On the eve of the 10th edition of the Soul Board Experience, former participants reveal the main challenges and opportunities in their paths as board members
In the coming weeks, we will kick off the 10th edition of the Soul Board Experience, SBX. It is the first immersive journey of its kind designed in the country, with educational modules and mentoring aimed at helping executives seeking opportunities in this field to make the best decision.
SBX's relevance is no accident. The interest of mid-sized companies, family organizations and startups in implementing Corporate Governance practices has multiplied the number of openings, and the possibility of a transition from an executive career to the Board is a reality for a growing number of professionals.
Divided into four modules, with the option of including two mentoring sessions in the program, SBX has as instructors Board Members Márcio Roldão, Juarez Leão and Gustavo Lucena. The mentoring sessions, in turn, will be led by Soul HR Consulting partners Renata Filippi Lindquist and Lucia Costa.
“SBX is not, and does not intend to be, a Corporate Governance course. Our proposal is to come one step earlier, guiding executives to assess whether they are prepared to enter this world, to see which competencies should be improved or acquired even before they apply for a seat and, finally, to bring a realistic view of the market, aligning all their expectations”, explains Renata Filippi.
More than 100 executives have taken part in previous editions of SBX, and practically half of them have already held a seat on Boards or Strategic Committees in a wide variety of organizations.
To share this experience, we invited two participants with very interesting career paths to talk about how SBX contributed to their pursuit of a role in Corporate Governance in their own journeys, and how they believe the program can help partners, founders and investors who are thinking about implementing these practices in their organizations.
Business Aircraft Sales Director at Global Aircraft | General Management | Board Member | Founder and Investor of Startups
How did SBX contribute to your journey in the world of Corporate Governance and Boards?
“The SBX program was essential to complement the training I had already completed, which focused more on large, publicly traded companies that are required to have a board of directors, and on the necessary skills and qualifications. SBX set out in a very practical way the differences for family businesses (publicly and privately held) and startups, especially in structuring governance in the family and succession context, as well as the aspects that need care in order to avoid the major problems we often see in companies of this kind. Since most companies in Brazil are small and medium-sized, many of them family-owned and/or partnerships among relatives and friends, SBX helped me understand and deal with situations in these companies, and also to help informally in friends' family businesses.”
What are the main challenges and opportunities for startups and family businesses in implementing good governance practices?
“The first challenge is having the courage to address subjects that are hard to talk about, such as the partners' agreement in startups, right at the start, before problems arise, objectively assessing goals and personal characteristics. The second challenge is implementing appropriate governance mechanisms, proportionate to the company's stage. The opportunities for startups in having some form of governance from the beginning are:
• Showing potential clients and investors a higher level of seriousness;
• The connections a board member can bring, experience, an outside view and, in some situations, even mediation in conflicts that arise.
“In family businesses, the challenge is also communication, especially when starting to introduce governance in more traditional, founder-led companies. In addition, there are generational conflicts and the assumption that successors want to stay in the company. It is also necessary to understand the roles of each family member, both as a partner and as a participant in management. The opportunities lie in running the company more professionally, bringing in views from outside the family, minimizing the risk of family conflicts affecting the business and spotting talent within the family that could go unnoticed under a traditional view, such as the patriarchal culture that still favors the eldest son as the founder's successor.”
Board Member at Wil, Board Member of the Instituto de Energia e Meio Ambiente (IEMA) and Member of CNI's Business Mobilization for Innovation. He was CEO of GDSUN and vice president of Concremat Engenharia e Tecnologia, a company of the Chinese group CCCC.
Why do you recommend SBX? How did this program contribute to your journey as a Board Member?
“SBX was a very sound decision at the start of my journey as a Board Member, in 2021. More than learning the board toolkit, the most valuable thing was understanding all the subtleties that distinguish the role of board member from the role of C-level. These subtleties are essential both for the transition from executive to board member and for executives to relate better to their Boards.”
Interested in SBX?
For more information and registration, get in touch by email at contato@soulconsulting.com.br or via WhatsApp at (11) 99695-8077!
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