HBS Alumni Forum — Your Personal Board of Directors

You've built something meaningful. You've succeeded by most measures. And yet.

There are things you're carrying — at work, at home, inside yourself — that don't have a place to land. Crossroads where the right path isn't clear, and the people around you either can't relate or have too much at stake to be fully honest.

And it's not only the hard things. Sometimes it's a triumph you can't fully share — a windfall, a breakthrough, a moment of pride — because the people closest to you are too involved, or might not understand what it took to get there.

What if you had a small group of peers — thoughtful, committed, bound by confidentiality — who could hold all of it with you? The struggles and the successes. The questions that don't have easy answers.

That's Forum.

A confidential peer group for the conversations that matter most

HBS Alumni Forum is a group of 8–10 fellow Harvard Business School graduates who meet monthly to share what's really going on — in their work, their families, and their inner lives. Personal crossroads, questions about purpose and meaning, the challenges of parenting and partnership, what it means to lead well — it's all on the table.

Forum is peer-led, carefully structured, and completely confidential. It operates in conjunction with Harvard Business School alumni clubs, bringing this proven methodology to HBS graduates across the country.

"Most HBS alumni events involve casually socializing with other alumni. In contrast, my HBS Alumni Forum has been the most impactful HBS-related experience I have had since graduating, allowing for far deeper and meaningful conversation."

Marc Zablatsky, MBA 1992 — Former President, HBS Association of Boston

Forum is for you if

You want a space where you can be fully honest — without managing perceptions

You're navigating decisions where the stakes are high and the right answer isn't obvious

You're asking bigger questions — about meaning, purpose, and what comes next

You value relationships built on depth and trust, not transactions

You're ready to show up for yourself and your peers over years, not months

"My Forum has helped me become a better president, a better husband, a better father, and a better person."

John Macomber, MBA 1983 — HBS Faculty

Why Forum works

Structure creates depth

Every meeting follows a proven format refined over decades. There's a rhythm: check-in, updates, presentations, experience sharing. This discipline is what gives Forum its power.

Experience sharing, not advice

Members share from their own experience — what they actually faced, what they actually did, how it actually felt. This is what creates the safety for people to bring what they're really wrestling with.

Peer-led, professionally supported

A fellow member serves as moderator. Every member rotates through this role. Moderators receive quarterly training, monthly support calls, and access to experienced facilitators.

Confidential, without exception

What's discussed in Forum is never shared outside of it — not the details, not the identities, not the substance. This is the culture of Forum, and it's what allows people to bring what matters most.

Long-term

The deepest value comes from years of showing up with the same people — watching each other navigate promotions and setbacks, health challenges and family milestones, reinventions and reckoning.

"HBS Alumni Forum has been the most meaningful learning and growth experience I have had since graduating."

Mike Weinbach, MBA 2000 — CEO of Consumer Lending, Wells Fargo

Forum membership

$600

Annual membership

Plus an annual retreat ($700–1,200 per person) and a one-time orientation fee of $600, which covers placement, training, a facilitated first meeting, and ongoing support.

Comparable peer group memberships — YPO, Vistage, Chief — typically range from $10,000 to $20,000 per year. HBS Alumni Forum offers a comparable experience at a fraction of that cost.

"This is by far the most valuable part of my HBS alumni experience."

Lilly Beshore, MBA 2013 — Forum Member, HBS Club of Colorado

Inside a Forum meeting

Check-in

Members arrive, silence devices, and reaffirm confidentiality. The moderator asks whether everyone is able to be fully present and trusting today.

Updates

Each member shares a brief overview of what's most significant right now — what's in their top 5% or bottom 5% across business, family, and personal life.

Presentations

Typically two members present, each bringing a real situation — a crossroads, a dilemma, something unresolved. The group asks questions to understand, not to solve.

Reflection

At the close, members share what they're taking away — not just from the presentations, but from the entire meeting.