You’ve locked in your spot at Elevate 2026 — your chance to master AI-powered strategies for governance, risk, compliance and audit. But here's the real question: how do you make sure you walk away with lasting value, not just a notebook full of ideas and a backlog of emails?

These seven tips will help you turn every session, conversation and insight into practical outcomes you can start applying the moment you return to your desk.

Before you land in Atlanta, get crystal clear on what success looks like for you and your organization. Ask yourself:

 I want to tackle? (Think AI oversight, modern risk reporting, tighter entity controls or stronger audit coverage.)

 — and where could AI meaningfully lighten the lift?

Everyone at Elevate 2026 is dealing with similar forces — rising board scrutiny, shifting regulation and new opportunities to use AI to reshape daily workflows. The clearer your priorities, the easier it is to pick the sessions and conversations that matter most.

Write down your top three to five goals. Keep them handy in an app or notebook and use them to guide where you spend your time.

2. Build a personalised agenda (with a little help from AI)

Once the detailed agenda opens, plan intentionally. This is about choosing the right slot and not just filling every slot.

 around core sessions for your role and goals.

 if you're in risk, compliance or audit to learn what’s working for teams facing similar pressures.

 that match your current systems so you leave with real “how do I do this on Monday?” takeaways.

 Download our Elevate 2026 agenda AI program file, pair it with a ready-to-use prompt and instantly identify the sessions most relevant to your experience and goals.

And don’t skip buffer time. Those short breaks are perfect for processing notes, sending quick follow-ups and having spontaneous hallway conversations that often become the most valuable parts of the week.

3. Treat sessions as professional development

Conferences move fast. It’s easy to drift into passive listening. To get real ROI, treat Elevate 2026 as focused professional development.

For governance leaders, the biggest breakthroughs come from deepening your understanding of roles, responsibilities and best practices — far beyond what’s covered in short local orientations.

Attending sessions that directly address your responsibilities,

 whether it’s board oversight of AI or stronger risk and compliance reporting — with select sessions eligible for professional credit.

 on workflow optimization, analytics or AI-powered capabilities you can apply immediately.

Using each session to pressure-test your current approach

Think of Elevate 2026 as an investment in your skills and career. Every session you attend strengthens the skills and insight you bring to your board.

4. Make the most of hands-on trainings and labs

Elevate 2026’s biggest advantage is hands-on learning. Mastery tracks, workshops and solution clinics give you space to roll up your sleeves.

Come prepared with the challenges you want to solve so you can make the most of hands-on time with Diligent experts and trainers. The clearer your scenarios, the more specific and actionable your takeaways will be.

 Use Q&A time and office hours to walk through real scenarios. From automating agenda prep to aligning risk taxonomies, these small moments often unlock fast wins.

 Labs are a chance to explore what’s possible with AI, integrations and cross-product workflows. Capture screenshots, prompts and step-by-step notes so you can recreate what you learned later.

Treat these sessions like your personal test kitchen for new processes.

5. Network with intention: Before, during and after

Elevate 2026 brings together governance, legal, risk, audit and compliance leaders from more than 20 countries. The content is valuable, but the connections you build often last longer.

Browse the attendee list ahead of time and flag peers, speakers or Diligent experts you want to connect with during the event.

 At the end of each day ask, “Who did I meet today?” Focus on a handful of meaningful new connections, not a pile of badge scans.

 Compare notes with peers tackling the same AI, risk or oversight challenges you face.

Mix peer conversations with time spent with Diligent teams.

 Product experts, customer success and thought leaders can help turn “interesting idea” into into something you can implement next quarter.

Take quick notes on who you met and what you discussed. These connections often become your advisory circle for the rest of the year.

6. Spend focused time in the exhibit hall and Diligent booths

The exhibit hall is also where you can learn more about all the solutions that Diligent One Platform offers and get answers to your questions from our product experts.

 Pick two or three areas to explore, whether that’s entity management modernisation, AI-powered risk analytics or integrated compliance.

 Focus on Diligent solutions tied to your stack, and bring specific questions about configuration, adoption or workflow impact.

Ask questions to help you figure out what else your organization can benefit from and what AI features could have immediate impact.

Make the most of your time in the hall by engaging with Diligent specialists. These conversations often spark the practical insights and ‘aha’ moments you’ll take back to your team.

7. Turn your takeaways into a 30–60–90 day plan

The real impact of Elevate 2026 happens after you return to your desk.

 Reserve a debrief session on your calendar within a week of getting back to review notes and resources.

 For example: AI for board reporting, risk data quality, compliance workflows or transparency in public meetings.

 Identify quick wins, medium-term pilots and longer-range shifts.

Share a short summary with your leadership or board.

 Highlight three to five insights, recommended actions and any support you’ll need.

Think of this as your final Elevate 2026 session — the one where you convert inspiration into action.

Agentic workflows are quickly redefining governance

If your daily workflows still depend on manual coordination, spreadsheets or back‑and‑forth email chains, you’re already operating at a disadvantage.

At Elevate 2026, you’ll get a front-row look at how Diligent’s AI agents complete the work for you, so your team can stop being the integration layer and start acting as the orchestrators.

The organizations embracing agents today are the ones setting the pace for tomorrow. Elevate is your chance to see what they’re doing — and what it will mean for your own governance readiness in the year ahead.

Focus on the sessions and conversations that matter most, and use these 7 steps to maximize your Elevate 2026 experience into real-world outcomes for your team and organization.

If you haven’t registered already, there’s still time to 

. Elevate 2026 is where GRC leaders explore what’s possible with AI, test new approaches and return equipped to drive meaningful change.

7 ways to get the most out of Elevate 2026

It’s 8:32am and the day is already in motion.

A board pack needs revisions before lunch. A director is asking for access to AI summaries. A senior leader wants certainty that filings going out today use the correct Companies House forms and fees. And your inbox has the familiar request: “Can you tidy the minutes?”

 It moves between detail and decision, preparation and proof, oversight and follow‑through. When the work is connected, teams stop piecing context together and start moving confidently from one step to the next. For Legal Ops, CoSecs, GCs, directors and senior leaders, this post highlights the latest innovations across 

 — updates that support compliance, keep records clean and bring AI into workflows with the right controls in place.

Diligent Entities: Accurate filings, clearer workflows, global accessibility

Updates that keep filings accurate, everyday workflows smoother, and global teams better supported.

Current forms, correct fees, fewer rejections: Keeping UK filings clean and compliant

For teams managing UK entities, even small Companies House form or fee changes can derail an otherwise smooth workflow. Outdated formats or fees lead to rejected filings, lost time and unnecessary rework.

Diligent Entities stays fully current with Companies House requirements, with this month’s updates covering the new February 2026 fee changes.

Fewer rejected filings, fewer last‑minute fixes and a smoother governance chain end‑to‑end.

including CS01, IN01, DS01, LLP variants, RR01, RR02 and SH19 updates, so filings pass the first time.

 such as restoration, Scottish partnership and re‑registration forms, reducing the need to hunt for the latest versions.

 now in scope (e.g., EE FM02, EE MP01, RR09, SE CV01) covering more of what you file most.

A smoother experience for everyday compliance work: Find what you need faster, with less friction in the new UI

In daily entity work, even small friction points add up: Heavy documents, scattered records and uneven 

 can slow decisions and break flow. Diligent Entities new UI makes core pages easier to navigate with clearer views and smoother movement across the areas you use most, helping teams work with information that supports faster, more confident decisions.

 with clearer, more consistent list pages at both entity and top level — improved filters, refined ordering, better access rules and the ability to open related entities without losing your place. 

, including GSV SSO and in‑context chart access, reduce extra steps.

 with a default “me” filter, improved list‑view behaviour, preserved view mode when switching tabs, restored User Group filtering and clearer ordering for pending events.

 — Updates to individuals, Corporate Relationships, company details, UDF percentage formatting, tooltips and restricted‑cell indicators.

 Documents and Data Library filter/column/layout behaviour, tooltip interactions, AWS SSO token refresh and reminder‑urgency calculations.

Click the switch ( <-> )button in the left hand menu in Entities to turn it on!

See how Diligent’s own legal team uses Boards and Entities together to keep filings clean, move faster in meetings, and bring AI into workflows with the right controls.

See connected governance in action

Arabic language support, with groundwork that scales: Built for clarity, ready for expansion

Language accessibility shapes how intuitive a tool feels. For Legal Ops, CoSecs and GCs supporting Arabic-language colleagues, Diligent Entities is piloting Arabic across your most-used pages to reduce friction and make it easier for 

 even when everyone isn’t working in the same language.

validated by wiring key UI resource files into the Classic build, allowing review of screenshots for truncation, alignment and clarity.

— My Home, Company Details, Data Library and Shareholders — using translated resources and Arabic‑compatible fonts.

Diligent Boards: Structured minutes, clearer controls, smarter preparation

Updates that keep minutes consistent, give admins clearer control over GovernAI, and streamline preparation across every meeting.

Minutes that stay structured, even as meetings grow more complex

Global Templates. Smarter AI. Numbering That Works.

Minutes should read like a record, not a transcript. They need structure that stands up in reviews, audits and future reference. Diligent Boards now gives teams more control over formatting and language, with fuller AI‑generated drafts that help create clean, consistent minutes across committees and regions.

 (numbers, Roman numerals, letters) and the ability to start numbering from any point.

 Template support for all existing left-to-right languages, with the selected language applied on export.

 improvements so draft content is created for every sub-tab and section, not only top-level tabs.

GovernAI: Smarter support where governance decisions happen

AI works best when access and oversight stay as disciplined as the rest of your governance process. For directors, these updates remove friction when requesting the tools they need. For admins, they add clearer review steps, role-based permissions, and the ability to remove generated content when records need to stay clean.

Director access requests: Ask. Access. Review.

A simple request‑and‑review workflow now keeps directors moving while giving admins clear visibility into what is being requested, approved and used.

 appears in the GovernAI Learn More panel for each non‑shared feature, including Smart Summary, Smart Prep and Smart Risk Scanner.

 admins receive an in‑app notification and an email alert so they can approve access quickly and keep work moving.

Role-based GovernAI controls: The right access, at the right time 

GovernAI access reflects the different roles responsible for each part of the meeting cycle, giving admins clearer control over who can use which features across current and archived books.

Feature access can be set per user role, with separate settings for Current Books and Archived Books.

Control over AI‑generated content: Generate with confidence, delete with certainty

AI‑generated content supports many workflows, but there are times when records need a clean reset. Admins can now remove all AI‑generated content for a book, giving teams full control over what persists and ensuring the official record stays clear and compliant.

Admins delete AI‑generated content for a book from the GovernAI Hub on the Admin site

Once confirmed, content from Smart Summary, Smart Prep and Smart Risk Scanner is permanently removed and cannot be recovered

Never start from scratch: New templates to keep governance connected

Standardizing governance materials is one of the easiest ways to keep teams aligned, especially when committees change, new boards spin up or processes need to stay consistent across regions. 

 continues to expand resources that help teams move faster by starting from a shared baseline.

New board and board committee calendar templates created in partnership with Sidley Austin

UK board committee charter templates and courses developed with Ethics and Boards

Expanded committee terminology resources, including committee glossary templates

If you’re already a Diligent customer, log in today and start using these capabilities. Need help? Your customer success manager is ready to guide you.

 and see how Diligent can support your governance workflows.

All updates highlighted in this blog are live across Diligent Boards and Diligent Entities. Some capabilities may depend on your package or configuration — reach out to your Customer Success Manager to confirm what’s available in your environment and how to activate the right features for your team.

Some features require administrator configuration: GovernAI controls such as role‑based access settings and deletion of generated content in Boards, and updated forms or access rules in Entities.

Diligent One Platform customers can explore governance resources — including minutes templates, committee calendars, charters and glossary materials — in the 

Entities users can access walk‑throughs, videos and practical guides in the 

Access board materials and stay on top of meeting prep using the 

When governance connects, teams move faster: What’s new with Diligent Boards and Diligent Entities

Consider what unfolded in a single fortnight in January: The United States signaled intensified interest in the Arctic, prompting Denmark to include a NATO ally in its threat assessment for the first time. China expanded military exercises in the South China Sea, testing regional supply chain assumptions. Ukraine's conflict entered a new phase as European leaders debated security guarantees independent of Washington. Venezuela's political crisis deepened, affecting energy markets and regional stability. At Davos, leaders from middle powers – Canada, the EU and others – called for renewed multilateral cooperation as traditional alliance structures showed strain. Meanwhile, trade policy announcements and reversals arrived within hours, not quarters.

For any corporate board still conducting quarterly geopolitical reviews, these two weeks should serve as a wake-up call. The world now moves faster than board calendars.

Directors recognize the problem - but haven't solved it

Diligent Institute and Corporate Board Member's 

 survey reveals that boards understand the risk landscape has fundamentally changed. Eighty-four percent of directors report strengthening their scenario planning approach in some way. Nearly half have increased time spent on scenario planning and 49% have expanded the scope of scenarios considered. These are meaningful investments in risk oversight.

Yet 71% of directors do not incorporate geopolitical conflicts into their crisis planning scenarios, a significant gap given current volatility. Meanwhile, less than a third of directors worry most about "a black swan event we have not scenario planned."

The problem isn't effort — it's rhythm. Boards are investing more time, but the cadence remains periodic rather than continuous. Most directors receive real-time data only "sometimes," "rarely," or "never" between meetings. That means many boards are reacting to last quarter's world rather than today's.

From periodic to continuous: The shift required

Directors themselves are signaling the need for change. According to the survey, 47% want more frequent and structured risk discussions at the full-board level, and 32% seek clearer linkage between risk oversight and strategy setting. The survey also found that directors want their agendas balanced toward forward-looking discussions, yet most meetings remain retrospective.

When tariffs can be announced – and reversed – within hours, when regional conflicts escalate overnight, when alliance structures shift in days, quarterly snapshots become dangerously stale. Geopolitical risk assessment must shift from a calendar-driven exercise to an "always-on" discipline.

I’m based in Silicon Valley, where we seemingly have an app for 

. I believe that technology can help close the gap between the speed of geopolitical change and the pace of board oversight. Indeed, a quarter of directors surveyed also think enhanced use of AI-powered data and technology tools would most improve risk oversight. Yet only 23% regularly use such tools to support strategic decision-making, and 40% don't use AI at all for this purpose.

Imagine a "Geopolitical Intelligence Brief" – a company could create a proprietary LLM with the last 10 years of quarterly and annual reports and press releases, updated weekly, and partner with an AI company to create an app that continuously monitors global headlines, generating an automated morning alert for the board and senior leadership. Each alert would identify two or three potential implications for the company's specific business lines, markets, or exposures. Not definitive answers, but prompted questions: "Given overnight developments in [region], consider reviewing [exposure], [contract], [supply chain node]." This horizon scanning exercise would then connect dots between macro events and micro business implications – and notify management for a further discussion if warranted. Or the app could be queried about the effects of a certain geopolitical scenario on revenues or supply. This isn't about replacing human judgment – it's about ensuring directors have current information in a timely fashion when judgment is required.

Identify a few discrete issues – maybe tariffs, maybe technology, maybe distribution – where advance preparation for some kind of asymmetry will create a market opportunity, and plan for that eventuality.

Establish a geopolitical monitoring cadence between meetings: 

Designate responsibility for weekly or bi-weekly briefings to the board – even a single-page summary keeps directors current.

In this era of polycrisis, build compound scenarios: 

Combine geopolitical shocks with cyber, supply chain or economic triggers – because in the real world, crises don't arrive one at a time.

The difference between boards that preserve value and those that destroy it will increasingly be decided before a geopolitical event occurs – not after. This January's rapid-fire developments compressed what would historically unfold over months into days. This year, the question isn't whether your company will be affected by geopolitical disruption. The question is whether your board will see it coming – and whether you'll have time to act. Quarterly reviews assess yesterday's risks while today's threats materialise in real-time. The boards that thrive will be those that treat geopolitics not as background noise, but as a continuous strategic variable requiring always-on attention.

Always-on geopolitics: Why quarterly risk reviews are no longer enough

This article originally appeared in our January 29th edition of the Diligent Minute Newsletter. For more insights like these, delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe 

AI is top of mind for directors this year, the connective tissue linking growth, risk, human capital and compliance. That’s what we found in our 

 report, an annual survey of U.S. public company directors produced in partnership with Diligent Institute and Corporate Board Member. More than 200 directors shared how they’re navigating strategy, risk, talent and governance in an environment defined by volatility and technological change. The result is a rich window into what’s really on board agendas in 2026 — and what may be missing.

One in four boards view technological disruption, including AI, as among the greatest opportunities for their companies, yet only a small minority cite it as a top risk — highlighting an optimism that may not fully account for how quickly AI‑native competitors can upend business models.

Some headline AI‑related stats from the survey:

 of directors say pursuing growth through M\&A and strategic partnerships is a top priority for 2026, while 

 cite deploying AI technology across the business and 

 point to growth through new products or new markets.

 say technology adoption and integration will be a primary focus of capital investment in 2026, outpacing M&A and market expansion.

 of boards report that AI is fully embedded in risk oversight and decision‑making; 

 of directors expect AI and technology‑related regulation to demand the greatest compliance‑related board attention in 2026, and 

 say AI and technology regulation is the most underestimated area of compliance oversight today.

When asked how to strengthen risk oversight, 

 want enhanced use of AI‑powered data and technology tools, and 

 say access to AI‑powered technology for board work and oversight would help optimize governance processes overall.

Behind these figures is a widening governance gap

While AI dominates strategic conversations and investment plans, only 

 of directors say their board has strong AI expertise, and 

 rank technological developments, including AI, among the most challenging issues to oversee. 

 through composition, increasingly looking for directors who can pair traditional governance experience with practical, credible AI fluency.

Boards’ own use of AI also lags their ambitions

Despite the surge in digital tools like board portals, secure messaging and AI‑assisted briefings, only about one in five boards use AI‑powered technology regularly to 

support risk oversight and strategic decision‑making

, and very few have fully embedded AI into their processes. Directors themselves point to AI‑enabled analytics and dashboards as one of the most powerful levers to enhance both risk and compliance oversight, suggesting many recognize the gap and are actively looking for practical ways to close it.

Workforce implications are real and rising

Finally, the survey underscores that AI is fundamentally a people and skills story. Directors expect skills development and reskilling for emerging technologies such as AI and broader workforce strategy to consume substantial board time in 2026, even as workforce investment overall remains relatively underprioritized. They also anticipate that productivity monitoring, job redesign and redeployment, and the ethical use of AI in workforce management will require ongoing, deeper board attention.

Taken together, the findings paint a clear mandate for boards: treat AI not as a discrete project, but as a 

 that touches strategy, risk, compliance and talent. The boards that will lead in this next chapter are those that pair bold bets on AI with equally rigorous oversight — building the expertise, data and governance structures to ensure AI becomes a durable source of advantage, not an underappreciated source of risk.

Get the insights: Download your copy of What Directors Think 2026 

Diligent

Blog

7 ways to get the most out of Elevate 2026

When governance connects, teams move faster: What’s new with Diligent Boards and Diligent Entities

Your Data Matters