In this episode, Joe and Raza speak with Firas Raouf, co-founder and general partner at Companyon Ventures, a Boston-based VC firm specializing in early-stage B2B software and AI startups.

Firas shares insights from 25 years as a founder, operator, and venture investor—helping companies transition from founder-led sales to scalable, operationally disciplined organizations. The conversation focuses on how early-stage founders should think about creating their first board, the mistakes to avoid, and why great board dynamics depend heavily on execution.

Key takeaways

• Career beginnings

• 25 years ago, Firas co-founded three startups — two were during the dot-com era and one that became VC-funded, giving him firsthand experience sitting on the receiving end of board advice and investor expectations.

• Then, Firas was invited to join OpenView while working at Insight Venture Partners and was able to spend 10 years seeing OpenView and its portfolio companies grow.

• Later he co-founded Companyon Ventures

• How Companyon Ventures supports the expansion stage investing

• After early product-market fit, companies hit the "now we need to scale" moment.

• Companyon Ventures specializes in this transition, helping founders build their first leadership team ,operational discipline, KPIs and dashboards scalable go-to-market engines a plan for capital needs

• Early-stage boards are about support

• Firas emphasizes that early boards are not oversight bodies like public-company boards. Their purpose is to surround the founder with people who can help them think strategically, navigate challenges, and build a scalable company.

• A board can include a seat for common shareholders, lead investors and an independent board member, who is someone with whom the CEO is comfortable.

• Since lead investors can become a long-term board member, Founders must evaluate who they are letting in, not only the valuation. Once someone is on the board, they're not easy to remove.

• Boards must evolve as the company evolves

• As companies grow, the expertise they need changes. Firas suggests cycling out board members after two years.

• After 18–24 months, it's common for a board member's value to plateau, making board refreshes, new independent directors, or role rotations both healthy and necessary.

Quotes

• "A happy board tends to reflect great execution. An unhappy board tends to reflect poor execution."
• "I do think that you should keep things fresh, so to speak, and so any board member really that has been there more than two years, it's rare that you haven't picked their brain dry."
• "It's not just about valuation, it's also about who you're going to let into your company, into your house, because once you let them in, you can't get rid of them."
• "The board of directors for an early-stage startup is the opportunity to have a number of people around the table that can help you navigate and scale your company."

Links

Companyon Ventures- Boardroom Confidential

Guest Bio

Firas Raouf is the co-founder and general partner of Companyon Ventures, a Boston-based VC firm that invests in early-stage B2B software and AI startups. Before launching Companyon, Firas was part of the founding team at OpenView Venture Partners, where he helped pioneer the "expansion stage" investment model and partnered with dozens of software founders to scale their go-to-market operations. Today, he focuses on helping founders transition from founder-led sales to scalable growth by building leadership teams, operational discipline, and repeatable GTM engines. Firas is known for his hands-on, operator-turned-investor approach and his passion for guiding first-time founders through the challenges of building high-growth software companies.

In this episode of On Boards, hosts Joe Ayoub and Raza Shaikh speak with Dr. Linda McGoldrick, an international board director, strategy leader, and policy expert in healthcare and life sciences.

With 30 years of global experience across the U.S., U.K., and European boards, Linda shares what defines high-performing boards, the importance of trust and diversity of thought, and how geopolitical and technological shifts are transforming governance today.

Key takeaways

• Traits of high performing boards

• Regardless of size or geography, effective boards are well-prepared, prioritize meaningful discussion over reporting, and cultivate trust and mutual respect.

• High performing boards all display strong relationships, open communication, and diversity of thought among board members.

• Linda added that values, camaraderie and trust are intangible aspects that are important aspects of a successful board.

• Boards in the U.S. vs the rest of the world

• Linda observed that even in non-English speaking countries, English serves as the universal language for board communications - a reflection of its role as the global language of business

• Boards outside the U.S. place greater emphasis on courtesy, respect, and a thoughtful pace of discussion, reflecting multicultural membership and diverse business contexts.

• Historically, many U.S. boards were more domestically focused, but Linda sees this shifting as companies expand internationally. Directors today are expected to understand global markets, geopolitical dynamics, and comparative business environments.

• Expansion of risk oversight

• Today's boards must monitor not only financial and operational risks but also a host of geopolitical, regulatory, and other related challenges.

• Artificial intelligence impact on boards

• The use of AI has implications of security, benefits, risk and investment as the technology continues to expand and have impacts on economies and society.

• Boards have the responsibility to oversee the implications for organizational strategy and risk management.

• Linda views AI as a valuable efficiency tool, such as bots that summarize materials but stresses that human judgment, discretion, and ethics must remain central to board decision-making.

Quotes

"I don't want to see myself around the table. I want to see a diversity of experience. We all bring certain talents which feed into the most rigorous and robust discussions around board process."

"AI is a global race… I think the human element of discretion and insight is critical to know the line of technical and bot-expertly-fed conversations versus human thoughtful conversations in dialogue.

Guest Bio

Dr. Linda McGoldrick is an international board director and healthcare and life sciences leader with more than 30 years of global executive and governance experience. She serves on the boards of SmileyLife Holding, Alvotech, where she chairs the Audit Committee, and Compass Pathways, and is the Founder and CEO of Financial Health Associates International.

Linda has held senior roles across the U.S. and Europe, including leadership positions at Marsh's Healthcare & Life Sciences practice, Kaiser Permanente's European operations, and Veos plc. She has also served as CEO of the International Diabetes Federation and the Drug Information Association.

A dual U.S.–U.K. citizen, Linda brings deep expertise in global strategy, regulatory environments, and board governance across public, private, and nonprofit organizations.

In this episode of On Boards, hosts Joe Ayoub and Raza Shaikh speak with John Rose, an international marketing executive, entrepreneur, and board advisor who has led businesses across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

John discusses his global career—from founding the first ad agency in Russia to relocating his company to Dubai and his recent research project, "The Boardroom Blindspot," a global survey exploring why marketing expertise is underrepresented on boards.

He also shares insights from his work with the Virtual Advisory Board and Board Brothers, highlighting the impact that advisory boards are having on governance. John has served as a board member and advisor for several companies, including Atypical Digital, WLB, Cow Level and Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs.

Key takeaways

1.A global career defined by reinvention

• • John began his career in Boston media and advertising before co-founding the first Western ad agency in what was at the time the Soviet Union. As global markets shifted, he built a thriving international business across Eastern Europe.

  • When the war broke out with Ukraine, he and his team quickly relocated from Russia to Dubai, rebuilding their agency from the ground up and now represents Dubai's tourism in a number of countries.

2. Dubai's culture of openness and innovation

• • John described Dubai as "the city of the future," efficient, safe, and globally connected, with a government and business culture that actively supports growth.

  • Dubai offered a welcoming and dynamic environment for rebuilding. With 90% or more of residents coming from abroad, the city fosters a strong sense of belonging and entrepreneurial energy.

3. The Boardroom Blind Spot

• • John's research survey, conducted with the Virtual Advisory Board*, revealed that fewer than 14% of boards surveyed include directors with marketing expertise. The survey included 416 board members and executives across 46 countries.

  • Results showed that 60% of respondents believe that marketing perspective would add value, but only 11% have addressed the gap.

  • John asserts that boards are still dominated by finance and legal expertise but largely excludes marketing expertise which brings a customer-centric lens essential for growth, purpose, and communication in a rapidly changing world.

4. Preparing marketers to serve effectively on boards

• • John believes marketing professionals must take some of the responsibility for closing the gap by learning to "speak board"-connecting creative and customer insights to business outcomes, governance, and shareholder value.

  • Strategic marketers, especially CMOs and Chief Growth Officers, can bridge this divide by pursuing board education and gaining experience through nonprofit and/or smaller boards.

Quotes

• "86% of companies don't have any marketing expertise on their boards - that's pretty significant."

• "I think we (marketing) are the interpreters. I think we're the people who help cross the gap between what the marketplace wants and desires and what the company can deliver."

Links

The Boardroom Blindspot

Guest Bio

John Rose is an accomplished senior executive, entrepreneur, investor, board member, and creative director with over 30 years of experience leading marketing and media businesses across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. He is a founding member of the Virtual Advisory Board,

co-founder of Board Brothers, and a frequent speaker on global governance and marketing leadership. John's expertise spans brand strategy, international expansion, and board governance, with a special focus on helping companies bridge marketing insight with corporate purpose and growth. He currently resides in Dubai, where he continues to advise boards and global organizations on marketing strategy and board composition.

* The Virtual Advisory Board (VAB) is a virtual and global platform which connects its members and helps them navigate the global board of directors and advisory board ecosystems.

In this episode of On Boards, hosts Joe Ayoub and Raza Shaikh welcome Jim Brown, co-founder of OrgHealth and author of the global bestseller "The Imperfect Board Member."

With 30 years of experience advising boards and CEOs, Jim shares how embracing imperfection leads to stronger leadership, healthier organizations, and better board performance. He dives into the evolution of governance over the last two decades and the cultural challenges boards face today.

Jim also previews his forthcoming book arriving in 2026, "The Imperfect CEO," set 20 years after his first book. The sequel explores the current reality that company leaders face through changes in leadership expectations and workplace culture.

Key takeaways

1.OrgHealth's mission

• • Jim explains that organization health is a focus on culture, the relationship between board members, how they communicate with each other and how they talk about their CEO and management team

  • Companies that seek OrgHealth's consultations need to have a leader who recognizes that they will be making most of the changes and acknowledges that improvements need to be made.

2. "The Imperfect Board Member" philosophy

• • The book tells a fictional story of a frustrated CEO who discovers that in order to make effective change on his board, it begins with self-awareness. Along his journey he discovers "The Seven Disciplines of Governance Excellence: direct, protect, connect, expect, respect, reflect, and select.

  • The key insight from the story is that lasting board transformation requires both individual and collective growth.

3. Challenges adjusting to changes in culture

• • Jim's upcoming book, "The Imperfect CEO," revisits the same protagonist 20 years later as he confronts a new reality of generational and cultural shifts within companies.

  • The issue that company leaders face is being stuck in the mindset that because something worked before, it should still work. But with younger generations entering the company, outdated expectations receive pushback.

4. The ideal board chair

• • A great board chair leads with an attitude toward service, not authority. Their role is to draw out the best from every member, ensure effective discussion, and maintain focus without dominating the conversation.

5. Term limits, a solution to offboarding challenges

• • Jim suggests that rather than making offboarding personal through performance feedback, make it a mechanical process. Term limits also encourage boards to develop the skill and culture to bring in new members and help them learn about the company.

Quotes

• " Culture has become the undercurrent of every organization's reality. And if you don't recognize it, you're going to be blindsided by it."

• " My observation and my personal experience that the way we led as leaders 20 years ago that worked for us, doesn't work today."

• " I think it would just be much more healthy if we let boards be boards of directors where more of their energy is on the direction piece rather than the protection piece."

• " Have enough time for people to learn the job, the organization, and really add value, but not so much time that they become stale."

Links

OrgHealth

The Imperfect Board Member

Guest Bio

Jim Brown is an author, speaker, and board governance advisor with over 30 years of experience helping boards and CEOs build healthier organizations.

He co-founded OrgHealth in 1995, a consulting firm dedicated to improving board and leadership performance through culture, clarity, and accountability. His book, "The Imperfect Board Member" (2006), became an international bestseller.

He currently serves on several boards, including Vanquish Hockey, Amgine Technologies, and previously served on boards for The Global Leadership Network and SigmaDek. His upcoming book, "The Imperfect CEO" (2026), explores how leadership and workplace culture continue to evolve in today's rapidly changing environment.

In this episode of On Boards, hosts Joe Ayoub and Raza Shaikh welcome Jamie Green, co-founder and CEO of Tutaki, an AI-powered workbench designed to make board directors significantly more effective.

Drawing from his background in consulting at McKinsey, Green created a technological solution to solve a widespread challenge in board rooms across the U.S. and abroad: information overload and limited time to prepare. Tutaki is an AI system that acts as an expert co-pilot to help directors surface context, identify risk and deliver impact.

Jamie also shares how AI is reshaping governance, what it means for liability and independence, and where the future of boardrooms may be headed.

Key takeaways

1. Problems with board overload

• During his time as a consultant at McKinsey, Jamie would deliver 300-page strategy decks to board members 48 hours before a meeting
• Directors would arrive unprepared, leading to conservations about updates and recaps rather than strategic discussions. The lack of preparation risked slow decision making and stifles innovation.

2. New Zealand boardrooms

• Jamie, based in New Zealand, said board practices in his home country are similar to the U.S. but New Zealand directors tend to have a wider board portfolio — some are on as many as 8 boards.

• New Zealand has shifted to increase liability for board directors to hold them accountable for reading all board materials. If the business is impacted by the lack of action by a director, they can be criminally liable.

3. Practical pain points that led to Tutaki

• Information overload: directors are expected to digest hundreds of pages, news articles, and compliance documents across multiple boards.
• Contextual awareness: recalling what was decided three months ago or tracking delays in projects across several meetings often requires wading through thousands of pages.
• Portfolio management: professional directors often sit on 5–8 boards, making it difficult to organize materials, track follow-ups, and maintain oversight across them all.

4. AI as a co-pilot, not a replacement

• Tutaki is used to aid directors with meeting preparation by analysing board materials, delivering internal information, relevant news reports, competitor updates and deep dive reports.
• While Tutaki might suggest functions by providing certain information, Green said that the AI serves as a tool and the person using it is still liable
• The AI tool is meant to help directors spend more time doing critical thinking and being effective in meetings by being prepared with the context of the material.

Quotes

• "We help you do the thinking, but the thinking is still yours, and ultimately that's the end game."

• "I think the power of all this stuff is getting you the context in the way that's meaningful as opposed to just dumping hundreds of pages of information that you have to sift through."

• "If you had an AI tool listening to every conversation you had, every email, every document for the last three years on this board, I guarantee it would be a pretty damn good director."

Links

Tutaki

Guest Bio

Jamie Green is the co-founder and CEO of Tutaki, an AI-powered workbench designed to make board directors radically more effective. Drawing on his background in strategy consulting at McKinsey and hundreds of conversations with chairs and directors, Jamie built Tutaki to solve one of the boardroom's biggest challenges: staying on top of exploding information, tightening compliance requirements, and limited time to prepare. Today, directors from over 100 organisations across APAC, North America, and the UK use Tutaki to transform how they prepare, engage, and make decisions.

Jamie is pioneering a new model of "augmented directorship," where AI acts as an expert co-pilot to help directors surface context, identify risk, and deliver 10x impact. With experience across governance, AI product design, and startup leadership, Jamie is at the forefront of the movement to reshape how boards operate in a world defined by complexity, liability, and technological change.

In this episode of On Boards, Dr. Keith Dorsey an executive coach, author, active board member, and expert in leadership development and corporate governance. joins hosts Joe Ayoub and Raza Shaikh

His book, The Boardroom Journey: Practical Guidance for Women to Secure a Seat at the Table, provides insights and strategies for women aspiring to become board members.

Keith holds a doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California and serves on multiple boards including Vimly Benefit Solutions, Pacific Crest Trail Association and Pepperdine University's Graziadio Business School. He discusses his research-based concept of "optimal diversity," which couples demographic diversity and diversity of thought.

His work has been widely published including the Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management, Forbes and Fast Company.

Key takeaways

1.Keith's life in 3 chapters

• Keith started his career in the U.S. military and the Air Force, followed by nearly 30 years working in corporate America. In 2019, he went back to school to get a doctorate in organizational change in leadership from the University of Southern California. Now, he serves as an executive advisor to lead corporate leaders to optimize boardroom practices.

2. What is optimal diversity?

• While getting his doctorate, Keith started to research the lack of gender and ethnic diversity on corporate boards.
• He discovered the concept of "optimal diversity" - the combination of observable diversity and/or demographic diversity along with diversity of thought. This idea encourages people to reflect beyond their observable traits and dive deeper into how their lived experiences and perspectives can contribute to diversity.

3. Pre-vetting: It's about who knows you, not who you know

• Keith found through his studies that executives who serve on boards, were very often seated through their network. When it comes time to recruit another board member the question that is often asked is: "who do we know."
• When it comes to joining a corporate board, it's about who knows you and understands your experience and skills. In addition to giving your "autopilot intro" while networking, he encourages aspiring board members to take a few extra seconds to go beyond the details of your day-to-day job and tell them what you're looking to do.

4. Five different "capitals"

• Keith's book dedicates a chapter to each type of capital: human, social, cultural, director, and commitment.
• During his research, Keith found that women often take the approach of presenting themselves as exceptional executives but not as exemplary board members. He encourages people to optimize their human capital. During board interviews, exhibit the type of behavior that they would want to see in the boardroom.

Quotes

" Optimal" diversity forces people to really reflect and to think about the things that make who they beyond just their observable demographic traits, including their lived experiences.

"It's best to look out the front windshield and be able to say what's beyond that S-curve and that sharp right curve ahead by asking thought provoking questions based on your human capital…instead of looking through the rear-view mirror and shouting your praises."

" Figure out who you are and what your superpowers and secret sauce actually are and then incorporate that in a way of getting your name out there so more people know you than you know"

Links

https://www.boardroomjourney.com/

The Boardroom Journey: Practical Guidance for Women to Secure a Seat at the Table

How Board Sourcing Approaches Contribute To The Corporate Diversity Problem—And What To Do About It

Guest Bio

Dr. Keith D. Dorsey is a researcher, author, advisor, and active board member focused on issues of diversity, governance, and strategic growth for private and public corporate boards. His recent research examined women executives' pathways to securing corporate board seats, yielding powerful insights about the barriers and facilitators unique to women candidates seeking these positions. His book, The Boardroom Journey: Practical Guidance for Women to Secure a Seat at the Table, combines his research insights with his extensive executive, board, and industry experience. He speaks on topics related to governance and navigating the path to the C suite and boardroom. As an executive advisor, he is focused on increasing Optimal DiversityTM within corporate senior management, executive, and board-level roles.

In this episode of On Boards, hosts Joe Ayoub and Raza Shaik welcome Suzanne Brown, Director of New York Stock Exchange Board Services. She shares her unique career journey from law and the nonprofit world to board placement leadership at the New York Stock Exchange.

Suzanne unpacks how NYSE Board Services was created to bridge the gap between talented board-ready individuals and the NYSE companies that need them. Suzanne also explains their unique "CEO-vetted" approach, the powerful influence of the NYSE brand, and the structural components that make their board placement program effective and trusted.

Suzanne leads an extensive network of over 1,000 CEO-vetted candidates. The service averages 2 board searches a week for NYSE listed companies and since 2019 has helped place 50+ professionals on corporate boards.

Key takeaways

1. NYSE Board Services background

• NYSE Board Services was created in response to an obvious but under-addressed problem: many qualified candidates were being overlooked for board roles due to lack of network access, not lack of ability. The service is free for NYSE listed companies.

• Every candidate that enters the NYSE Board Services network has been vetted by the CEO of a listed company, who personally nominated them. The Board Exchange connects C-suite professionals with board opportunities, focusing on readiness, visibility, and long-term support.

• The program is made of 3 C's: Council, Candidates and Companies. The council is made up of a group of 24 prominent NYSE CEOs, the program has over 1,100 candidates and there are 2,400 companies with which the NYSE has built longstanding relationships.

2. Education is core to board readiness

• Suzanne explains that many of the candidates are first time board members. The NYSE Board Services team personally onboards each candidate and helps them prepare their profile and present their background, skill set and industry focus.

• Candidates are also offered education through webinars and panels on topics such as global trends, governance, board culture, etc. All services are free of charge.

3. Board tenure is rising, CEO tenure is shrinking

• The average tenure for a board member has increased from 8 to 10 years and continues to increase while the turnover rate for CEOs has gone down to 4.8 years as of last year, the lowest ever.

• The board holds the continuity, but Suzanne encourages startup and pre-IPO companies to proactively set board term limits and retirement ages. This removes the need for awkward conversations years later and helps institutionalize clear expectations for rotation and rejuvenation.

4. Future of NYSE Board Services

• Suzanne's vision for the program is that every nom/gov of an NYSE-listed company will reach out to NYSE Board Services to refresh their board because the service is high-quality, high touch and successful.

Quotes

"Our defining feature, our secret sauce, is that any candidate in our network has to be CEO vetted, and that means that a CEO of a listed company just has to personally vouch and stand for that person."

"We're a trusted resource. It's a natural extension for listed companies to look to us."

"Part of what we do is make sure that our candidates… are aware of trends and understand what it's like to be in the boardroom, which is a unique culture."

Links

nyse.com/board-services

Guest Bio

Suzanne Brown is the Director of NYSE Board Services, an exclusive resource dedicated to connecting highly qualified board candidates with NYSE-listed companies. She partners closely with CEOs and Board Directors to enhance governance practices and strengthen board leadership.

Suzanne leads an extensive network of over 1,000 CEO-vetted candidates, facilitating strategic matches between talented individuals and companies in need of fresh board perspectives. Since 2019, NYSE Board Services has successfully placed 50+ professionals on corporate boards.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Suzanne, earned a B.A. in History from the University of Vermont and a J.D. from Cornell Law School

In this episode of On Boards, hosts Joe Ayoub and Raza Shaikh welcome Raffaela Rein, a seasoned entrepreneur and board member with expertise in frontier technology and innovation-driven leadership. Raffaela began her career as an analyst at BlackRock, and launched three companies for the world's largest incubator, Rocket Internet, across China, Australia, and Taiwan before becoming an entrepreneur.

She serves on multiple corporate and private equity-backed boards, including Porsche, Mutares and International University IU. As the founder of WildWildVentures and CareerFoundry, she has scaled startups to 120-plus employees and advised many venture-backed businesses. Raffaela serves as a board member for the German startup Verband, where she helps improve legislation for startups.

Raffaela was named one of Forbes top women in tech, and she is among Europe's most influential women in startups and venture capital. She has built a career at the forefront of business reinvention.

Raffaela discusses her entrepreneurial journey as founder of BoardLens a new AI tool she is developing and how it will transform the future of board meetings and excellence in board members.

Key Takeaways

1. Board effectiveness

• Only 30% CEOs rate their boards as effective. With an expectation that board members come to meetings well prepared, Rein recognizes that board members are tasked with consuming hundreds, and often thousands, of pages of information in preparation for meetings. It is an almost impossible task to complete a thorough review especially if you are if you have a full time job.
• In Germany, it's common for board members to hire consultants or a 'chief of staff' that will help them with their board responsibilities. Raffaela is creating a tool that will serve a similar role for board members worldwide.

2. How BoardLens can transform board meetings

• Raffaela anticipates launching BoardLens in mid-2025. It is an AI driven tool that is built to aid board members with meeting preparation, research, executive summaries, questions and risk analysis. It is meant to support board members while enabling members to fulfill their fiduciary duties and make a meaningful contribution in board meetings.
• Raffaela likens BoardLens to hiring a personal Goldman Sachs analyst. It is trained with proprietary data and that will enable it to act, think and analyze like a board director.

3. Human edge is still crucial

• While AI can process vast data and respond quickly, human directors can provide intuition, pattern recognition, and emotional intelligence—skills developed through lived experience that are essential in nuanced decision-making.
• As technology advances, AI is bound to replace some human roles but to maintain the balance between AI and humans, Rein suggests thinking about how people are able to provide a unique and individual perspective to issues on a board's agenda.

4. Privacy and confidentiality concerns

• Uploading board packets into non-enterprise AI tools can be a confidentiality risk. BoardLens, however, will be trained to only read one organization's board materials and will not cross share data. Rein explains that the company's IT department will be able to access the software's security suite.

Quotes

"Here in Germany we have this system that you can get a consultant or chief of staff who actually helps you, not just with your preparation, but also with thinking things through deeply, doing deep market research, basically doing weeks and weeks of work to help you prepare for a board meeting."

"I don't like the word 'Copilot' for BoardLens because it feels too passive. I like the word "analyst" because if you think of a Goldman analyst, they will do their best to really make you shine and to prepare you, so you should think of it as an analyst that fights for you."

"The breadth of expertise and the breadth of knowhow you need to have and need to gain very rapidly as a director these days is significant and has accelerated dramatically in the last five years."

Links raffaelarein.com

https://boardlens.ai/

https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/governance-insights-center/library/board- effectiveness-and-performance-improvement.html

Raffaela Rein Bio

Raffaela Rein is a seasoned entrepreneur and board member with expertise in frontier technologies and innovation-driven leadership.

She serves on multiple corporate and private equity-backed boards, including Porsche, Mutares, and the International University IU.

As the founder of WildWildVentures and CareerFoundry, she has scaled startups to 120+ employees and advised venture-backed businesses.

Named one of Forbes' Top Women in Tech, Capital's 40 Under 40, and among Europe's most influential women in startups and VC, Raffaela has built a career at the forefront of business reinvention and innovation driven leadership.

She began her career at BlackRock and launched three companies for Rocket Internet across China, Australia, and Taiwan before becoming an entrepreneur.

In this episode of On Boards, hosts Joe Ayoub and Raza Shaikh welcome Lynn Clarke, an experienced leader in family board governance who has served on more than a dozen family and private equity-backed boards including as an independent chair and lead director.

Lynn is also a strategic advisor and mentor and has served on boards spanning from beverage and food services to e-commerce and manufacturing. Lynn has mentored next generation board members and leaders throughout her career and was named the Private Company Director of the Year by National Association of Corporate Directors in 2022. She also serves as one of three judges for Deloitte's best managed private company awards program.

Key Takeaways

1. Interviewing for a board role

• With years of experience serving on boards, Lynn advises aspiring board members to carry a passion for the business, its products and what the company does. It's important to understand why you want to serve on a board, what value you add and what new perspectives you believe you will bring. She advises to make these points clear when you are interviewing for a board seat.

2. New boards vs. existing boards

• Newly formed boards offer a unique opportunity to build the culture, rhythm, and structure of governance from the ground up, but its success is dependent on the principal shareholder(s), who will define the culture of the board and company. Shareholders set the tone.

3. Knowing when it's time to leave a board or offboard a member

• Having the self-awareness is key to knowing when it's time to leave. Lynn suggests asking yourself, "am I still a good fit?" and "do I like what I'm doing on this board?", "Am I enjoying the discussions at the board meeting?", "Do I feel as though I am contributing to the growth of the company?" If the answers are no, maybe you need to consider stepping out.

• Offboarding a member is one of the challenging aspects of board governance, especially in close-knit or long-tenured groups. It requires direct but respectful conversations from the lead director, board chair, or governance chair.

• Whether a board member is being asked to leave due to performance issues or company changes, Lynn recommends treating it like a celebration and acknowledgement of the person's service on the board, almost like a retirement.

4. Board evaluations make it easier to provide ongoing feedback

• Even private and early-stage boards benefit from formal assessments. Annual board effectiveness and peer evaluations help surface underlying issues in board dynamics and performance. Peer evaluations can be sensitive for company boards, so Lynn suggests introducing different types of evaluations in parts.

Quotes

"ABARTA Coca-Cola was one of the first family-owned businesses I know to really think about independent governance. There were a majority of independent directors on a board, had a high quality strategic plan that is really a living, breathing document and a good family council or an ownership council. Those are the three things that take a business from Gen 1 or 2 into 3, 4, 5, 6, and beyond."

"I take my commitments to the companies and the families that I work with 100% seriously the same way that I did in running a company or working for a Fortune 50. When you join a board, you are committed to that organization. You're a fiduciary. Why would you do this unless you really wanted to help make an impact, and the only way you can make an impact is to take what you do seriously."

"The first thing you need to think about when you've been approached about joining a board: can I really make a contribution? I also think passion for the business is really important, passion for the product, the service and what the company does is really important."

" It's important when you're on a newly formed board to think about what you know from boards that have been around for a while, and how you apply those learnings to help support the formation and the development of the new board."

"Do I enjoy the conversations? Am I feeling like it's a good fit?" And no matter how many years you've been on the board "do you like what you're doing?"

Links

Four Key Questions to Ask Yourself

How to Be an Exceptional Director

Board Refreshment — When Is It Time?

getonaboard.com

Guest Bio

Lynn has extensive experience in family board governance, having served on more than a dozen family and PE boards as Independent Chair/Lead/Director. She also is a Strategic Advisor & Mentor to Family Board Chairs for Vitamix and for a Coca-Cola Bottler. And Lynn has mentored next generation board members & leaders. Her industry experience spans CPG, beverage, food, food service, e-commerce, digital, retail, manufacturing,and supply. She currently serves as an Independent Director on several boards, including Vollrath Manufacturing, Just Born (the PEEPS company), Basic American Foods and Kalsec Global Flavors.

As an executive at PepsiCo, Lynn gained expertise in corporate strategy, operations, manufacturing, brand strategy, marketing and sales. She was named The Private Company Director of the Year by the National Association of Corporate Directors in 2022. Lynn also serves as one of three judges for Deloitte's Best Managed Private Company program and frequently speaks and writes on effective family business governance.

In this episode hosts Joe Ayoub and Raza Shaikh welcome Susan Leahy, the founder of Robert's Rules Made Simple. Susan has trained and advised thousands of board members, board chairs and others on how to master Robert's Rules of Order, to help lead and participate in productive meetings.

Key Takeaways

1. History of Robert's Rules of Order

• • Robert's Rules of Order is a decision making process developed in the 1800s by General Henry M. Robert, who was frustrated by disorganized meetings. Roberts created a guide, first published in 1876, which summarized and simplify parliamentary procedure to make understanding how to run an effective meeting accessible to everyone. It has, over the years, evolved into a detailed 700-page reference guide.

2. Susan's journey to Robert's Rules

• • Leahy was first introduced to Robert's Rules when she and her mother enrolled into a local junior college course to learn about how to run an effective meeting. At that time, Leahy's mother served on an all-male city council board and found that during the meetings, discussions and decisions weren't clear. Understanding Robert's Rules gave her mother confidence in the meetings and she was able to find her voice and she was able to be of service " and she was able to find her voice and she was able to be of service."

  • Susan began using Robert's Rules in high school and at college in connection with student government and became known for running effective meetings

3. The value of effective board meetings

• • Robert's Rules of Order increases the likelihood that meetings will be productive.

  • At its core, the Rules are about promoting clarity and action. By following the Seven Fundamental Motions of Robert's Rules meetings become more productive

  • Robert's Rules is only used to handle the business of meetings, not the entire meeting. Once board members learn the basics, then the board's productivity increases exponentially.

  • Robert's Rules are intended to provide everyone in the boardroom with a "common language" to help foster productive discussion and decision-making regarding the business of an organization.

4. The role of a parliamentarian in board meetings

• • A parliamentarian is a resource for the chair, ensuring meetings stay on track. The chair ultimately makes the final decision but can consult with the parliamentarian whenever needed.

Quotes

"When you are on a board, you're either handling information items or business items, and when it comes to the business of a board, everyone on that board needs to understand the decision making process they're using in order to be productive and drive action."

"You do not need to be a parliamentarian to use Robert's Rules of Order. It is a reference guide there to support you in making business decisions. That's important because if people do not have a common understanding about how you're making business decisions, it's can create tension, mistrust, frustration - and it's going to waste a lot of time"

"What we do is put an emphasis on providing training that's going to make us more high functioning. How are we going to not just get it "right" how are we going to be healthy? And that's why I focus on healthy board dynamics and using Robert's Rules of Order as a tool to leverage a healthier dynamic on your board."

Links

Robert's Rules Made Simple

Guest Bio

Susan Leahy, MA CSP, is a dynamic and highly engaging speaker, trainer, and facilitator specializing in board development, leadership, and effective meetings. As the founder of Robert's Rules Made Simple, established in 2004, Susan has empowered thousands of board members, board chairs, and support staff to master Robert's Rules of Order, transforming meetings into productive, efficient, and empowering experiences.

A sought-after expert in communication, leadership, and group decision-making, Susan has worked with organizations of all sizes—from nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies and government entities. She is the creator of the acclaimed "Chair a Meeting with Confidence" program, designed to help board chairs lead with clarity, authority, and ease.

With a Master's degree in Applied Behavioral Sciences from Bastyr University, Susan combines deep expertise with a refreshingly engaging approach. Her unique background—being raised by a professional clown and a career Marine—shapes her signature style: energetic, impactful, and highly memorable. She has a rare talent for making even the most complex or dry topics both accessible and engaging, leaving her audiences empowered and inspired.