The Wright Exchange Network
TWEN Executives Transitioning Careers
A twelve-week program for CEOs and senior executives considering their next permanent role, offered by invitation at no fee.
Where the executives went
Current alumni titles include CEO, CMO, CIO, CTO, CGO, CISO, CFO, CHRO, CRO, President, Managing Director, Board Director, EVP and SVP.
Why this program exists, and why there is no fee
Val created The Wright Exchange Network (TWEN) in 2019 because functional and industry events existed everywhere, but there was nowhere for creative, technology and business executives to come together, exchange ideas and learn across industries in a confidential, pitch-free setting.
The annual TWEN cohort program exists to increase the valuation of your company and the value of your career. Hand-selected executive cohorts meet virtually with Val each month, gather for a private retreat once a year and stay connected through a year-round private Slack channel.
Val recognized that career transitions become distinct at CEO and senior executive level. She saw that her experience could help executives define and find their next permanent role. TWEN ETC grew from that work.
This is intentionally a free program. Val waives the fee because when executives are in transition, there is not a company funding this investment.
To date, all 74 executives who completed TWEN ETC came through referrals or already knew Val through her speaking and corporate advisory work. Val is now marketing TWEN ETC more broadly so more executives can benefit.
The program is valued at $6,500 and is given, by invitation, to executives who are accepted.
This is a small part of what Val does. It is the part she gives away.
Who this is for
TWEN ETC is for executives committed to landing another permanent executive role.
You could be interviewing, still in an executive role, preparing to leave, between roles, or returning from a career break and wondering what comes next.
The program is for CEOs and executives who report to a CEO. Titles vary by company, and members hold titles including EVP, SVP, VP, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Product Officer, Chief People Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Revenue Officer and board director.
You may also be considering a board role alongside another permanent executive role.
This is not open enrollment. Val reads every application and responds personally. Meeting the published criteria does not guarantee acceptance.
Who this is not for
TWEN ETC is not for executives considering launching a consulting business or moving into fractional or interim work. Those paths require different support.
Board-only strategies are not covered in TWEN ETC. Contact Val Wright for different support options.
The room is consultant-free, vendor-free and pitch-free. Nobody in it is selling to anyone else in it.
What TWEN ETC alumni say
“Val gave me something I didn’t have: a tight, straightforward description of who I am, what I do, and what value I bring. The framework goes beyond that initial introduction to how you talk about your accomplishments and tell stories as you go through interviews, and it gives me a talk track I have in my toolkit now. TWEN ETC has also been the structure for my job search that I don’t think I would have had, had I been trying to wander through this crazy journey on my own.”
“Val fundamentally shifts how you think about leadership. She challenges you to look beyond your role and career to the impact you have as an executive, the culture you create, the teams you build and the relationships you cultivate. She pushes leaders to deliver meaningful business results while building high-performing teams and a leadership presence that creates lasting impact.”
“If you want to identify and land your next near-perfect opportunity, TWEN ETC is a tried and tested shortcut to accelerate your journey.”
“Best transition network I have been part of, both in terms of the content and the level of the participants and Val’s experience.”
Val Wright
Val Wright is an innovation and growth expert. Val leads the strategy work with CEOs and executive teams, from the choices that set direction to what those choices require across the business. She also designs innovation labs for global companies and recently facilitated an AI innovation lab for 24 global business owners at the New York Stock Exchange.
Val was part of the small team that built Kinect for Xbox. It became the fastest-selling device of all time, earned a Guinness World Record and contributed to a billion-dollar turnaround of Microsoft’s Entertainment business. At Amazon, she served on the fashion leadership team in the year Amazon sponsored the Met Gala.
Across three decades, Val has worked with, hired and advised executives. Her clients include Starbucks, LinkedIn, Microsoft, BMW, Amazon, Ingram Micro, Gartner and the LA Lakers. She is one of only 64 experts inducted into the Million Dollar Consultant Hall of Fame and the author of three award-winning books on growth and leadership: Thoughtfully Ruthless, Rapid Growth, Done Right and Words That Work.
Val leads The Wright Exchange Network (TWEN), an invitation-only network that brings executives together through TWEN Annual cohorts, executive breakfasts and TWEN ETC. She has delivered 15 cohorts across those three programs.
It does not have to be lonely at the top
Val knows how easy it is for an executive network to become dehydrated. After Microsoft relocated Val from the UK to Seattle, her roles at Microsoft and Amazon left little room for conferences, board service or media appearances. She was heads down, delivering results and prioritizing her job and company over her external relationships.
After years in the US focused on the companies she worked for, Val was known by people who had worked directly with her around the world. She was not known to executives beyond that circle.
Many successful executives have spent years increasing the valuation of their companies while giving little attention to the network outside them. A dehydrated network can be rehydrated. It takes attention, structure and time.
TWEN ETC gives you a confidential, pitch-free setting with a cross-functional group of executives going through a similar transition. A CMO can hear how a CIO interprets an interview answer. A technology executive can test a story with a people leader. Executives share perspectives across industries and functions without selling to one another.
What you will work on during the twelve weeks
Executive hiring works differently. At CEO and senior executive level, fewer people have the authority to hire you. Many roles are never advertised, and some advertised roles already have a preferred candidate. Opportunities are frequently created through trusted relationships before or even instead of any formal process.
TWEN ETC gives you a guided way to understand the unwritten rules of executive hiring and apply them to your own transition. The work includes:
- Defining your Perfect Job North Star.
- Sharpening your VAL-uable Executive Voice so you can explain who you are, what you do and the value you bring.
- Evaluating your Executive Digital Footprint and strengthening your reputation.
- Using the Executive Career Transition Funnel to understand where to focus your time.
- Evaluating, prioritizing and waking up your executive network.
- Identifying your Executive Column Ones and creating outreach that gets answered.
- Unlocking your achievements and turning them into compelling executive stories.
- Evaluating opportunities, companies and the people interviewing you.
- Preparing for executive interviews, assessments and unexpected questions.
- Demonstrating your brilliance without shrinking from it.
- Staying indomitable through the highs, delays and disappointments of an executive transition.
- Negotiating the compensation and benefits you deserve.
The work adapts to the pace, progress and live opportunities of the executives in each group.
How it works
- You join a peer group of 8 to 20 executives.
- The group meets virtually for one hour every Friday at noon Pacific.
- The program runs for twelve weeks.
- Each session combines Val’s content, proprietary materials, practical application, questions and candid discussion.
- The work continues between meetings through a private TWEN Slack community.
- You receive frameworks, tools and exercises to apply to your live transition.
- Each meeting is partially recorded so you can review Val’s content or catch up on the recorded portion if you could not attend live.
- The rest remains unplugged so executives can speak candidly.
- You receive copies of Val’s three books: Thoughtfully Ruthless, Rapid Growth, Done Right and Words That Work.
What is included
- Twelve weekly one-hour meetings with Val and your executive peers.
- A private TWEN Slack community where recordings and additional resources are shared.
- The ability to ask Val questions during the weekly meetings.
- The ability to post questions in the group or send Val a direct message through Slack.
- Val’s frameworks, tools and exercises to apply between sessions.
- Feedback from executives across different functions and industries.
- Three books sent to you as a gift.
- Executive compensation advice when you reach an offer, a unique feature of TWEN ETC.
What is not included
- TWEN ETC does not include scheduled or spontaneous one-to-one calls with Val.
- It does not include advice about your current company’s strategy, innovation or growth goals. That work can be scoped separately with Val.
- It is not an executive recruitment or job-placement service.
- Accepted executives who want additional one-to-one support may discuss paid advisory support with Val. It is optional and is discussed only after acceptance.
What protects the room
- Your membership of TWEN ETC is confidential.
- You may talk about your own participation. You may not identify other executives in the group or quote them without their permission and Val’s involvement.
- Your membership is non-transferable.
- There are no consultants, vendors, sponsors or press in the room. This is a pitch-free and zero-pressure environment.
- Introductions between members use a double-yes opt-in managed through Val.
- If you launch a consulting business or move into fractional or interim work, your TWEN ETC membership ends.
Apply to TWEN ETC
TWEN ETC is for CEOs and executives who report to them and are committed to pursuing another permanent executive role.
Val reads every application and responds personally. If you meet the criteria, you will speak directly with Val before an acceptance decision is made.
Once accepted, you will receive an invitation to the private TWEN Slack community and calendar invitations for all twelve weekly sessions.
Other ways to work with Val
If you are currently leading in an executive role and are not considering a move, learn more about the TWEN Annual Cohort.
If you are pursuing a board-only strategy, contact Val Wright for different support options.
If you would rather read before you speak to anyone, start with Thoughtfully Ruthless. It is the quickest way to work out how Val thinks.