Message from Roundtable CEO | | |
For the past 15 years, the Roundtable team has spent the summer meeting one-on-one with members. This annual exercise helps the Roundtable gain a better understanding of the trends across a range of industries, the challenges and opportunities for doing business in Massachusetts, and strategies for how the Roundtable can continue to refresh its agenda and enhance member value.
This summer, we met with over 60 members. Thank you to all the members for taking the time to contribute to this meaningful exercise!
We also recently held our 46th Annual Meeting, which featured a fireside chat with the new Secretary of Economic Development, Eric Paley. This conversation touched on issues important to Roundtable members, including AI, research funding, and how state and private-sector leaders can work together to move Massachusetts forward. We also elected new officers and executive committee members, including our new Chair of the Board, Jon Bernstein, Regional President, New England, PNC Bank. Welcome, Jon!
We've been busy at the Roundtable this fall, connecting members, advancing our policy priorities, and hosting conversations on the issues that impact the Massachusetts economy. We hope to see you at a Roundtable event soon!
Best,
JD
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Business Community Collaboration
This quarter, the Roundtable joined colleagues in the business community in collective efforts to strengthen the state’s competitiveness. These efforts included joint testimony on harmful legislation related to data privacy and GILTI taxes, as well as op-eds supporting clean energy and emphasizing the importance of the off-shore wind industry to the Massachusetts economy. The Roundtable will continue to collaborate with our business colleagues to ensure we speak with one voice and lead on issues critical to members.
Read and learn more in our Q3 2025 Policy Roundup blog!
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Summer Meeting Roundup
The Roundtable team spent the summer meeting with more than 60 members to gain insights into their industries and the overall economy.
Key themes from summer meetings centered on:
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Persistent Economic Uncertainty: “Nothing makes any sense.”
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Massachusetts Competitiveness is Under Threat: “Massachusetts is going to have an economic crisis in the next two years.”
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Downstream Effects are Worrisome but Offer Opportunity: “Nothing has hit yet.”
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Businesses Continue to Manage Through Uncertainty: “Many companies are pulling out their pandemic playbook.”
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Rapid Acceleration in AI Adoption: “Everyone needs to be AI literate.”
The key takeaways from these meetings were also recently featured in a Boston Business Journal op-ed, Employers can turn uncertainty into opportunity. The piece concludes: "By responding to uncertainty in the short-term, planning for the long-term, addressing the state’s competitiveness, and committing to becoming a global leader in AI, we can turn uncertainty into opportunity and make Massachusetts the most desirable place to live, work, and do business."
Read the op-ed and the Summer Meeting Highlights.
ICYMI: 2025 Mid-Year Highlights
This summer, the Roundtable shared its 2025 Mid-Year Highlights, featuring updates and accomplishments on our public policy priorities and other key initiatives from the first half of 2025.
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Board of Directors Meeting
Quarterly Meeting of the Board of Directors
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Roundtable Hosts Annual Meeting and Elects New Chair and Welcomes Secretary of Economic Development, Eric Paley
The Roundtable held its 46th Annual Meeting on September 16, hosted by Roundtable member Elissa Flynn-Poppey of Mintz. The meeting featured three main agenda items:
- Election of a new Chair and Executive Committee
- A report on the Roundtable's annual summer meetings with members and their implications for the policy agenda
- A fireside chat with Secretary Eric Paley
At the meeting, the Roundtable elected Jon Bernstein, Regional President, New England, PNC Bank, as its new Chair. Read the press release about the announcement. We also shared our heartfelt appreciation for Lisa Murray, Massachusetts President, Citizens, for her leadership as Chair over the past two years. Following the election, Tonja Mettlach shared the key takeaways from the summer meetings.
The highlight of the meeting was a fireside chat between JD Chesloff and Secretary Paley, who discussed the Secretary’s background, how the business community can collaborate with the administration, and key issues such as AI, research funding, and innovation. View photos from the meeting.
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Welcome to the Roundtable
Please join us in welcoming new members who joined the Roundtable this past quarter!
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Christopher Garcia
Senior Vice President,
Corporate Legal
Dell
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Patrick Gilligan
CEO
Point32Health
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Freddie Jacobs Jr.
CEO
Global Trust Company/Northeast Retirement Services, LLC
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Fiona Mack
Head East North America, External Scientific Innovation
Johnson & Johnson
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Jonathan Sanchez
Head of Middle Market Banking
M&T Bank
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Matthew Walsh
Regional Head of State and Local Public Policy–East
Waymo
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Open Forum Recaps
SEPTEMBER OPEN FORUM
The September Open Forum featured a presentation by Roundtable member organization KPMG on its Back-to-School Survey, which provided insights into anticipated consumer spending trends and their potential impact on business and the economy. The survey, which reflected the views of more than 2,000 U.S. consumers, revealed how rising costs are prompting families to reprioritize their budgets, with spending shifting toward essentials such as groceries, personal care, and medications.
We were pleased to be joined by Eric Turner, Partner and Commercial Clients Audit Practice Leader at KPMG, who led the discussion and explored how these shifts in consumer behavior may affect workforce readiness, household budgeting, and community investment—issues that directly influence the region’s talent pipeline and economic competitiveness. Attendees shared how they and their clients are navigating these changes.
Resources shared during the forum:
OCTOBER OPEN FORUM
In lieu of the October Open Forum, the Roundtable co-hosted a virtual meeting with the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education (MBAE) and the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF) to gather feedback from the business community on a potential new high school graduation standard to replace the MCAS graduation requirement, which was eliminated through a ballot initiative last fall.
Key results from a pulse poll during the forum found:
- 92% of business leaders agreed that Massachusetts’ high school graduation standard must include a standardized, objective assessment tool.
- 85% agreed that students should be held to the consistent, high-quality standards to determine post-secondary readiness.
- 88% agreed that Massachusetts high school students should complete a rigorous program that meets post-secondary requirements.
This convening provided valuable feedback from business leaders to help ensure that any new state standard promotes academic rigor, equity of opportunity, and post-secondary readiness. Review the PowerPoint.
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Guest Blog: KPMG Back to School Survey
As consumer spending habits shift, Massachusetts businesses are watching closely. Our latest guest blog, by John Capone and Eric D. Turner, of KPMG US, highlights insights from KPMG’s 2025 Consumer Survey—exploring how rising costs, value-driven purchasing, and cautious optimism are shaping this year’s retail landscape.
Read more about the survey and additional insights into consumer behavior in our latest recap blog on the Roundtable's website!
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Going Around the Table
Sharing a few highlights from member companies!
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 | | Jobs and Workforce Summit: In September, the Roundtable helped to organize and lead the 16th Annual Massachusetts Jobs & Workforce Summit at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill. This annual event is organized by the Workforce Solutions Group, a statewide advocacy coalition that plays a major role in shaping the Commonwealth's agenda for skills training and workforce development, and of which the Roundtable plays a leadership role in. This year’s event, “Strength in Skill: Empowering Massachusetts’ Workforce for the Future,” covered topics of interest to members, from tapping untapped talent to increasing competitiveness, to highlighting challenges and opportunities arising from recent federal policy changes. The Workforce Solutions Group also honored longtime Roundtable partner Nancy Stager, former President & CEO, Eastern Bank Foundation with the 2025 Kathie Mainzer award. A special thank you to Roundtable member organizations Eastern Bank and Google for sponsoring the event. Thanks to your support, the Summit convened over 200 attendees representing business, education, nonprofits, workforce practitioners, labor, government, and more. View photos from the day.
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State House Policy Forum: Mass General Brigham recently hosted a State House Policy Forum featuring three internationally recognized physician-scientists conducting groundbreaking research at Mass General Brigham. The event, hosted by Senator Friedman, highlighted the remarkable advances being made and underscored the importance of continuing to invest in research and innovation.
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Comcast RISE Initiative: Comcast recently announced the awarding of 100 grant packages to small businesses in Greater Boston through Comcast RISE, an initiative designed to fuel the growth of American entrepreneurs and strengthen local communities. Now in its fifth year, Comcast RISE is part of Project UP, the company’s $1B initiative focused on connecting people to the Internet, providing digital opportunity, and building a future of unlimited possibilities. To date, Comcast RISE has provided a total of $160M in monetary, marketing, and technology resources to 14,500 small businesses nationwide—underscoring Comcast’s belief that when small businesses thrive, communities thrive.
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The Role of Business in Society: In September, Bentley University released its third annual survey with Gallup on the role of business in society and how it is evolving. Key data from the survey found: (1) 51% of Americans want businesses to speak out on current events, up 38% from last year; (2) More Americans (43%) trust businesses than the federal government (31%) to act in society’s interests; and (3) 31% of Americans trust businesses to use AI responsibly, up 10 points from 2023. As stated by President Chrite, “The Bentley-Gallup survey provides a real-time view of where Americans think businesses are succeeding at making a positive difference in the world—and where they are falling short. These insights are invaluable because knowing what customers expect is the first step for good business executives to lead successfully." Read the full survey.
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New Leader at Takeda: Takeda recently announced that Rhonda Pacheco has been appointed as Takeda’s next U.S. Business Unit (USBU) president. Rhonda will succeed Julie Kim, who was selected by Takeda's Board of Directors to succeed Christophe Weber as President & CEO in June 2026. Rhonda, a Massachusetts native from Fall River, comes to Takeda from Eli Lilly, where she oversaw complex portfolios in a range of leadership roles, including successful product launches, most recently its GLP-1 portfolio, and delivered strong commercial performance. She holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a doctorate of pharmacy from the University of Rhode Island, where she was captain of the women’s basketball team. Congrats to Takeda and welcome, Rhonda!
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Expanding the Table
Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace
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MassSkills Wraps Up Skills-First Learning Communities: Last week, the MassSkills Coalition, co-led by the Roundtable, concluded its six-month webinar series focused on proven strategies for skills-first hiring, upward mobility, and data & measurement. The sessions emphasized peer learning and facilitated dialogue among coalition members. Thank you to all the Roundtable members who joined us for these sessions. Stayed tuned for more information from the Coalition on what's next!
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| | | Roundtable Celebrates ESOL Event at the State House: The Roundtable joined Secretary of Education, Pat Tutwiler, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, Lauren Jones, and Roundtable member Bob Rivers of Eastern Bank, and others to celebrate a $10M investment to expand access to vocational based English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and reduce the waitlist for existing ESOL programs statewide. At the Roundtable, ESOL is a priority issue because it helps break down barriers to employment and expand career opportunities for immigrants. This strategic and important investment will help employers grow and thrive statewide while providing a pathway to opportunity for untapped talent across the Commonwealth. In addition to the state’s investment of $10M, Eastern Bank Foundation announced its own $10M commitment to collaborate with the state and establish a new Career-Focused English Proficiency Initiative, which will create a career-focused, English learning system. We are grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Legislature for their leadership and commitment to developing a coordinated, statewide ESOL strategy. Read more in the press release.
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In Business We Trust Event: Join Bentley University, Gallup, the Roundtable, and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce on October 29 at 5:30 p.m., for a conversation: In Business We Trust—The Growing Expectations for Companies in America. The event, at WBUR CitySpace, will feature a panel of top executives focused on how business is shaping the future of our society. Learn more and register.
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Climate Beacon 2025: From October 22 to 24, join Climate Beacon for a conference aimed at bringing leaders and decision-makers together with experts and practitioners to chart a course to a more livable, sustainable future. Review the agenda and use "CanDo2025" for 50% off tickets by registering online.
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Leadership Forum on AI and the Workforce: Join Boston Consulting Group for a Conversation on how AI is reshaping industries, education, and the workforce in Massachusetts and beyond. The conversation, to be held on October 23 at 4:00 p.m., will convene a select group of leaders across sectors for a panel discussion on workforce implications of AI and how the state’s entire ecosystem can thrive in an AI era. The discussion will be followed by a networking reception. Register and learn more.
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Second Annual Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition Convening: Join the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition on November 3 at 11:00 a.m. at the State House for a morning of networking and learn from experts about strategies and best practices to support caregivers in the workplace. Register online.
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