diff --git a/docs/presentations/nova-leadership-deck.pptx b/docs/presentations/nova-leadership-deck.pptx
index 20774fb..120bed2 100644
Binary files a/docs/presentations/nova-leadership-deck.pptx and b/docs/presentations/nova-leadership-deck.pptx differ
diff --git a/scripts/render_pptx.py b/scripts/render_pptx.py
index 5e50c58..a1ddbef 100644
--- a/scripts/render_pptx.py
+++ b/scripts/render_pptx.py
@@ -310,9 +310,15 @@ def _strip_inline_emphasis(text: str) -> str:
     return text
 
 
-def _inline_runs(p, text: str, *, size: int = 18, base_color: RGBColor = BODY_TEXT):
-    """Add inline runs to paragraph `p`, rendering **bold** as red strong,
-    `code` as monospace, *italic* as italic. Other text is plain."""
+def _inline_runs(p, text: str, *, size: int = 18, base_color: RGBColor = BODY_TEXT,
+                 bold_color: RGBColor = None):
+    """Add inline runs to paragraph `p`, rendering **bold** as strong,
+    `code` as monospace, *italic* as italic. Other text is plain.
+    F5(b): bold_color defaults to RED (legacy behavior) but can be
+    overridden to base_color to de-emphasize bold on slides with many
+    bold sections (avoids a red wall)."""
+    if bold_color is None:
+        bold_color = RED
     # Tokenize on `**...**`, `*...*`, `` `...` ``
     tokens = re.split(r"(\*\*[^*]+\*\*|`[^`]+`|\*[^*]+\*)", text)
     for tok in tokens:
@@ -324,7 +330,7 @@ def _inline_runs(p, text: str, *, size: int = 18, base_color: RGBColor = BODY_TE
             r.font.name = FONT_NAME
             r.font.size = Pt(size)
             r.font.bold = True
-            r.font.color.rgb = RED
+            r.font.color.rgb = bold_color
         elif tok.startswith("`") and tok.endswith("`"):
             r = p.add_run()
             r.text = tok[1:-1]
@@ -588,7 +594,7 @@ def parse_slide(slide_src: str):
     }
 
 
-def render_title_slide(prs, slide_data, footer_text: str = ""):
+def render_title_slide(prs, slide_data, deck_dir: Path, footer_text: str = ""):
     slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[6])  # blank
     _set_bg(slide, BLACK)
     # red top bar
@@ -637,6 +643,11 @@ def render_title_slide(prs, slide_data, footer_text: str = ""):
             r_b.font.italic = True
             r_b.font.color.rgb = WHITE
             cur_top += Inches(0.85)
+        elif kind == "image":
+            # image on title slide (D-246 diagrams on cover)
+            img_path = deck_dir / item[1]
+            _add_picture(slide, img_path, top=cur_top)
+            cur_top += Inches(3.6)
     _add_footer(slide, footer_text, dark_bg=True)
 
 
@@ -646,11 +657,19 @@ def render_content_slide(prs, slide_data, deck_dir: Path, footer_text: str = "")
     _add_title_bar(slide)
     _add_title_text(slide, slide_data["title"], color=RED, size=28, top=0.25,
                     bold=True, height=0.7)
-    # F5(b): if a slide has >=4 lead blocks, de-emphasize them to
-    # black+bold (section labels) instead of red+bold (avoids a red
-    # wall on milestone-timeline slides like slide 6).
-    lead_count = sum(1 for item in slide_data["body"] if item[0] == "lead")
-    lead_color = BODY_TEXT if lead_count >= 4 else RED
+    # F5(b): if a slide has >=4 lead/bold-prefixed blocks, de-emphasize
+    # them to black+bold (section labels) instead of red+bold (avoids a
+    # red wall on milestone-timeline slides like slide 6). Count both
+    # explicit lead blocks (**...** on own line) and plain blocks that
+    # start with **bold** inline.
+    def _is_bold_block(item):
+        if item[0] == "lead":
+            return True
+        if item[0] == "plain" and item[1].lstrip().startswith("**"):
+            return True
+        return False
+    bold_count = sum(1 for item in slide_data["body"] if _is_bold_block(item))
+    lead_color = BODY_TEXT if bold_count >= 4 else RED
     # F1: vertical balance — pre-compute the content height to center
     # the block between the title (bottom ~0.95") and the footer
     # (top ~7.12"). Content starts at 1.05" by default; if the total
@@ -675,7 +694,8 @@ def render_content_slide(prs, slide_data, deck_dir: Path, footer_text: str = "")
             tf.auto_size = MSO_AUTO_SIZE.SHAPE_TO_FIT_TEXT
             p = tf.paragraphs[0]
             p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
-            _inline_runs(p, item[1], size=18, base_color=lead_color)
+            _inline_runs(p, item[1], size=18, base_color=lead_color,
+                         bold_color=lead_color)
             # make the whole lead bold
             for r in p.runs:
                 r.font.bold = True
@@ -688,7 +708,8 @@ def render_content_slide(prs, slide_data, deck_dir: Path, footer_text: str = "")
             tf.auto_size = MSO_AUTO_SIZE.SHAPE_TO_FIT_TEXT
             p = tf.paragraphs[0]
             p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
-            _inline_runs(p, item[1], size=18, base_color=BODY_TEXT)
+            _inline_runs(p, item[1], size=18, base_color=BODY_TEXT,
+                         bold_color=lead_color)
             cur_top += Inches(0.45)
         elif kind == "quote":
             tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(
@@ -783,7 +804,7 @@ def render_deck(md_path: Path, pptx_path: Path):
         is_title = (idx == 0) or data["is_title_class"] or data["title_is_h1"]
         # The appendix is a content slide (rendered normally)
         if idx == 0 and (data["title_is_h1"] or data["is_title_class"]):
-            render_title_slide(prs, data, footer_text=footer_text)
+            render_title_slide(prs, data, deck_dir, footer_text=footer_text)
         elif data["is_title_class"] and not data["title_is_h1"] and idx != 0:
             # Marp _class: title on a non-H1 slide (e.g., appendix) — render as
             # content but with a title-style bar. Keep it simple: content slide.