In my over 35 years as an executive, corporate director and entrepreneur, one force has made a difference more than any other: trust. I have consistently noticed the potent power of trust at the boardroom table and beyond. To help new and experienced board members dig deeper into this topic, I wrote this blog that shares practical insights on: What is trust? Why trust is important for boards My 6 Cs of trust What is trust? At its most basic level, trust is “the belief that someone or something is reliable, good, honest, and effective.”  But what does that mean in practical terms? Essentially, trust is an understanding that [...]

#My3words for 2022 are light, lift and laugh. Before I tell you why I chose these words, let me tell you what #my3words means. In 2015, I read about Chris Brogan’s idea of choosing 3 words each New Year. I’ve been choosing my own 3 words ever since (read my full list below). These 3 words serve as guideposts for my path and my choices for the upcoming year. They help me keep my goals and values at the front and centre of everything I do. They remind me to work on things that matter and cast-off actions that don’t move the needle. I encourage everyone in my [...]

Introduction Since beginning my professional career over 35 years ago, I have seen the power of mentorship to affect meaningful, real-world change in advancing gender diversity in the boardroom. In fact, mentorship is one reason I launched Women Get On Board Inc. (WGOB) in the first place. By creating a community of women corporate directors and aspiring women corporate directors, mentorship relationships have organically occurred and helped more women get on boards. To further the power of mentorship to promote women leaders and accelerate their board journey, we launched the WGOB Mentorship Program. In this blog, I want to share what I’ve learned about mentorship so that you [...]

It still surprises me that there has not been more progress in corporate Canada to add more women to TSX-listed boards. It has been seven years since the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) implemented disclosure rules mandating that TSX-listed companies "comply or explain" their board diversity figures. The move was intended to lead to positive changes in how corporate boards recruit new board members. According to the recent Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt report, 2021 Diversity Disclosure Practices, 23.4 % of board seats among TSX listed companies in 2020  have women on their boards, increasing almost 2% since 2019. This increase shows some progress but is still lagging in gender parity [...]

"As CEO and Founder of Women Get On Board Inc. (WGOB), my goal, quite simply, is to get one more woman on a board, one woman at a time. In my over 35 years as an executive, corporate director and entrepreneur, I have observed that many women face the same stumbling block as they work to secure their first board seat: acing their board interview." In my new blog, Preparing for a Board Interview, I share my board interview preparation guide with you: 1. Understand how a board interview works 2. Understand how the company works 3. Understand how the industry works 4. Understand how the board works 5. [...]

In my over 35 years as an executive, corporate director, entrepreneur and CEO of Women Get On Board Inc. (WGOB), there is one question that I am asked more than any other: “How do I build my board resume?” This is not a straight forward question. Your board resume should be an ongoing dynamic document. It will change as you gain board experience and apply for different board opportunities. That’s why I’ve written this blog today—to help you build your best board resume. In it, I’ll address the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) I get asked about building your board resume, including: What is the difference between a [...]