Calendar of Events

 

Session Description:

Strategic portfolio management is one of the most critical — yet often misunderstood — functions in modern organizations. It sits at the intersection of business strategy, investment decision-making, and delivery execution, yet many organizations either don't practice it formally or struggle to explain what it is and why it matters.

In this conversation-style session, Aaron Hall, VP of Portfolio & Project Management at CARFAX (S&P Global) provides candid discussion about what strategic portfolio management really looks like inside a complex, growing enterprise. Aaron will share how he thinks about portfolio management, how it operates alongside product and project management, and what distinguishes delivery-focused project managers from those who can operate at the strategic level.

Aaron will share how CARFAX balances structured strategic planning, traditional project management, and agile delivery — and pulls back the curtain on a significant, ongoing transformation in how the organization makes investment decisions and delivers strategic solutions. The conversation also explores how Aaron's team thinks about tooling at scale, what has changed and what hasn't across his career leading organizations in industries from telecommunications to education to automotive, and how newer portfolio leaders can grow into this complex discipline.

Whether you're standing up a portfolio management function, evolving an existing one, or simply trying to better connect strategy to execution, this session offers real-world perspective you won't find in a textbook.

 

What you can expect to learn:  

• Define strategic portfolio management and articulate its valueto stakeholders, peers, and organizations that may not currently practice it — using practical language and relatable analogies rather than jargon.
• Differentiate the complementary roles of portfolio, product, and project managementand understand why organizational strength in all three is essential for delivering strategic outcomes.
• Identify what distinguishes a delivery-focused project manager from one who can operate at the strategic portfolio level, and consider how to develop those capabilities in yourself or your team.
• Understand how strategic planning, structured project management, and agile delivery can coexist and reinforce one anotherwithin a single operating model, drawing on CARFAX's real-world experience.
• Apply lessons learned from a large-scale portfolio transformation, including how to manage multiple dimensions of organizational change simultaneously, how to approach tooling decisions at scale, and how to navigate resistance while keeping the business running.

 

About the speaker:

• Aaron Hall, Vice President of Portfolio & Project Management @ CARFAX:  Aaron leads the Project Services team at CARFAX, a business unit of S&P Global (listed on the NYSE as SPGI). In this role, he has global accountability for portfolio management and project delivery; over 50 portfolio & project management, business analysis, and process improvement staff with delivery teams around the globe; and identification & implementation of best practices enterprise-wide. Aaron is also an Adjunct Professor within Virginia Tech’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. He has led several large-scale organizations and programs throughout his time at K12 (now Stride), AOL, NeuStar, Convergys, and BDM, and he is also a retired US Army officer who served for over 20 years in active and reserve aviation, engineering, logistics, and technology assignments throughout the world. Aaron holds the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification through the Project Management Institute (PMI) and held the Certified Scrum Master (CSM) certification through the Scrum Alliance for many years. He is a long-time PMI global headquarters (GHQ) volunteer and PMI Washington, DC (PMIWDC) chapter volunteer and Board of Directors member, holds a Master of Engineering Management degree and Master’s Certificate in Project Management from The George Washington University, and earned a BS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech. Aaron has been published and has spoken at public events many times, has been recognized with a number of PMI professional awards, is a proud Eagle Scout, and is an active volunteer with several youth organizations.

 

Talent Triangle PDUs:

Ways of Working:	1
Strategic Business Management:	0
Business Acumen:	0
Total PDUs:	1

Event Details:

Event ID:	20260310-01
When:	Tuesday, March 10, 2026 (7:30 AM - 8:30 AM)
Where:	Online/Virtual - meeting link will be provided with registration