ROUNDTABLE BLOG
Biopharma’s Competitive Crossroads: Insights from KPMG’s 2026 Industry Outlook
By: Alasdair Milton, PhD – Principal, Life Sciences Strategy, KPMG U.S. The Massachusetts Business Roundtable’s February Open Forum featured a discussion on the evolving biopharma industry and its implications for our state’s competitiveness. The insights presented revealed an industry at an inflection point—one with significant growth potential but facing unprecedented challenges to the innovation ecosystem that has made Massachusetts a...
Do Americans Trust Business and AI? Bentley and Massachusetts Business Roundtable Lead the Conversation
Bentley and Massachusetts Business Roundtable Lead the Conversation By Helen Henrichs of Bentley University. Bentley University and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable brought together business leaders for a discussion focused on the 2025 Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report. The report reveals how Americans believe business is impacting society. The event in Boston included executives from leading organizations including: The conversation focused on...
Payment Stablecoins Under the GENIUS Act: What Business Leaders Need to Know
By: Jim Vallee, Greg Blase, and Andrew Glass of Nixon Peabody. Digital payments entered a new, regulated era in the United States with the July 2025 passage of the GENIUS Act. The GENIUS Act will create a federal/state framework for the issuance and regulation of payment stablecoins, which are poised to increase speed, lower costs, and add transparency to payments...
Crossing Boundaries: Building a Community Black Professional ERN in Massachusetts
By Lauren Nwagboli of the MA Business Roundtable, Leslie Vitrano, Don Pretty, Kenneth Woanyah, and Yrvanie Joseph of Schneider Electric. On October 28, the Roundtable co-hosted a workshop focused on exploring the creation of a community-based Black Professional Employee Resource Network (ERN). The event was inspired by member organization Schneider Electric, following an Open Forum they led last December focused...
Quarterly Policy Roundup: Q3 2025
This quarter, the Roundtable joined our colleagues in the business community in collective efforts to strengthen the state’s competitiveness. This included testimony on harmful legislation around data privacy and GILTI taxes, and our support for the DRIVE initiative. In addition, we partnered on op-eds supporting clean energy and emphasizing the importance of the wind industry to the Massachusetts economy. The Roundtable will continue to...
Spending Smart This Holiday Season: Insights from KPMG’s 2025 Consumer Surveys
By: John Capone, New England Hub Office Managing Partner, KPMG U.S. and Eric Turner, Partner and Commercial Clients Audit Practice Leader, KPMG U.S. This summer, KPMG LLP’s (KPMG) back-to-school survey highlighted how families are adjusting to rising costs and reprioritizing spending. The Massachusetts Business Roundtable’s Open Forum in September featured a discussion on how these trends are reshaping consumer behavior,...
No Borders: Climate Change, A Call to Action for All
By Lauren Nwagboli and Rebecca Yemo, Ph.D. On Thursday, March 27, the Roundtable’s Research and Policy Analyst, Rebecca Yemo, Ph.D. and Director of Operations, Lauren Nwagboli attended the ResilientMass Summit. The event was hosted under the leadership of UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, Governor Maura Healey, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. The summit is one of 10 regional summits inspired...
Celebrating Diversity
As we close out the first quarter, Roundtable staff took a moment to reflect on the past few months. With February’s focus on Black History and March’s spotlight on Women’s History, we took a moment to acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of Black Americans and women and reflected on the importance of celebrating diversity in all forms. Fundamentally, diversity is...
A Talent Agenda to Drive Massachusetts Competitiveness
The secret to Massachusetts’ economic success has historically been its ever-growing population of well-trained, highly educated, and diverse talent. For decades, this has been the Commonwealth’s greatest competitive advantage…and will continue to be. However, this economic strength is currently under threat due to three key challenges, namely: the high cost of living; the outmigration of talent; and the high costs...
Taking Aim at the State’s Competitiveness
With the passage of significant economic development and climate legislation this month, the Governor and legislature are putting a bow on a legislative session that will be consequential to the state’s economy for years to come. Bookended by $1B in tax cuts and nearly $10B in bond authorizations for key policy priorities, this legislative session took direct aim at addressing...
Bentley and Roundtable Gather Executives To Discuss How Business Impacts Society
By Helen Henrichs, Director, News and Public Relations, Bentley University Bentley University and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable brought together Bay State business leaders for a dinner and discussion focused on the results of this year’s Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report, which reveals how Americans believe business is impacting society. The event in Boston included executives from Alkermes, American Tower Corporation, Berkshire...
Quarterly Policy Roundup: Q2 2024
This spring, and during the busiest months of the 2023-2024 legislative session, the Roundtable engaged with external partners, the Healey-Driscoll Administration, and the legislature on a variety of issues impacting our members and the state. Through testimony on the budget, economic development, data privacy, and more, to engaging with the State Workforce Board and MassSkills Coalition, the Roundtable helped to...
What We Learned on Our Trip to D.C.
Last month, Tonja and I attended the Annual Meeting of State Business RoundtableExecutives in Washington, D.C., hosted by the national Business Roundtable. Thisannual convening provides an opportunity to share experiences, priorities, andcompare notes with peers from around the country. It is a productive forum to discussboth organizational and policy issues and is always a fascinating peek into the psycheof other...
Conversations with Business Leaders: Navigating the Challenges Impacting Growth in Massachusetts
Over the past month, the Roundtable, in partnership with McKinsey & Co., conducted a series of one-on-one interviews with Roundtable members to supplement our Annual 2024 MBR Talent and Competitiveness Survey. These conversations have allowed us to explore some of the challenges businesses in the state and across different sectors are facing and how we can better partner with state...
Quarterly Policy Roundup: Q1 2024
Over the past three months, the Roundtable has been working with the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the legislature, and external partners on some of the biggest issues impacting the Commonwealth. Through our Talent Agenda, we have framed conversations around the types of policy priorities and investments that help attract, retain, develop, and diversify our Commonwealth’s talent pool and pipeline to meet the...
Black History Month: Reflections from Roundtable Staff
On February 14, in recognition and celebration of Black History Month, Roundtable staff visited the Museum of African American History. This reflective experience involved learning about the history of the abolitionist movement in Boston, the people involved, the community that supported it, and the places where the movement was born. We toured the Abiel Smith School, the state’s first African...
Roundtable Members Discuss Impact of Business on Society
By Helen Henrichs, Director, News and Public Relations, Bentley University Do Americans trust businesses to use AI responsibly? When should companies speak out on social and political issues? Should companies consider a four-day workweek? These were some of the topics discussed by Roundtable members during a dinner co-hosted by the Roundtable and Bentley University. The conversation focused on this year’s Bentley-Gallup...
Quarterly Policy Roundup: Q3 2023
Over the past three months, the Roundtable’s policy work has been guided by our Talent Agenda, framed by three pillars: Talent Recruitment and Retention; Talent Development; and Talent Diversity. We have engaged on issues around tax relief, in-state tuition for immigrants, early childhood education, pay equity, apprenticeship, MCAS, and more. Below is a short summary of our activities this quarter: Talent...
What We Heard This Summer in Our Roundtable Member Meetings
During our annual series of conversations with almost 50 Roundtable members this summer about their business, their industry, and the economy, one quote stood out: “The economy is throwing everyone for a loop.” There are high interest rates but low unemployment. It’s still hard to find workers in some industries, but the labor market has cooled. Inflation was up, then...
Health Equity in Massachusetts and Why it Matters
On Tuesday, June 13th, the Health Equity Compact of Massachusetts convened its first Health Equity Trends Summit. The event brought together over 700 people including leaders in the public and private sector for a public discussion of health equity in the Commonwealth. Key issues discussed include roadblocks and resolutions to address health inequity, the economic case for Massachusetts health equity...