Speakers

Neela Montgomery is a global public and private markets CEO
and board director with leadership experience spanning consumer,
healthcare, technology, and retail industries. She is recognized for
driving transformation, accelerating digital innovation, and scaling
businesses across North America, Europe, and Asia. Her
leadership is defined by strategic vision, deep operational
expertise, and a commitment to building diverse, high-performing
teams.

Most recently, Neela served as CEO of Orveon Global, a beauty
collective including Bare Minerals and Laura Mercier, where she
led a rapid transformation back to profitability and rebuilt the executive leadership team. She was
previously a Board Partner at Greycroft, advising high-growth startups in consumer technology,
media, and healthcare.

Earlier, Neela played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic as President of CVS Pharmacy,
overseeing 10,000 pharmacies and 190,000 colleagues in a $90 billion division. Under her
leadership, CVS administered more than 55 million vaccines and tests, delivering critical healthcare
access to millions of Americans while achieving record revenue and profit growth.

As CEO of Crate & Barrel Holdings, Neela led a multi-year turnaround that returned the company to
profitability, grew revenues from ~$1.5B to ~$2.4B, and doubled sales at CB2. She repositioned the
heritage brand with a digital-first strategy, building an omnichannel model where e-commerce
reached more than 60% of sales, launching new concepts, and expanding internationally. Her
leadership strengthened sourcing, rebuilt culture, and developed a next-generation leadership team,
transforming Crate & Barrel into a growth platform.

Previously, Neela served as an Executive Board Member at Otto Group, overseeing multiple
consumer brands and acting as Executive Chair of Crate & Barrel. She began her career at Tesco
PLC, where she held senior roles across strategy, e-commerce, and international markets.
Neela is an experienced board director, bringing expertise in CEO leadership, strategy, digital
transformation, customer engagement, and governance. She currently serves on the boards of
Logitech (Compensation Committee, former Audit), Kibo (Vista Equity company), St. Jude’s
Research Hospital (Audit, Compensation, Investment Committees) and Boston Medical Center –
WellSense (Trustee). She previously served on Squarespace public board (Audit, Compensation, and
Special Committee for $7.8B take-private), Fetch and National Retail Federation Boards.

Neela has an MBA from INSEAD and a BA in English Lit from Oxford University. She is a Henry
Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, reflecting her commitment to leadership and social impact