Edlynne

Laryea

Managing Director

Meta (Former)

Brooklyn,

New York

2026 Cohort

Industry

Consumer Staples

Area of Expertise

Artificial Intelligence

Immediately Qualified to Serve

Nominating and Governance

Previous Board Experience

Nonprofit, Private

Edlynne Laryea is a board director and enterprise operator specializing in AI-era transformation and commercialization. She brings what she calls execution intelligence: the ability to assess whether strategy, capability, and operating model are aligned to deliver growth and where structural gaps will limit performance. Her work focuses on helping organizations translate transformation into measurable revenue outcomes.

She is a Managing Director at Meta, where she leads a ~$2B consumer platform business and advises Fortune 500 companies including Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Mars, and Kraft Heinz on translating AI, platform shifts, and changing consumer behavior into commercial growth. Her work sits at the intersection of product, go-to-market, and revenue, helping organizations convert innovation into scalable outcomes.

Prior to Meta, she held international and global leadership roles at Unilever, Anheuser-Busch, and Johnson & Johnson, where she led brand P&Ls and enterprise transformation initiatives across digital, AI, and growth platform development. Across her career, she has been repeatedly deployed into high-uncertainty environments: declining performance, transformation mandates, and new market bets—to drive results and build organizational capability.

Her board contribution centers on diagnosing where organizations are structurally misaligned for growth and helping leadership teams translate strategy into effective go-to-market execution and sustained performance.

She serves as a Board Director at Smart Start Inc., a PE-backed safety technology company in Apollo Global Management’s portfolio, where she has guided commercialization strategy and contributed to exit readiness. She also serves on the Advisory Board of Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business and previously served on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Data Advisory Board.

Code of Conduct: Governing Data & Emerging Tech

Boards are no longer observers of emerging technology; they are stewards of how it’s governed. This panel goes beyond awareness to examine how directors can structure oversight, define accountability, and measure governance effectiveness in AI, data use, and digital innovation. Panelists will share practical strategies for building governance systems that ensure transparency, ethical decision-making, and responsible innovation at scale.

Speakers include: Sita Lowman, Nithya Das, Suresh Sharma, Byron Loflin

Your First Board Meeting: A Director’s Playbook

Designed for aspiring and newly appointed directors, this session offers practical guidance on how to step confidently into your first boardroom. Learn what to expect in early meetings, how to contribute with purpose, and how to quickly build credibility and trust among seasoned peers. Gain insight into board dynamics, unspoken protocols, and the critical questions new directors should be ready to ask and answer.

Tactics that Work: Case Studies in Navigating Shareholder Activism

In this tactical, director-focused session, participants will engage in case-based exercises to dissect real campaigns and pressure scenarios. From activist letters to proxy fights, explore how boards can craft strategic responses that reinforce governance integrity, protect corporate reputation, and align with long-term priorities. Walk away with actionable tactics and frameworks to strengthen board preparedness in the face of growing investor scrutiny.

Inside the Boardroom: Resilience Planning in Action

This interactive session places directors inside the boardroom during moments of disruption. Through tabletop exercises and real-world scenarios, participants will explore how boards can apply structured frameworks to assess geopolitical risk, anticipate threats, and make decisive decisions under pressure. Designed as a classroom-style session, this breakout provides practical tools to strengthen oversight and build a proactive board response strategy in an increasingly uncertain world.

Reputation & Response: How Boards Navigate Shareholder Activism

As shareholder activism intensifies, boards face mounting pressure to defend strategy, protect corporate reputation, and engage stakeholders with clarity. This panel brings together seasoned directors to explore how boards can respond effectively while maintaining credibility, board alignment, and stakeholder trust. Hear real-world insights on navigating activism in today’s high-stakes, high-visibility environment.

Speakers include: Gaby Sulzberger, David Cahoy, Rachael Coffey, Eduardo Gallego

Navigating Global Markets: Trade, Tariffs, and Supply Chain Strategy

As global disruptions reshape business models, this panel will explore how boards can navigate the practical complexities of trade, tariffs, and supply chain shifts across regions. Panelists will share how directors are guiding companies through regulatory changes, sourcing challenges, and new market risks, while seizing opportunities for growth and operational agility.

Speakers include: Titi Cole, Mia Mends

Strengthening Oversight: Risk Management and Board Resilience

This keynote will equip directors to think globally about risk through the lens of geopolitical foresight, cross-border tensions, and long-term instability. Learn how boards can strengthen oversight and guide enterprise-wide resilience by anticipating disruption and embedding a proactive risk culture in a changing world.

Speakers include: Rodger Baker