OUR TEAM
Leo Popik
Founder and CEO of Leading Peers
Leo is a servant leader passionate about helping entrepreneurs achieve personal and professional goals within a supportive peer-to-peer environment. In 2020, he founded Leading Peers and became its CEO, with a vision of transforming the organization into the most prominent global CEO community for professional connection, collaboration, and growth.
Leo’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2003 when he co-founded a travel company. Under his leadership, the company became a leader in inbound travel into Argentina. In 2004, he co-founded an agricultural company. In 2008, he exited those two companies to launch a company dedicated entirely to organizing international business events within Latin America. He led the company from its inception until it became the industry leader in Latin America.
In his 20s, Leo earned a Master’s degree from Harvard University in International Political Economy. He also worked in the modernization of the Argentinean government. He is the author of a book on international economics and several articles on business leadership and CEO professional development.
Leo’s mission is to live a principle-centered life, to love his family deeply, and to help a million servant leaders reach their full potential.
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David Sanderson
Area Director, South Florida
David has more than 25 years of international management experience with Global 1000 companies in consumer products, technology, and consulting.
Since 2003, David has leveraged his unique experience in training, people development and change management as an advisor to global technology leaders. He has worked with hardware and capital equipment clients (Fortune 500) including Nokia, Siemens, GE Healthcare and Lam Research and software/IT companies including Akamai/Software AG. He has also worked with several technology VC-backed start-ups.
A former lecturer at Boston University, David has delivered advanced learning programs to thousands of leaders worldwide, covering topics related to marketing, customer service, value selling and leadership engagement.
Based in Fort Lauderdale, he is fluent in English and Spanish.
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Joe Forgét
Area Director, Central Florida
Joe Forgét is a seasoned executive advisor and leadership team facilitator with more than 30 years of experience helping founders and executive teams navigate growth, transition, and complexity. He works closely with leaders who are scaling their businesses, shifting from founder-led to leadership-team-led operations, or preparing for mergers, acquisitions, or an eventual exit.
Joe is the Founder of Igniting Momentum, a leadership advisory practice focused on aligning purpose, people, and process to drive sustainable growth and enterprise value. His work centers on creating clarity at the leadership level and helping teams move from strategy to execution with accountability and focus.
Throughout his career, Joe has held senior leadership roles across marketing, operations, and finance, giving him a practical, operator-informed perspective. He is known for his ability to facilitate productive, candid conversations that surface real issues, strengthen alignment, and lead to better decision-making.
As a Board Leader with Leading Peers in Central Florida, Joe facilitates confidential peer forums where CEOs gain perspective, challenge assumptions, and grow through shared experience and trusted relationships. He believes peer advisory boards are a powerful complement to leadership team coaching and one of the most effective environments for leaders to sharpen their thinking and lead with intention.
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Diane Pallini
Operations Manager
As the Operations Manager for Leading Peers, Diane Pallini is dedicated to ensuring a smooth and engaging experience for all members.
She excels at building strong relationships with members, fostering community growth, and promoting active engagement.
In 2003, Diane and her husband founded LeetServers.com, which they successfully ran until its sale in 2020. Diane holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Safety Management and resides in Weston, Florida, with her husband and children.
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Chief Marketing Officer
CEO and Founder, The Dobbins Group
With more than 20 years leading marketing and communications teams and working directly with CEOs and business owners, Steve Dobbins has a passion for brand building, compelling content, audience engagement, purpose-driven business and growing dream teams.
As the CEO and founder of The Dobbins Group, Steve has led marketing efforts for Leading Peers since 2021. He and his team work with diverse clients including the Events Industry Council, 50/50 Women on Boards, Tiger 21, Prime Power and Alliance Resource Group.
A passionate leader, lifetime learner and eternal optimist, Steve believes in the power of business to transform lives and create a better world for us all.
Trained as a journalist, Steve has used his love for words, imagery and the storytelling process each step along his career. His leadership journey has taken him around the world, working in more than 30 countries and wearing many hats, from small business owner and entrepreneur at Spin Creative (1997-2009) to chief marketing officer for YPO (2007-2014) and senior vice president of member engagement at Vistage Worldwide (2014-2016).
He launched the Dobbins Group in August 2016.
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