Who can help me find and secure my ideal board role?
For all aspiring board directors, we know how hard it can be to take that first step into governance.
“Is it only about networks? Do I need a formal qualification? What value can I add? Do I need decades of experience? Which board is right for me?”
These questions are huge, and you can either find the answers alone or seek help.
However, choosing which organisation to assist you can feel equally overwhelming. You are spoilt for choice.
Like high performing board directors, we believe in making informed choices and finding the help that matches your values, resources and goals.
So, we created this quick Australian guide of the good ones.
Australian Institute of Company Directors. The establishment. Members-based organisation. Signature Company Directors Course (GAICD). Mostly offers training for what to do inside the boardroom, but not how to get a board role.
Governance Institute of Australia. Historically a member-based organisation for Company Secretaries. Chartered governance accreditation, offered through courses, certificates and post-graduate studies. Advocates for improved governance standards.
Women on Boards. Supports senior female leaders searching for director roles. Strong advocacy for board gender equity. Provides a variety of professional development and educational programs via member-based model.
Board Observership. Highly competitive annual program for aspiring young directors to get exposure to nonprofits and community boards via observation. Comes with some basic governance training. Sydney and Melbourne only.
Board Direction. Provides a jobs board of current non-executive board vacancies (behind a paywall), as well as resources and courses for aspiring directors. Does not explicitly support a particular niche.
Alyceum. Online board education for young people. Co-created the Emerging Leaders in Governance program with Southcare Inc but this is only available in Western Australia.
Get on Board Australia. Online education and blog for individuals looking to expand their professional experiences, regardless of industries. Does not explicitly support a particular niche. Based in South Australia.
Advisory Board Centre. Consists of training, certification and connection to support the growth and professional development of its members. Focussed on business leaders and entrepreneurs looking for paid advisory roles.
And, us. The Future Directors Institute.
Our difference?
We are trying to make the world a better place through a combination of board diversity, inclusion and innovation.
Here’s our story.
We all have to start somewhere. We offer the aspiring director the following:
Right Seat Right Table. An award-winning book to get you started.
Board Ready Program. A cohort based course that will accelerate your journey.
Personalised Mentoring. Work with our founder, Paul Smith.
Connected, Curated Community. The thing we believe is truly missing.
It’s our goal to continue building this collaborative network of next-gen leaders and directors who are dedicated to making a difference and shaping a better future.
If you want to have a chat about any of your options with Future Directors or another organisation, choose one of these:
Discovery Session (60-minutes)
I look forward to hearing from you.
Paul Smith
Founder of Future Directors