Board Journey

Finding and Enhancing Board Experience  

Board Journey is a community for executives interested in exploring board service, sharing, and building their knowledge about boards. Like-minded people gather to exchange ideas, understand board structure, practice, and gain valuable insights. This group provides tips, information, and best practices to equip aspiring and seasoned board members.

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A Year in the Life of a Board Director

A panel of seasoned board directors – Olu Beck, CEO of The Beck Group, whose past and present board service includes Hostess Brands, Denny’s, Freshpet, and Saputo, David Chemerow, who served on the board of Playboy Enterprises and is currently on the boards of Dunham’s Sporting Goods and Immunologic, and Lori Tauber Marcus, who served on a number of public and private boards, including 24 Hour Fitness and Fresh Del Monte Produce – and moderator Cheryl Palmer, longtime EF member and former EF co-chair, and board director for B&G Foods (BGS) in addition to her other advisory, private and non-profit board experience came together to provide advice including:

  • Prepare deeply. You will never know as much as management or investors, but you can arrive informed.

  • Lead with questions. The power of questions is a new director’s strongest tool.

  • Stay humble – but engaged. Boards move quickly. You don’t get a year to warm up. Contribution is expected early.

Joining a board alone can be much harder than onboarding with another new director. The support, shared learning, and informal calibration make a big difference.

 

Creating Board Documents

Marie Meliksetian, an EF Member and CEO of Reliance Solution Services, is a Certified Advisory Board Chair and has held corporate, private, and not-for-profit board roles. Marie walked through the process of identifying the knowledge, skills, capabilities, and experiences from your executive and not-for-profit roles to craft your value proposition and create an effective board resume and biography.

When it comes to landing a board seat, your business resume alone is not enough. While it details your operational achievements and roles, a board resume needs to showcase something different: your strategic mindset, leadership, and governance chops.

Business Resume: The Operator’s Story

  • Focused on execution and performance within a specific role.

  • Highlights professional accomplishments and industry-specific results.

Board Resume: The Strategist’s Snapshot

  • Tailored to your ability to guide and govern, not manage day-to-day.

  • Emphasizes boardroom experience, strategic insight, and leadership across sectors.

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