Nicole M. Sandford joined Ellig Group as its EVP and Global Board Services Leader in January 2020. She previously spent nearly three decades at Deloitte where she was appointed to roles of increasing responsibility, ultimately leading the firm’s regulatory and operational risk practice during a period of strategic transformation. Nicole’s client work at Deloitte focused on governance, crisis response and regulatory risk management across industries with a particular focus on regulatory remediation in the banking sector. She has helped dozens of public and private companies to transform governance, risk and compliance programs. She also served as the audit partner for a number of public technology and industrial companies. Nicole was the founding member of the Deloitte Center for Corporate Governance and creator of the firm’s board diversity initiative, hosting the signature Diversifying the American Board events for over a decade. She is a frequent writer and speaker on corporate governance, appearing at board programs for the University of Delaware, Yale, Columbia, Stanford, Rice, NACD, Financial Women’s Association, IIA, the Society of Corporate Governance and many others. She was named a Rising Star by the Millstein Center at Yale and also received the World of Difference award from The International Alliance for Women. Nicole has extensive board experience including her current roles as Chair of Girl Scouts of Connecticut and director of the Stamford Public Education Foundation. She is an Emeritus Member of the Advisory Board of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. She previously served as the audit committee chair and member of the CEO selection committee for both the Society for Corporate Governance and The Global Partnership for Afghanistan. She was also the chair of the Corporate Governance Committee of the Financial Women’s Association (FWA). Nicole is passionate about helping people with cancer as a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society and the patient advocate on the Greenwich Hospital Breast Center Leadership Committee.