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Igniting Leaders, Inspiring Revolutions

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Kristi shares her journey on a Board

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T hrough my work, I get to meet some truly inspiring board directors.

With the football season starting to warm up with the first women’s game happening soon at the new Optus Stadium in Perth, I thought it would be a great time to introduce you to Kristi Annear, Director on the Perth Demons Football Club.  We met a few months ago at a workshop that brought together all the female directors serving on football boards.  I was struck by her passion and authenticity and I’m so glad that I can share her answers with you here.

Why did you get involved in a football club board?

Football has always been a huge part of my life. I’m a Fremantle Dockers Member (tragic) and a huge supporter of where AFL is heading alongside AFLW. I myself have retired from sport so what better way to still have that community and team feeling than being in the heart of a WAFL club. I contacted the CEO at the PFC to ask how I could contribute and do some volunteering. He saw the passion I have for not only footy but all sports so he asked me to join the Board. 

Can you give me a snapshot of the decisions/activities are you involved with as a board director?

 

I am the Events and Charity Partnerships Director so I am responsible for all the Football events held at the club and also game day. A few of the events held at the club are our Annual Gala Auction which is our largest fundraiser for the season, this year I organized the Inaugural PFC Cup (Virtual Horse Race Day) and we have our Supporters Luncheon and Sponsors night to come.

I have been involved with Ronald McDonald House for many years now so a priority of mine when I came on the Board was to keep, in some way, supporting the House. It just happened at the time that the club was looking for a Major Charity Partner so my suggestion of RMH was supported unanimously. We are proud to be the only WAFL club to have this partnership and look forward to continuing this for many years to come.

I have also helped bring a Victorian based player welfare program to WA. Outside The Locker Room is about engaging and education sporting clubs in Mental Health and the affects that alcohol and drugs have on this. We are running this program through our club and are seeing the results already. I’m very passionate about mental health and am proud to be contributing in a small way.

Aside from my portfolio I am involved in all decisions that affect the club. Our Board is very open about all aspects of the running of the club from staff appointments and off field football decisions to finance and marketing. This has given me a great insight into how a professional club is run and I look forward to enhancing my knowledge and experience so I can continue to be a valued member on a football board for many years to come.

 

What strategies would you recommend to others interested in serving on a football club board?

Broaden your network. As we all know Perth is a small place when it comes to knowing someone who knows that ‘someone’. Get to football games, follow clubs on social media and put your hand up. We have a Women in Football and Women in Sport Group which is always open to more ladies wanting to be involved. I think it’s great to come to a Board with experience in several areas but you need passion. Being a Board Director isn’t a once a month commitment so if you don’t have passion for the sport, the club and its supporters then it will be a very long season!

– Thanks Kristi for sharing your experience!

If you’d like to be interviewed about your board or leadership journey, please send me an email.

 

Board Ignition – New announcements

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I have TWO very exciting announcements and a time limited opportunity if you’re keen to join a board.

Introducing Lifetime Access for the Board Ignition Course 

Yes, that’s right.  Now when you buy the Board Ignition online course, you will gain access for the lifetime of the course!

No time limits!

No restrictions!

Come back time and time again and gain insights, connections and reflections to help you get your first community board appointment!

Let me guide you in the course!

To celebrate this new access – if you sign up before the 3rd November, you’ll gain access to 4 live webinars to discuss the 8 modules of the course and answer all your questions about boards, leadership and the NFP sector.

If you really want to gain a board position in 2018, come join us for the ultimate accountability to participate and complete the online course!

Go here right now to register and join us! 

Here are the details:

  • 4 webinars will be held Thursdays, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th November from 6 – 7pm WST
  • All calls will be recorded and be made available on the members portal

You must sign up any time BEFORE 3rd November 2017 to be eligible for the live webinars.

Go here right now to register and join us! 

Are you ready for your first Board appointment?

Check out our Board Ignition online course – a 8-module self paced online course designed to fast track your journey to your first board appointment.

Enrol now to get instant access to the course.

Still got questions? Read the course information page here.

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#1000youngdirectors – Inspiring profiles

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Meet our first 8 young board directors!

The #1000youngdirectors campaign has started with a bang and it’s been wonderful to profile and share some AMAZING Board Directors. The campaign is growing too with young professionals contributing these details to be profiled every day.  Do you know a young director who should be profiled?

Enter your profile or read more about the campaign here.

Look out for the #1000youngdirectors hashtag for board vacancies to help get your first board appointment too.  Here are our first group of inspiring profiles.

Rhys Williams
Mayor in the Making

Rhys has had extensive board experience in both government and the community sector. He currently serves as the Chair of the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre and John Tonkin College and is also a board member of Regional Development Australia Peel.

Rhys previously served as the Chair on the Diversity South board and the treasurer for the Small Business Centre Peel board in 2015. Prior to that, he served on boards for the Peel Region Planning Committee, iPeel, Peel Development Commission, Regional Development Australia (Peel), South Halls Head Primary School, City of Mandurah and the Peel Community Development Group.

Krista McMeeken
Reconciliation Campaigner

Krista serves on the board of Celebrate WA, the Museum for Freedom and Tolerance (WA) and the Western Australian Aboriginal Advisory Council. Celebrate WA is a not-for-profit organisation that focuses on the promotion and organisation of WA Day celebrations. Krista received the Human Rights Awards Young People’s Medal in 2012 and was listed in the Westpac and Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence Young Leader category in 2013.

 

Dr Sam Prince
Entrepreneurial Innovator

Sam is the founder and chair of One Disease. One Disease has a mission to eliminate preventable disease from remote Indigenous communities. Sam received the Young Australian of the Year, ACT award in 2012 for his efforts with One Disease.

Sam has also established several other organisations including the Mexican franchise Zambrero , incorporating a humanitarian ‘Plate 4 Plate’ scheme- for each purchase, a plate of food is donated to someone in a developing country. More recently Sam has also founded Life Letters, bringing accessible genetic testing to Australian healthcare community.

 

Marita Cheng
Technology Pioneer

Marita has extensive board experience. She currently serves as a technology advisory board member for Clinton Health Access Initiative Inc. She is the founder of Robogals Global and currently serves as a board member. Robogals aims to increase the number of girls studying science, engineering and technology disciplines at a tertiary level and to provide leadership opportunities for female engineering students. Marita also sits on the board for the Victorian State Innovation Expert Panel and has also served on the board for the Foundation for Young Australians since 2012. In 2012, she won Young Australian of the Year.

 

 

 

 

Nicole Brown
Women’s Supporter

Nicole has served on the board for DressForSuccess Sydney from 2015. Dress for Success is an organisation that supports women to achieve self-sufficiency and financial independence, providing clothing, styling advice and confidence building support. Nicole also undertook a Graduate Diploma in Corporate Governance to enhance her contribution to her corporate and not-for-profit roles.

 

Max Wasley
Project Design, Measurement and Reporting Enthusiast

Max has served as a board member for Youth Without Borders since November 2014. Youth Without Borders is a youth-led organisation that empowers young people to collectively lead positive change in their communities through collaborative projects.

 

Liz Rhodes
Passionate Contributor

Liz currently serves on the board for Oaktree. Oaktree is a youth-run organisation seeking to end poverty.

“I had recently finished up working at Oaktree and was asked to join the board. It was a great way to stay involved with the organisation and contribute to something I’m passionate about, but also I wanted to gain skills and experience in governance and strategic thinking.

Her advice for young professionals wanting to find their first board position: “Growing your network to include people who are actively on boards and being open about wanting to be on a board is my advice. Our board recruits through people we know and are connected to and I’m sure many others are the same.”

 

Marc Zen
Health Promoter

Marc has served as a board member for the Australian Association of Adolescent Health (AAAH) and was elected as the secretary in 2015. AAAH endeavours to improve and advocate for the health of young people across Australia. Marc completed the Emerging Leaders in Governance Program (ELGP) in 2015.

 

 

Want to find your first NFP Board position?

Register here to receive our free Checklist: 15 Ways to Find a NFP Board position

Launching #1000youngdirectors

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What is the #1000youngdirectors campaign?

The #1000youngdirectors campaign aims to ignite 1000 young directors onto community boards to increase diversity, support succession planning and improve our local communities through better discussions, decisions and outcomes on boards.

We believe when a variety of perspectives are included around the boardroom – everyone wins.  More robust discussions happen, the community is represented better and generations work together for the betterment of society.

The question is not why would you involve a young professional under 40 on your NFP board.  The real question is why wouldn’t you?

Why do we need more diversity on boards?

Research undoubtedly shows that diversity improves financial performance, innovation, reputation and decision making.  This occurs when a wide range of perspectives are taken into consideration¹.  This means including diverse perspectives is not only the right thing to do morally, it’s also good business sense!

What is the current diversity on boards?

  • 57% of Board members on ASX200 Boards are over the age of 60²
  • only 23.4% of ASX200 Boards have female representation³
  • 3.2% of Board members onASX200 Boards are from an Asian cultural background4

Is it any better on NFP Boards? 

The respondents of the AICD’s 2016 NFP Governance and Performance study included:

  • 61% male and 39% female
  • 7% under 40, 18% between 40 – 49, 40% between 50 – 59 and 35% over 60

So yes, there is work to be done!

Igniting 1000 more young directors (under the age of 40) on community boards is a MASSIVE goal.  So here’s how we want to support change!

What can you expect?

  • Young Board Director Profiles – #1000youngdirectors

You can’t be what you can’t see!

Each Wednesday (starting tomorrow!), Alyceum will profile impressive young board directors from around Australia.  We have an incredible list of young board directors to share with you already.  You will find them on our Facebook page and Linkedin page.  If you would like to be included in this series or know someone who should be profiled, complete the form at the end of this post.

Please use the hashtag #1000youngdirectors to share wins, add resources and promote the young board director profiles!

  • Tools and Resources

Learning the ropes!

We will be blogging tools and resources and hosting online webinars here to help you get onto community boards.  Discover what it means to be a board director, what the role involves, how to find a board position and more!  You may want to sign up to our mailing list!

  • Register for the Board Ignition Online Course

Fast track your board journey here!

Alyceum has created an exciting online resource for young professionals (or anyone!) who are keen to get their first community board appointment.  We have a very special pre-order offer during our launch month – June 2017.  So if you’re keen, this is the course for you!

  • Buy the Difference Makers Book PackDifference Makers Book

Discuss the benefits of diversity on your board

Alicia Curtis along with Dr Nicky Howe have written a practical board guide for championing diversity called Difference Makers: A Leader’s Guide to Championing Diversity on Boards.  As part of this campaign, we are promoting a Board Book Pack of 10 books for your board directors for $240.  This is a 20% discount on the retail price of $29.95 each plus we will ship to you for free!   Order your Board Book Pack here.

Share about this campaign

Involve your workplace or community board by downloading and sharing the following posters:

About the Campaign

About the Business Case for Diversity

About the Board Ignition Online Course

About the Difference Makers Book

 

Be Profiled

If you’re under 40 years old and on a community board, add your details here to be profiled in this campaign.   Please like our social media pages too (our Facebook page and Linkedin page).

#1000youngdirectors campaign

Join and support the #1000youngdirectors campaign to promote and recognise age diversity on boards.

 

¹Howe, N.J and Curtis, A (2016) Difference Makers: A Leaders Guide to Championing Diversity on Boards, pp 25-29

2 http://www.corrs.com.au/news/asx-200-Boards-are-getting-younger/

3 http://www.companydirectors.com.au/director-resource-centre/governance-and-director-issues/Board-diversity/30-per-cent-by-2018

4 http://www.afr.com/leadership/management/hiring/smaller-asx-listed-companies-are-letting-the-side-down-on-diversity-20160405-gnyhyl

Happy New Year!

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During January, all Board Book Pack (10 copies) orders for Difference Makers: A Leader’s Guide to Championing Diversity on Boards receives 20% off and free shipping when you order a Board Book Pack – click here.

What’s the book about?

Difference Makers: A Leader’s Guide to Championing Diversity on Boards reframes the debate about who can participate in board directorship. Dr Nicky Howe and I share our experience developing the award winning board governance program for young aspiring directors and the research on how diversity can enhance problem solving, spark innovation and ultimately build better boards and organisations.

The book includes:

  • Tools and templates to make your board’s diversity journey easier and more effective
  • Personal strategies to develop your own personal commitment to diversity
  • Board strategies including how to develop a board diversity policy and enhance recruitment, nomination and meeting processes
  • Real life case studies

…and much more!

Reward your board directors!

Reward your board directors with a small gift that supports their development and improves business outcomes.

Interested? Order a board book pack for your board members in January and receive 10 copies of the book plus free postage for just $24 per book. That’s a 20% discount plus FREE postage – a saving of $80! Orders must be made before the end of January.

Difference Makers is a great addition to your board professional development program or a useful holiday reading gift!

Order your book pack here.

Just want to order a single copy of the book, click here.