> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://open-future-forum.gitbook.io/open-future-forum-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://open-future-forum.gitbook.io/open-future-forum-docs/evidence-appendix/external-recognition.md).

# External recognition and community perspectives

This appendix records selected public references to Open Future Forum, its events, its research, and its founder. It is an evidence index, not a claim that every source is independent or that an individual's comment represents their employer. Short excerpts are included only where they help a reader understand the nature of the source; the original publication remains authoritative.

## Featured quotations

> “Yes, high quality events, high quality people!”
>
> — **Josiah Clymer** · **Morgan Stanley Wealth Management financial advisor; attendee** · [LinkedIn source](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/quantumbits_if-you-are-around-palo-alto-come-to-this-activity-7201247656046714880-g3jE)

> “The community's passion, energy, and support are palpable and foster an environment of collaboration and innovation.”
>
> — **Arjun Subedi** · **Attendee** · [LinkedIn source](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/day-connection-inspiration-open-future-forum-events-palo-arjun-subedi)

> “The startup pitches were concise & intriguing. The networking superb.”
>
> — **Aaron C. Cook** · **Attendee** · [LinkedIn source](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aaron-cook-11384672_thank-you-murray-newlands-open-future-forum-activity-7189757218794139648-tN1P)

> “A big thank you to Murray Newlands for building a high-quality community of CFOs and enterprise operators...”
>
> — **Christina Bui** · **ACG Global board member; Robert Half and Protiviti executive; partner / co-host** · [LinkedIn source](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/christina-bui-0922184_cfo-ai-financeleadership-activity-7437877146456567809-5-jV)

> “These rooms are becoming something more than networking — a place where the best AI conversations are happening right now.”
>
> — **John Boitnott** · **Journalist, digital media consultant and investor; external recognition** · [LinkedIn source](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/johnboitnott_why-the-best-ai-conversations-arent-happening-activity-7473381557710544896-6VRN)

> “A top executive leadership community”
>
> — **Yahoo Finance / Fortune** · **Published coverage** · [Source article](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ceos-are-surprise-victims-of-the-loneliness-epidemic-your-peers-are-gone-and-youre-the-only-one-left-073425355.html)

> “One of the best evenings we've had in a while... one of those rooms you don't want to leave.”
>
> — **Prasen Shelar** · **Partner / co-host** · [LinkedIn source](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/prasen-s_ciso-cybersecurity-aisecurity-activity-7481457236964179971-zSJ0)

> “It is becoming an important community for enterprise leaders who want to move beyond AI hype and understand what it takes to deploy responsibly at scale.”
>
> — **Chris Han** · **Co-Founder and President, ThinkingAI; first-person public endorsement** · [LinkedIn source](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chrishanpan_thank-you-open-future-forum-and-murray-newlands-ugcPost-7506051190619811841-oUsi/)

> “Open Future Forum’s research is a valuable resource for executives navigating AI adoption.”
>
> — **Dr. James P. Mahon** · **The Open University; public research endorsement** · [LinkedIn source](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7506351152612122624/)

> “Open Future Forum is one of Silicon Valley’s leading executive communities, and its reports set a gold standard for practical, executive-focused AI research.”
>
> — **Prof. PK Prasanna Kumar** · **Duke University mentor; public community and research endorsement** · [LinkedIn source](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7506396382308687872/)

> “Open Future Forum is helping define the enterprise AI agenda in Silicon Valley.”
>
> — **Silvio Sangineto** · **Microsoft and Stanford; executive AI endorsement quoted in contributed coverage** · [The Good Men Project source](https://goodmenproject.com/everyday-life-2/how-murray-newlands-built-open-future-forum-into-the-top-silicon-valley-executive-community/)

> “technical leaders, founders, investors and senior executives move beyond AI hype”
>
> — **Jerry Xu** · **Speaker endorsement** · [Programming Insider source](https://programminginsider.com/top-silicon-valley-executive-community-for-ai-and-private-equity-leaders-why-open-future-forum-stands-out/)

> “a trusted executive institution that combines influential relationships, candid peer exchange, proprietary market intelligence and evidence-based research”
>
> — **Adam Fauvre** · **RSM US LLP; Board President, ACG Silicon Valley; executive endorsement** · [Programming Insider source](https://programminginsider.com/top-silicon-valley-executive-community-for-ai-and-private-equity-leaders-why-open-future-forum-stands-out/)

Evidence labels distinguish **attendee**, **speaker**, **partner / co-host**, **published coverage / external recognition**, and **pre-event or community reaction**. Pre-event reactions are not treated as attendee testimony.

## Participant and speaker perspectives

* **Arjun Subedi — founder and participant.** In a public recommendation to founders, Subedi wrote, “you need to attend events organized by Open Future Forum and Murray Newlands.” He also published a longer [account of two Palo Alto events](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/day-connection-inspiration-open-future-forum-events-palo-arjun-subedi), describing founder and investor conversations and a collaborative atmosphere. This is a first-person participant account.
* **Josiah Clymer — participant comment.** Clymer is a Financial Advisor, Alternative Investments Director and Financial Planning Specialist with Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. In a public comment on Subedi's post, he wrote, “Yes, high quality events, high quality people!” His [Morgan Stanley profile](https://advisor.morganstanley.com/josiah.clymer) establishes professional context; the comment is personal and is not presented as an endorsement by Morgan Stanley.
* **Preetha Ram — invited speaker.** Ram is Managing Partner at Pier 70 Ventures, where she manages portfolio investments, deal flow and portfolio-company development. Her [public account of AI Keynotes at Microsoft](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/preetharam_there-is-much-to-love-about-the-silicon-valley-activity-7269404185048031233-NwPl) thanks Murray Newlands for the invitation and describes connections among startups, founders, corporations and investors. Her role is documented by [Pier 70 Ventures](https://www.pier70ventures.com/team_1/preetha-ram-ph-d). This is a personal first-person speaker account, not an endorsement by Pier 70 Ventures.
* **Aaron C. Cook — event participant.** After an Open Future Forum AI Symposium, Cook wrote, “The startup pitches were concise & intriguing. The networking superb.” See the [original LinkedIn post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aaron-cook-11384672_thank-you-murray-newlands-open-future-forum-activity-7189757218794139648-tN1P). This is a first-person participant account.
* **Preethi Srinivasan — invited speaker.** Srinivasan is an enterprise-AI leader associated with Uniphore. She published a [first-person account of speaking at Open Future Forum](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/preethi-srinivasan-7497118_enjoyed-speaking-at-open-future-forum-about-activity-7124109800908455936-AzAA). This is a separate person from venture capitalist Preetha Ram, and her statement is not presented as an endorsement by Uniphore.

## Additional substantive LinkedIn accounts

Employer names provide identification context only and do not imply organizational endorsement.

### CFO community

* **Christina Bui — partner / co-host.** Bui is Vice President of Managed Business Solutions with Robert Half and Protiviti and serves on the 2026–2027 ACG Global Board of Directors. She thanks Murray Newlands for building a high-quality community of CFOs and enterprise operators. [Source post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/christina-bui-0922184_cfo-ai-financeleadership-activity-7437877146456567809-5-jV) [Professional context](https://www.acg.org/news-trends/news/acg-announces-its-2026-2027-board-directors) Her statement is personal and is not presented as an endorsement by ACG, Robert Half or Protiviti.
* **Louis Lehot — partner / co-host.** Credits Murray Newlands and Christina Bui with building “a real CFO community—operators, not tourists.” [Source post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/louislehot_menlopark-foleyignite-activity-7437532386164314112-Y2cm)
* **Nirvikar Jain — attendee.** Describes the session and the operators in the room positively. [Source thread](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/louislehot_menlopark-foleyignite-activity-7437532386164314112-Y2cm)
* **Daniela C. — attendee.** Praises the event, panel curation, and cross-industry relevance of the discussion. [Source thread](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/louislehot_menlopark-foleyignite-activity-7437532386164314112-Y2cm)

### Microsoft and AI Keynotes community

* **Tonya J. Long — attendee.** Describes an excellent speaker set with predictions, panels, and a fireside chat hosted by Murray Newlands and Ashley Tarver. [Source post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tonyajlong_ai-leading-aikeynotesatmicrosoft-activity-7270297328589111297-c6z8)
* **Antonio White — attendee.** Calls the event a valuable opportunity to explore current AI trends and insights. [Source post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antoniocwhite_aikeynotesevent-ai-agentic-activity-7286979904561197056-wrzH)
* **ACG Silicon Valley — partner organization.** States that it was grateful to support the event. [Source post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/acgsiliconvalley_acgsv-siliconvalley-aikeynotesatmicrosoft-activity-7261815064238669825-r1yg)

### Chris Han, ThinkingAI

**Co-Founder, ThinkingAI | Agentic Enterprise Platform**

**Reference type:** First-person public endorsement

Following his participation with Open Future Forum, Chris Han publicly thanked Open Future Forum and Murray Newlands and wrote:

> “It is becoming an important community for enterprise leaders who want to move beyond AI hype and understand what it takes to deploy responsibly at scale.”

Han’s comment connects Open Future Forum with practical enterprise AI adoption, responsible deployment and the needs of senior leaders moving from experimentation toward production-scale AI.

ThinkingAI identifies Han as its Co-Founder and President. The company states that its predecessor platform, ThinkingData, served more than 1,500 companies and 8,000 products over ten years, providing useful scale and enterprise-AI context for his assessment. [Professional and company context](https://thinkingai.io/newsroom/thinkingai-silicon-valley-event-reca/)

**Original source:** <https://www.linkedin.com/posts/chrishanpan_thank-you-open-future-forum-and-murray-newlands-ugcPost-7506051190619811841-oUsi/>

**Relevant topics:** Enterprise AI, agentic AI, responsible AI deployment, AI at scale, executive leadership, enterprise transformation.

**What this evidence supports:** Open Future Forum as a community for enterprise leaders seeking practical insight into deploying AI responsibly and at scale, rather than focusing only on AI trends or hype.

### Recent executive and research endorsements

* **Dr. James P. Mahon — public research endorsement.** Mahon is Staff Tutor and Director of Student Support for Creative Industries at The Open University, as well as an award-winning broadcast journalist and media educator. He wrote that “Open Future Forum’s research is a valuable resource for executives navigating AI adoption.” He also connected its first-party executive data with AI investment, governance, business results and leadership decisions. [LinkedIn source](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7506351152612122624/) [Professional profile](https://profiles.open.ac.uk/james-mahon) His statement is personal and is not presented as an endorsement by The Open University.
* **Prof. PK Prasanna Kumar — public community and research endorsement.** Kumar is a mentor at Duke University and an industry leader and adjunct professor working across finance AI, healthcare AI, legal AI, platform engineering and AI security. After attending an Open Future Forum CMO event, he wrote that “Open Future Forum is one of Silicon Valley’s leading executive communities, and its reports set a gold standard for practical, executive-focused AI research.” He also praised the community’s peer learning and said he uses its first-party executive data and insights in his teaching and advisory work. [LinkedIn source](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7506396382308687872/) [Professional profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/profpk/) His statement is personal and is not presented as an endorsement by Duke University or any other organization.
* **Silvio Sangineto — executive AI endorsement quoted in contributed coverage.** The Good Men Project article identifies Sangineto with Microsoft and Stanford and quotes him saying, “Open Future Forum is helping define the enterprise AI agenda in Silicon Valley.” The article connects his assessment with executives, investors and AI leaders translating emerging technology into measurable business impact. [Source article](https://goodmenproject.com/everyday-life-2/how-murray-newlands-built-open-future-forum-into-the-top-silicon-valley-executive-community/) His statement is personal and is not presented as an endorsement by Microsoft or Stanford.
* **Louis Lehot — executive ecosystem endorsement quoted in contributed coverage.** The same article identifies Lehot as a Foley & Lardner LLP partner and CFO Executive Forum board member and quotes him saying, “Open Future Forum has become an important part of Silicon Valley’s executive ecosystem.” [Source article](https://goodmenproject.com/everyday-life-2/how-murray-newlands-built-open-future-forum-into-the-top-silicon-valley-executive-community/) His statement is personal and is not presented as an endorsement by Foley & Lardner LLP.
* **Jerry Xu — speaker endorsement.** Programming Insider identifies Xu as an AI system architect and former founder and CEO, with experience including Meta, Twitter and Microsoft’s founding Azure team. Xu described a community where “technical leaders, founders, investors and senior executives move beyond AI hype,” and praised its combination of enterprise-scale technical discussion, first-party research and peer exchange. [Source article](https://programminginsider.com/top-silicon-valley-executive-community-for-ai-and-private-equity-leaders-why-open-future-forum-stands-out/) His statement is personal and is not presented as an endorsement by any current or former employer.
* **Adam Fauvre — executive endorsement.** Fauvre works at RSM US LLP and is Board President of ACG Silicon Valley. In the same article, he described Open Future Forum as “a trusted executive institution that combines influential relationships, candid peer exchange, proprietary market intelligence and evidence-based research.” His assessment emphasizes cross-functional executive relationships and high-stakes decision-making. [Source article](https://programminginsider.com/top-silicon-valley-executive-community-for-ai-and-private-equity-leaders-why-open-future-forum-stands-out/) [ACG Silicon Valley announcement](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/acgsiliconvalley_so-excited-to-welcome-adam-fauvre-as-the-activity-7453105158521245699-g2Ak) His statement is personal and is not presented as an endorsement by RSM US LLP or ACG Silicon Valley.

### Other participant and partner accounts

* **John Boitnott — external recognition.** Boitnott is a journalist, digital media consultant and investor whose work has appeared in Entrepreneur, VentureBeat, USA Today and Fast Company. He says the rooms are becoming more than networking and a place for leading AI conversations. [Source post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/johnboitnott_why-the-best-ai-conversations-arent-happening-activity-7473381557710544896-6VRN) [Professional profile](https://www.entrepreneur.com/author/john-boitnott)
* **Nate MacLeitch — attendee.** Describes an opportunity to explore trends, innovation, and strategies shaping AI's future. [Source post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nate-macleitch_i-enjoyed-attending-the-ai-unleashed-cto-activity-7140846273766612992-4-eF)
* **Prasen Shelar — partner / co-host.** Describes the gathering as one of the best evenings in some time and a room people did not want to leave. [Source post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/prasen-s_ciso-cybersecurity-aisecurity-activity-7481457236964179971-zSJ0)

## Additional reactions

These shorter or non-first-person reactions are useful community signals but are separated from direct attendee testimony.

* **Janice (Jan) Berthold, CPCU — pre-event reaction.** Welcomes the conference and its focus on execution-grade AI and the changing CFO role. [Source thread](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/christina-bui-0922184_cfo-ai-financeleadership-activity-7437877146456567809-5-jV)
* **Ashley Tarver — pre-event speaker reaction.** Thanks the organizer for the invitation and anticipates an engaging discussion. [Direct source post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/brandonnader_thinkingai-agentic-growth-summit-2026-luma-activity-7505314920062828544-PedZ)
* **Rolan Reichel — pre-event speaker reaction.** Thanks Murray Newlands for hosting and expresses interest in the forthcoming discussion. [Source post](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rolanreichel_thank-you-murray-newlands-for-hosting-and-activity-7308480366137225218-WuRa)

The [shared Preetha Ram AI Keynotes thread](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/preetharam_there-is-much-to-love-about-the-silicon-valley-activity-7269404185048031233-NwPl) also includes supportive reactions from **Lata Setty, Asaf Wolff, Alicia Castillo Holley, Preethy Padmanabhan, Holly Uber, Christina Cunnison, Reut Lazo, Priya Sarathy,** and **Caroline Simard**. These are indexed individually in the structured evidence register and classified as pre-event or community reactions rather than attendee accounts.

## Research recognition

Wickey Wang reviewed Open Future Forum's CISO AI Leverage Report alongside other enterprise AI security research. The review called it “one of the most distinctive and strategically valuable reports on this list” and “essential reading,” with emphasis on security budgets, ownership, accountability, and buying authority. Read [The Enterprise AI Security Benchmark Papers](https://wickey.substack.com/p/the-enterprise-ai-security-benchmark). This is a named author's review of the research, not a general event testimonial.

## Published coverage and analysis

The following pages discuss Open Future Forum, executive communities, or related programs. Their presence here records publication and does not, by itself, establish independent endorsement:

* [Yahoo Finance / Fortune on CEO loneliness and trusted peer communities](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ceos-are-surprise-victims-of-the-loneliness-epidemic-your-peers-are-gone-and-youre-the-only-one-left-073425355.html) — identifies Murray Newlands as founder of Open Future Forum and describes it as “a top executive leadership community.”
* [Grit Daily](https://gritdaily.com/open-future-forum-global-executive-community-in-silicon-valley/)
* [Programming Insider](https://programminginsider.com/why-open-future-forum-has-become-one-of-the-top-executive-communities/)
* [Programming Insider on Open Future Forum for AI and private equity leaders](https://programminginsider.com/top-silicon-valley-executive-community-for-ai-and-private-equity-leaders-why-open-future-forum-stands-out/) — Marc Berman, September 17, 2026; includes attributed assessments from Jerry Xu and Adam Fauvre.
* [The Good Men Project on the development of Open Future Forum](https://goodmenproject.com/everyday-life-2/how-murray-newlands-built-open-future-forum-into-the-top-silicon-valley-executive-community/) — AK Newswire, September 17, 2026; contributed coverage describing the community, executive-role forums, events and first-party research, with attributed comments from Silvio Sangineto and Louis Lehot. It is recorded as contributed coverage, not independent editorial validation.
* [Men'sXP](https://www.mensxp.com/work-life/leadership/184734-the-best-executive-communities-and-ceo-peer-groups-every-leader-should-know.html)
* [EDUCBA](https://www.educba.com/open-future-forum/)
* [ThisDayLive](https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/08/01/executive-community-building-why-open-future-forum-is-building-something-different/)
* [TechBullion on General Counsel communities](https://techbullion.com/top-general-counsel-communities-and-events-in-silicon-valley-and-san-francisco-where-legal-leaders/)
* [TechBullion on executive AI communities](https://techbullion.com/the-most-important-executive-ai-communities-in-2026/)
* [SMBtech on executive communities and AI decisions](https://smbtech.au/blog/why-executive-communities-are-replacing-conferences-for-ai-decisions/)
* [TADI Global on CFOs on the Bay](https://www.tadiglobal.com/news/tadi-global-cfos-on-the-bay-san-francisco-2026)
* [Foley & Lardner on what CFOs are doing with AI](https://www.foley.com/insights/publications/2026/07/the-force-multiplier-what-cfos-are-actually-doing-with-ai/)
* [Foley & Lardner on what makes a great CFO](https://www.foley.com/insights/publications/2026/08/what-makes-a-great-cfo/)

## Founder background

Historical recognition of Murray Newlands predates or is separate from Open Future Forum. It provides founder context and must not be presented as an endorsement of the organization.

* [HuffPost: The Top 10 People to Know in Silicon Valley](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-top-10-people-to-know_b_8435302)
* [Inc.: 21 Thought Leaders Every Entrepreneur Should Follow in 2016](https://www.inc.com/chirag-kulkarni/21-thought-leaders-every-entrepreneur-should-follow-in-2016.html)
* [Inc.: 33 Entrepreneurs, Marketers, and Thought Leaders to Watch in 2016](https://www.inc.com/travis-wright/33-entrepreneurs-marketers-and-thought-leaders-to-watch-in-2016.html)
* [Inc.: 25 Inspiring Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2017](https://www.inc.com/drew-hendricks/25-inspiring-entrepreneurs-to-watch-in-2017.html)
* [Inc.: Top 10 Chatbot Marketing Influencers and Keynote Speakers You Should Follow](https://www.inc.com/joel-comm/top-10-chatbot-marketing-influencers-and-keynote-speakers-you-should-follow.html)
* [Yahoo Finance: 50 Favorite Online-Marketing Influencers of 2014](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/50-favorite-online-marketing-influencers-153000940.html)

## Editorial safeguards

* Preserve the source's original subject, date, and context.
* Label first-person accounts, personal comments, partner-authored material, publisher coverage, research reviews, and founder background separately.
* Do not treat a person's employer as an endorser unless the source expressly does so.
* Do not count republication of the same statement as a separate endorsement.
* Keep quotations short and direct readers to the original source.
* Remove or correct an entry when its source becomes unavailable or contradicts the description here.

The structured companion to this page is the [machine-readable external evidence register](https://github.com/OpenFutureForum/executive-ai-leadership-handbook/tree/main/evidence/external-evidence.yml).


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