Five directors talk about their journeys to the boardroom.
Boardroom careers are long-term endeavours, as many directors will attest. The most successful are honed by executives, founders and directors who are proactive, motivated and impact-driven. Many share a commitment to life-long learning. Building a board career also takes time. As Jules Scarlett GAICD, chair and commissioner of Tasmania Legal Aid advises, “Take a long-term view and be patient. Try, try, try again.”
Qantas and Brambles chair John Mullen AM noted during his keynote speech at the AICD Australian Governance Summit last month that a directorship is a privilege. “It is intellectually challenging and rewarding,” he said. “You learn new stuff every day, you get to contribute to making your company and the world a better place, and you get to meet fascinating and brilliant people with whom you would probably never otherwise cross paths. It is a great time to be alive and a great time to be on a board, and although a big part of our job is to manage risk, there are many more positives than negatives to being a director today. So don’t let governance put you off.”
Often, it’s executive careers that can offer a ticket to the boardroom, along with director training, networking and leveraging skills that are core to boards, such as financial and legal expertise. But there are other strengths, including EQ (emotional intelligence) and an ability to chart a clear path forward in an increasingly complex and fragmented stakeholder environment.
The five directors interviewed here say these are just a few key traits that have helped advance their boardroom careers across a range of sectors and levels of experience.
While some took more traditional routes to transition from CEO to non-executive directors, other board careers have been born out of passion and more personal motivations. Some directors also say they have progressed by leveraging specific skills, learning how to articulate their boardroom value, professional networks or training, or a combination of both.
Network Support
Caroline Chan GAICD (pictured above) is currently a non-executive director of Stanmore Resources Ltd and formerly a board member of the Australia-ASEAN Council at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and an advisory board member at fintech Aleta Planet.
How did you secure your first board role?
My first board role came through a network referral. I had expressed interest in non-executive director opportunities, recognising my banking and finance experience across multiple industries equipped me with valuable insights into strategic growth, risk, capital markets and governance.
A contact in my network was asked if they knew of suitable candidates and put my name forward. That led to a conversation with the chair, a structured interview process and ultimately, my appointment. Looking back, I was fortunate my skills, experience and cultural fit aligned with what they were seeking. The opportunity reinforced the power of visibility, positioning and readiness — even in an indirect way.
What helped make this happen?
A combination of different skills and experience helped advance my board career. My relevant expertise, including my financial acumen, was key, particularly as a succession plan for the audit and risk committee chair at Stanmore Resources.
Emotional intelligence and awareness was also important. Boards operate in a complex stakeholder environment where success is not just about technical expertise, but also navigating diverse perspectives and fostering constructive debate. My experience engaging with boards, C-Suite executives and customers gave me a strong ability to navigate stakeholder sensitivities, influence without authority and build consensus in high-stakes discussions.
Leveraging my network also helped. Beyond the initial referral, I later discovered two board members had mutual connections with me, which provided positive reference points during due diligence. I also leveraged my credibility and visibility — being active in networks and saying yes to public speaking opportunities, even if it sometimes felt out of my comfort zone. Ultimately, reputation matters. You want to be referred for the right reasons. This is especially true for boards, where the majority of non-executive director roles aren’t advertised.
What advice would you give to executives seeking board roles?
Define your value proposition. Take time to reflect on your “Why” for being a non-executive director and what you uniquely bring to a board. This makes for easier conversations and identifying what boards you can add value to.
Activate your network. Let people know you’re interested, why and what your value proposition is. Opportunities often come from unexpected connections. Two of my board roles came via indirect referrals and market visibility. Be seen, be heard. Increase your profile by speaking on panels, engaging on LinkedIn and contributing to industry conversations. Visibility leads to opportunity, you can’t be referred if people don’t know you exist.
Becoming a director takes patience and self belief. Timing plays a role. You may meet the right person at the right time, or it may take longer. What you can control is staying prepared, visible and engaged. Your first board role may not come from where you expect. But when it does, preparation and positioning make all the difference.
Right time, right skills
Paul Robson GAICD is CEO of MYOB, a non-executive director at Technology One, an advisory council member at Ai Group and sits on the board of influencer marketing platform Vamp.
How did you secure your first board role?
When my now-teenage son was a baby, my wife and I struggled to settle him, so we attended a workshop at Tresillian, a not-for-profit offering support and guidance for families in the early years of their child’s life. That workshop was life-changing. Having experienced their value first-hand, six months later I responded to an advertised opening for a non-executive board role. I was drawn to them for their focus on a worthy cause.
This experience of working in both a governance role as a director, as well as an operational role of running a business, has led me to continue to pursue other board roles, culminating recently in joining the board of ASX 100-listed TechnologyOne.
What helped make this happen?
The other board members of Tresillian are mostly medical professionals. I brought with me digital skills at a time when the organisation was increasing focus on its digital presence. I wouldn’t have been as successful if I had a different background. I was able to marry my skillset to what the organisation needed.
What advice would you give to executives seeking director roles?
When you’re a CEO, you drive and run the operational side of the business day to day. On a board, your role is different and focuses more on governance, oversight and strategy. You need to apply a different mindset in order to be successful as a director.
If a CEO wants to be a non-executive director, my advice is to think about how you can ensure you don’t get in the way of the operational side of the business, allowing the executives to do their roles while you do your role, fulfilling the requirements of being a director.
Alignment of purpose
Jules Scarlett is the chair and commissioner of Tasmania Legal Aid, a non-executive director of TasPorts and an independent director on the national board of Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA).
How did you secure your first board role?
By saying yes to something new and unknown — becoming a committee member for a fledgling surf life saving club on the east coast of Tassie. I didn’t have any history in surf life saving, but loved the idea of supporting this activity in my local regional community. I helped run each season’s Nippers program and loved the way it brought together local families with a focus on improving beach safety. This grass roots involvement sparked an interest to put myself forward when a vacancy came up on the SLSA national board. I had a lot of the commercial and governance skills SLSA were seeking, but a difference that helped me secure the role was my strong alignment with its purpose, shown through my involvement at grass roots.
What helped make this happen?
Your entire executive career experience is the kit bag you draw from. It’s also important to put the time into framing what you want your NED portfolio to look like. I’m at the most planned and purpose-driven stage of my career. I’ve shaped a portfolio based on the skills and experience I can contribute, where I’m strongly aligned with purpose, and by considering things I get excited about. Then, as I was widely advised, network, network, network. Be interested in the stories and journeys of others. Serendipity can also play a role.
What advice would you give to executives seeking director roles?
Get the value statement of what you would contribute to a board very clear. Be forensic on which organisations you’re targeting. Share that with your network and search firms. Take a long-term view and be patient. Try, try, try again.
Sector experience
Vasyl Nair is group CEO at Team Super and a board member of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA).
How did you secure your first board role?
My roles have arisen directly out of employment in the sectors I’ve worked. One of my first appointments as a director to a super administration provider supported my ambition to improve industry service standards. My recent appointment to the ASFA board is adjacent to my role as CEO of a super fund.
What helped make this happen?
Early in my career, I briefly practised corporate law, which gave me a good grounding in the more technical aspects of directorship. This was later complemented by undertaking the Company Directors Course. Notwithstanding this, reporting directly to a trustee board for a decade in the superannuation sector has given me a greater appreciation of how difficult the role of a director can be. Being a director while still contributing in my executive career gives me a strong understanding of the issues directors want and need to engage in, and the role management plays in bringing these to a board in a way that supports effective decision-making. I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by a strong network of experienced directors, whom I have learned from and continue to rely on for ongoing development and support.
What advice would you give to executives seeking director roles?
A combination of domain expertise, together with a willingness to contribute to others are common characteristics of great directors I’ve worked for. The opportunity to broaden my experience by working across multiple entities creates a strong sense of perspective, but also value. Patience and a bit of luck are also underrated contributors.
Organic growth
Ryan Ebert is founder of investment fund Innings and a director of startup Health 2 You.
How did you secure your first board role?
The path to my first board role at Yarraville Club developed organically through leading an initiative to grow the organisation’s community and customer connections. I lived in the area and saw a real opportunity to help the business evolve into what was a changing demographic at the time. I was excited to be involved in creating a more diversified offering and longer-term strategy, and the business was at a good size for me at that time of my career for a first step into formal governance. It seemed like a good fit with the diversity of perspective I could offer around the board table, along with learning beside experienced directors who were committed to good governance during a time of transition.
Regular interactions launching a monthly event in partnership with the CEO and board members over a year built mutual understanding and rapport. During this time, not only did we build trust, but insight and understanding evolved with the challenges the organisation was facing. When a board vacancy arose, these established relationships naturally led to discussions about the role. This experience taught me that while qualifications and experience matter, timing and genuine engagement are equally important.
What helped make this happen?
My entrepreneurial background as a founder of several healthcare businesses and director of those companies — which meant balancing the skill of organisational growth and innovation alongside the governance development that come with sitting on a board — offered different perspectives in this particular case.
Further, there was distinct value with these skills that aligned with the board’s needs during a period of transformation. While my professional network proved valuable during due diligence, I also recognised areas for growth. Upon joining, I addressed these through AICD training, demonstrating my commitment to effective governance.
Showing this commitment during the process of joining the club helped to secure the role along with fast-tracking financial acumen and balancing the needs of organisational delivery at pace, while maintaining effective governance. One of the directors on my company’s board was a great mentor in highlighting the importance of this balance to me. This in turn helped when I stepped into a board role in a different industry.
What advice would you give to other executives seeking director roles?
Focus on showing how you can add tangible value as a board member. In my experience, this came from connecting with the organisation and launching a new partnership initiative. In another instance, for a board role I’m now involved with, it began with upskilling the organisation in an area in which I have expertise.
There are many ways you can do this, but I was thinking first and foremost how I could help and add value. Boards face complex challenges with limited resources, so clearly articulating how your expertise addresses their governance needs is crucial. This approach of “showing” rather than just “telling” helps establish your credibility and makes a compelling case for your board contribution.
This article first appeared under the headline ‘My first board’ in the April 2025 issue of Company Director magazine.
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