Vermont Business Roundtable Announces Appointment of Next President [4.8.21]

Seth Bowden Elected to Lead the Roundtable

(South Burlington, Vt.)  Today, the Vermont Business Roundtable (Roundtable) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Seth Bowden, Executive Vice President at Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC), will become the next president of the organization. Bowden will assume the role from Lisa Ventriss who retires this year after 19 years leading the Roundtable.

Judy O’Connell, chair of the Roundtable Board of Directors and Managing Partner and CEO at Champlain Investment Partners, praised Bowden’s appointment. “We are thrilled that Seth Bowden will step up to next lead the Roundtable as Vermont transitions into a post-COVID-19 future, with a new generation of business leaders ready to address Vermont’s challenges and opportunities. Seth’s depth of experience in Vermont policymaking, his relationships with business and other critical stakeholders, and genuine understanding of servant leadership, made him the unanimous choice of the Selection Committee. I extend gratitude to the Committee, chaired by Michael Seaver, People’s United Bank, for their dedicated efforts to find the best next leader of this preeminent organization.”

Said Bowden, “The Roundtable and its membership have been, and continue to be, leaders in supporting Vermont’s economic future by championing responsible long term policy development. More acutely, the individual members will be vital in helping to navigate our emergence from the ongoing pandemic. It’s an exciting and dynamic time to step into this role, and I look forward to continuing the legacy and community that Lisa has spent the past 19 years cultivating.”

Additionally, O’Connell said, “The board greatly appreciates Lisa’s many contributions during her distinguished tenure to enhance Vermont’s economic competitiveness and preserve our unique quality of life and is especially grateful for her selfless year-long delay of retirement, in order to lead the organization through the COVID-19 crisis. “

Bowden will officially begin his new role at the Roundtable in May.

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The Vermont Business Roundtable (Roundtable) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of CEOs from Vermont’s top private and nonprofit employers, representing geographic diversity and all major sectors of the Vermont economy. The Roundtable is committed to sustaining a sound economy and preserving Vermont’s unique quality of life by studying and making recommendations on statewide public policy issues. Learn more at www.vtroundtable.org.