Livestream: Lessons in leadership from H-E-B’s Craig Boyan

Place the Ladder live event promo: Craig Boyan, "Leadership lessons from former H-E-B President." Austin, TX — Oct. 22, 2026, 6-7 PM CST. Boyan smiles in an H-E-B store wearing a pink shirt and name badge.

September 22, 2026

October 22 | 6-7 pm CDT

Register for livestream

Join The Holdsworth Center for a Place the Ladder conversation with Craig Boyan, who spent 20 years in leadership at H-E-B, growing the Texas retail institution fivefold while staying true to the company’s values.

The conversation will be moderated by Holdsworth President Dr. Lindsay Whorton, live from our Campus on Lake Austin.

Boyan joined H-E-B in 2005 as chief strategic officer and was named president in 2010. Over his tenure, the beloved Texas retailer grew annual sales from roughly $10 billion to $50 billion by developing its own pipeline of strong leaders and stocking products tailored to each neighborhood’s unique needs, all while strengthening the people-first culture at its core.

Boyan will share what it takes to lead a values-driven organization through disruption and rapid growth; making high-stakes bets with conviction and putting talent and team ahead of short-term wins.

About the Speaker

Craig Boyan served as president of H-E-B, one of the nation’s leading independent retailers and the largest private employer in Texas. In January 2026, Roxanne Orsak succeeded him as president; Boyan retires at the end of 2026 after 20 years of leadership and continues to serve as senior advisor and a member of the H-E-B Board of Directors.

What built that record wasn’t chasing short-term wins. It was disciplined, long-term strategy paired with a deep, people-first commitment to the communities H-E-B serves. Boyan led through stiff competition and rapid expansion by making strategic bets and by protecting the culture as the company grew.

Beyond H-E-B, Boyan is Chairman of the Board for Junior Achievement of South Texas, chairs the Board of Trustees for Texas Biomedical Research Institute and sits on the Executive Committee of Greater:SATX, San Antonio’s economic development organization. A past General Campaign Chair for United Way, he graduated cum laude in economics from Harvard College and earned an MBA from Columbia Business School.