Hannah Stenning:
5 years later…
When we last caught up with FDI Alumni Hannah Stenning, she’d just finished our program with one goal: to gain board interviewing experiences.
To cut a long story short (see our previous piece on Hannah), with our guidance Hannah was interviewed by the board of Delta Therapy Dogs.
Her first ever board interview.
She got the role, of course.
Hannah didn’t imagine getting a seat at the table after her first ever interview, yet there she was. Fresh out of our program and joining a board.
“I don’t think you could ever really be prepared to know what it’s like until you get in there.” - Hannah Stenning
Hannah had no prior board experience. But she felt confident stepping into the boardroom.
We’d equipped her with skills and self-confidence, and she was aware of her value.
Though there were some initial challenges, Hannah found the boardroom surprisingly less formal than she’d thought.
And, Hannah didn’t need to question whether she belonged in the boardroom. She did.
So much so that after 18 months, Hannah was offered the position of Deputy Chair, and six months after that, she was Chair.
As Chair, Hannah quickly realised that, whether you’re in operations or on the board, making sure you’ve got the right people in the right places is key to an aligned organisation.
But this brought up a key question: how can you make sure the board composition is correct?
As Chair, Hannah is able to set the culture and tone of both the board and the organisation, and encourage best practices. That’s hugely rewarding.
Even though Hannah has reached incredible goals incredibly fast, she still has aspirations. Her next? Finding a paid board role.
We know this is a hurdle for many.
We’ve loved watching Hannah develop her board career over the past few years. We can’t wait to see how far she’ll get.
Want to make moves like Hannah? Our program is the best place to start.
Or, if you’re an existing director and looking for your tribe, join ours. We welcome likeminds, and unlike minds. See you in there..