Take on Board - podcast cover

Take on Board

Helga Svendsenhelgasvendsen.com.au

Welcome to the Take on Board podcast, where we talk all things boards and governance. Being on a board can be interesting, valuable and exciting. Yet it can also be lonely, challenging and hard. Each week I talk to women who have been there, done that. Together we'll discover what we need to take on board to be your best in the boardroom.


https://helgasvendsen.com.au/take-on-board-podcast/

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Episodes

Madeleine Babiolakis on leadership skills, voluntary boards and a career portfolio

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Madeleine Babiolakis about building leadership skills in a new world of work. Plus, Madeleine is pro adding voluntary boards earlier in your board career and shares the benefits of a career portfolio. Balancing it all is possible! Madeline is on the boards of ACCE and Women’s Leadership Institute Australia (WLIA). She was formerly on the board of IABC Victoria. Madeleine is the Founder and Director of Shape & Impact, a consulting and advis...

Aug 15, 202328 minEp. 213

Lina Patel has the scoop on how Aussie and US non-profit boards are different

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Lina Patel about exploring the difference between US and Australian NFP Boards & Governance Lina Patel is a startup Board Member for Global Impact Australia. She is a Melbourne based facilitator. Lina works with people who value positive social outcomes and want to improve how they work and her specialty is getting things done, calmly. Links and Resources Lina Patel - Revma Consulting Leading with Intent 2021 - report on US NFP board compo...

Aug 08, 202340 minEp. 212

Helga goes solo: Steps for Recruiting a Board Member

Today on the Take on Board podcast, you're just going to be hearing from me, as I take you through steps to recruit a board member. This is one of the things I get asked all the time, where do I start? What do I need to do? What are the steps? So I've made a checklist for you. And I thought I would take you through that checklist. Now, of course, in the show notes, you will find the downloads for the checklist and some of the other resources that I refer to as we go through the process today.&nb...

Aug 01, 202325 minEp. 211

Karen Mundine outlines why reconciliation matters to business and boards

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Karen Mundine about why reconciliation matters to business and to boards. Karen Mundine is from the Bundjalung Nation of northern NSW. She is a board member of Gondwana Choirs, Sydney Festival, the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre (AILC), and Australians for Constitutional Recognition. She is a member of Chief Executive Women. As the CEO at Reconciliation Australia, Karen brings to the role more than 25 years’ experience leadi...

Jul 25, 202329 minEp. 210

Samar Mcheileh navigated a management buyout and says it's worth the risk

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Samar Mcheileh about boardroom culture, finances and navigating a management buyout. Samar is on the finance and investment committee for InTouch, and organisation providing services, programs and responses to family violence in migrant and refugee communities. She is also a former Board member of YWCA Victoria. Samar Mcheileh is the co-CEO at Scale Investors. An early stage angel syndicate that invests in exceptional gender diverse entreprene...

Jul 18, 202327 minEp. 209

Melissa Donnelly brings strategic planning into the boardroom to maximize lived experiences

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Melissa Donnelly about the importance of strategic planning as a vehicle for bringing the lived experience of staff and clients/customers/members into the board room. Melissa is the Chair, Domestic Violence Prevention Centre (Gold Coast) Melissa has been called a brain surgeon for brands. She extracts the DNA of businesses from the CEO's brain and injects it across the organisation. In her 35 year-plus career, she's triaged, rebooted and launc...

Jul 11, 202332 minEp. 208

Podcast takeover – a 4th birthday celebration!

SURPRISE! Buffy, here – Helga’s podcast producer.   Lisa – Helga’s business manager – and I reached out to the fabulous peeps in the Take on Board community to record messages in celebration of the podcast’s 4th birthday.   This episode is full of words of appreciation and gratitude for the podcast’s 4 years of sharing governance wisdom and for the evolving community which keeps on supporting and cheering on each other’s boardroom journeys.    A big thanks to everyone who too...

Jul 04, 202310 minEp. 207

Take on Board Breakfast: Riwka Hagen knows how to navigate a merger and has tips

Today on the Take on Board podcast, Riwka Hagen joins me at the Take on Board Breakfast event. Riwka presents Organisational Mergers: Lessons from the coalface . Riwka knows how to navigate organisational mergers because she's successfully overseen the process. Hear her presentation and answers to audience questions. You can learn a lot from her success and challenges! This podcast is an edited version of the Take on Board Breakfast. Sign-up for information about future events like the breakfast...

Jun 27, 202348 minEp. 206

Marcele de Sanctis has thoughts on using metrics to find the right board mix

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Dr. Marcele de Sanctis about Board Capability and Culture Marcele has 10 years experience working with global, ASX-listed, private and Government organisations, supporting Boards, CEOs, C-level executives and senior leaders in capability development and competency architecture, leadership assessment, leadership development, executive coaching, talent management, L&D, OD, executive search and recruitment.  She currently sits on the Nat...

Jun 20, 202326 minEp. 205

Gina Balarin says marketers play a huge role on boards

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Gina Balarin about her journey to the boardroom. Gina is on the boards of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), a UK-based organisation serving an international audience and ProjectDisplaced, an Australia-based organisation helping coach Australians out of work to get their mojo back. Gina Balarin is an inspirational TEDx and keynote speaker, storyteller and B2B marketing leader, who sits on the boards of the Chartered Institute of Marke...

Jun 13, 202337 minEp. 204

Take on Board x Lead to Soar - How Women Can Build & Demonstrate Strategic Acumen with Helga Svendsen

In this special Take on Board x Lead to Soar cross over episode, I was the guest on the Lead to Soar podcast and was interviewed by Michelle Redfern. She invited me to discuss strategy. My conversation with Michelle was part of the Lead to Soar - " How Women Can" web series. Do you know what strategy is? Do you know why strategy is set? Do you know why boards are interested in strategy? Can you describe the relationship between strategy and business outcomes? Being able to answer all these quest...

Jun 06, 202331 minEp. 203

Helga goes solo: “Be a Voice for Generations” this National Reconciliation Week

This week in Australia it’s National Reconciliation Week. So, today, I'm covering the following: Talk about NRW 2023, the theme and what it means for all of us Talk about NRW more broadly – it’s history and what it’s about Talk about the Uluru statement from the Heart – I’ll read it to you Share some ideas for your board to support the Uluru statement from the Heart Share some resources, including showcasing the first nations women that have previously been on ToB I'd love to hear from you about...

May 30, 202320 minEp. 202

Ursula Lepporoli on the diverse perspectives of expats on boards

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Ursula Lepporoli about having expats on your board to diversity perspectives. Ursula Lepporoli is a partner at KPMG. She has 17 years of extensive experience as a strategic global mobility tax expert providing a full suite of tax services to companies, expatriates and high net worth individuals.  Ursula enjoys sharing her knowledge. She is a frequent guest on podcasts speaking about leadership and tax. She joined Adam Grant earlier this y...

May 23, 202332 minEp. 201

Red Dearnley on breaking the binary in the boardroom, intersectional inclusion and gender equity

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Red Dearnley about breaking the binary in the boardroom: Improving intersectional inclusion and gender equity Red is WIRE (Deputy Chair) and Speak Australia (Chair) and former Be Slavery Free (Chair). Red is an experienced executive and non-executive leader in the for-purpose sector. They are CEO of Birth for Humankind, and Founder and Principal Consultant of Influence Global, a social change consultancy. They are also currently Deputy Chair o...

May 16, 202345 minEp. 200

Penelope Barr says there's no excuse for not taking privacy and security seriously

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Penelope Barr about privacy and security in the boardroom. Penelope has previously been a director of  The 100% Project - working towards gender equity in the workplace; and Hearts4Heart - a Health Board, focusing on the patient experience.  Penelope speaks startup and big end of town. With 25+ years’ leading local and global digital, technology, agile, product, innovation & transformation businesses, she’s motivated by solving c...

May 09, 202331 min

Emma Olivier on Girl Guides leading to a career in assessing risk

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Emma Olivier about managing risk. Emma is on the boards of Leadership Victoria , Audit and Risk Committee for Life Saving Victoria Emma is the founder and CEO of Twenty Percent, a disability Advisory working with Corporate Australia. With over 30 years consulting experience and having been born without a left hand, she understands from her own lived experience the challenges and opportunities of having a disability in corporate Australia.&nbsp...

May 02, 202327 min

Helga goes Solo - Insights on Program with the AICD and Australian Network on Disability

Today on the ToB podcast I’m going to give you some details about a program I recently participated in. It was part of the Disability Leadership Program, the Australian Network on Disability(AND) facilitated a series of Leader-to-leader conversations. I participated in the Melbourne session.  The program aims to provide an opportunity to learn through storytelling and connection. AND connects Australian Directors and selected leaders with disability participating in our Disability Leadershi...

Apr 25, 202320 min

Julia Spicer challenges you to hear all voices in the board room

Today on the Take on Board podcast, I’m speaking with Julia Spicer about ensuring we are hearing all voices in the boardroom. Julia is on the boards of  Motherland Australia,  GEN Australia,  Qld Government Innovation Advisory Council,  Tie Up the Black Dog Committee She’s formerly been on the boards of  Australian LAnd MAnagement Group,  Qld Small Business Advisory Council,  Regional Development Australia DDSW,  YWCA Qld,  Care Goondiwindi,  Goo...

Apr 18, 202330 min

El Gibbs says boards need to include people with lived expertise ASAP

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with El Gibbs about the importance of lived expertise on Boards, the Disability Royal Commission findings for disability services. El is on the board of Australian Progress and was previously on the boards of Electronic Frontiers Australia, Blue Mountains City Council, Radio Blue Mountains. El Gibbs is an award-winning writer with a focus on disability and social issues. El works as a consultant for a wide range of disability and community organisa...

Apr 11, 202334 min

Nareen Young explains what Australian boards get wrong about diversity and Indigenous governance

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Nareen Young about whether Australia's boards reflect its makeup (spoiler alert – no!) and how can you meld Indigenous governance with mainstream governance? Professor Nareen Young is on the boards of BlakDance, Per Capita, Evolve Housing and has previously been on the boards of Souths Cares, Diversity Arts Australia, Indigenous Business Australia. She is also on the Indigenous Advisory group of National Australia Bank and the Aboriginal Advis...

Apr 04, 202325 min

Christina Matthews applies lessons from a competitive cricket career to board strategy

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Christina Matthews about culture and strategy.  Christina is on the boards of  Youth Focus and Leadership WA. She’s formerly been on the board of the Bradman Foundation. Christina is Chief Executive Officer of WA Cricket and a former Australian cricketer. Christina is a well-respected voice within the Australian cricket community and she has proven herself to be an effective and courageous leader since taking on the role of CEO ...

Mar 28, 202326 min

Megan Buntine makes the case to start succession planning now

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Megan Buntine about Succession planning, and subsequent boards consolidation/strengthening Megan is on the boards of  Into Our Hands Community Foundation  Alpine Valleys Community Leadership  Morcare Services She was formerly on the boards of Alexandra District Health  Rivers and Ranges Community Leadership  Victorian Public Tenants Association  Kinglake Ranges Foundation Megan has always had an interest in govern...

Mar 21, 202325 min

My AICD Australian Governance Summit 2023 recap

Today on the Take on Board podcast, I recap the Australian Institute of Company Directors conference and share my reflections. Here is what I heard during the two-day conference peppered with some of my thoughts on topics that were raised and things for you to think about – it was jam packed. Thanks to my guest ToB correspondents – Chaman Sidhu, Hannah Browne, Clare Schonfeld, Melissa Donald, Nikki Fraser and Riwka Hagen. There are numerous topics I’ll be covering in the future on the podcast, s...

Mar 14, 202351 min

Wendy McCarthy on feminist activism in the boardroom and aiming for 50/50

Today on the Take on Board podcast, I’m speaking with Wendy McCarthy about her journey to the boardroom.  Wendy McCarthy AO – an Australian businesswoman, activist and former university administrator – joined her first board of directors almost 50 years ago. It was 1974. Feminism’s second wave was in full swing. Members of the Women’s Electoral Lobby, (WEL) were encouraged to join the Family Planning Association of Australia (FPA) to vote for a new board, to drive reform and change, such as...

Mar 07, 202337 min

Lesley Antoun can explain strategic decision making and board dynamics in English et en français

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Lesley Antoun about strategy, strategic decision making and board dynamics.. Lesley is on the boards of The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges, Inc.; Wainbee Ltd.; The Canadian Real Estate Association and Concordia University Alumni Association. She was previously on the board of Literacy Unlimited. Lesley is a successful executive, leadership coach, consultant and speaker with over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, program and ...

Feb 28, 202330 min

Monica Rosenfeld uses storytelling to communicate key messages

Today on the Take on Board podcast, I’m speaking with Monica Rosenfeld about curiosity mindset and personal brand.  Monica Rosenfeld is a Communication Keynote Speaker and workshop facilitator, comedian and founder of Stories that Stir, storytelling events and podcast. She has worked in the media all her professional life and is on a mission to facilitate human connection through inCredible Communication. Links and Resources Monica Rosenfeld Stories that Stir Upcoming TOB Events All events ...

Feb 21, 202334 min

Michelle Loader shares all the details of the Future Board Scholarship

Today on the Take on Board podcast I’m speaking with Michelle Loader about the Future Board Scholarship – a scholarship program aimed at building in a capability lens to bring diversity forward. Michelle is on the Board of Future Leadership and on the advisory boards of CEDA (Committee for Economic Development Australia) and Committee for Melbourne. She a former board member of Global International Women’s Forum - Co-Chair  IWF Global Conference International Women’s Forum Australia - Found...

Feb 14, 202330 min

Derryn Heilbuth helps companies strategise and communicate all things ESG

Today on the Take on Board podcast, I’m speaking with Derryn Heilbuth about ESG considerations for boards. Derryn is the Exec Chair of BWD, which she founded over 30 years ago and which now has offices in Sydney, Brisbane, New York, Penang and Raglan in New Zealand. When Derryn founded BWD she understood then – as now – that communicating strategy requires an ability to think strategically, tell a compelling story and write, design, illustrate or animate messages in a way that connects intellect...

Feb 07, 202327 min

Belinda Loke on building board acumen outside of the AICD

Today on the Take on Board podcast, I’m speaking with Belinda Loke about her recent participation in the McKinsey Board program.  Belinda is a Non Executive Director and Board Secretary of Kids Hope Australia, Australia’s largest early intervention, school-based one-on-one mentoring program. Formerly part of World Vision Australia and established in 2004, Kids Hope Australia has been impacting the lives of over 20,000 disadvantaged children in primary schools across Australia.  Resourc...

Jan 31, 202331 min

Christina Ryan says 2023 is the perfect year to diversify your board and become an ally

Today on the Take on Board podcast, I’m speaking with Christina Ryan on diversity and inclusion in the boardroom Christina is on the board of The National Disability Research Partnership Working Group and was previously on the boards of  Canberra Rape Crisis Centre Sexual Health and Family Planning  ACT Northside Community Services  Disability Advocacy Network of Australia  Women With Disabilities ACT  Havelock Housing Association In 2016 Christina took one of the m...

Jan 24, 202333 min