, helping attendees forge meaningful connections and build relationships with peers committed to elevating alumni engagement.

The event concluded with the November 20 gala dinner at the Times Square EDITION, where judges Maya Leibman, Brigitte Trafford, and Mike Ettling (Unit4 CEO) presented awards in categories like “Alumni Program of the Year” and “Lifetime Achievement,” recognizing excellence in alumni engagement.

To learn more about the ALUMS look here. 

About Enterprise Alumni:

EnterpriseAlumni is the leading alumni management platform for global enterprises. Our platform is purpose‑built for corporate alumni engagement, making it the best‑in‑class solution for re‑engaging former colleagues and integrating alumni into strategies for growth. We help organizations unlock recruiting, sales, and marketing value by activating and engaging their former employees. Companies from mid‑sized businesses to the Fortune 50 rely on EnterpriseAlumni to build community, strengthen commercial connectivity, and drive measurable business impact.

For more information and media inquiries contact media@enterprisealumni.com