Expanding Your Horizons: Seven Tips to Get on an International Board

By Jenny Chen (Washington, D.C.)

Recent studies on women in the boardroom reveal that women are getting seats at the table at an unfortunately slow rate. In fact, calls for more women on boards have been more vocal in Europe and the UK.

For example, Britain just announced that companies would have to announce to shareholders by September 2012 their own targets for placing women on their boards, and state clearly how they plan to do so. Countries such as France, Spain, and Norway have already introduced compulsory quotas.

Irene Natividad, chair of Corporate Women Directors International, said, “Something is happening, and it’s driven by Europe.”

But supply seems to be unable to keep up with demand. The CWDI reports that US companies hold about 20.8% of board seats. According to the European Professional Women’s Network, 9.7% of the board members at the top 300 companies. And in China and India, women hold only about 5% of board seats.

This opens up an opportunity for women in the United States to join boards abroad, particularly in Europe where many companies are looking to fill their quotas or mandates.

As Candice Morgan, director of advisory services at Catalyst recently told HR Magazine, “We’ve certainly seen, for a while, an interest in women with international formal experience, since the legislation in Norway.”

Serving on a board is a great opportunity to broaden your horizons, said Lauren Leader-Chivee, Senior Vice President at the Center for Work-Life Policy and Partner at Sylvia Ann Hewlett Associates. “If you aspire to top leadership, being on a board…gives you exposure to a diverse set of management. To be fully competent in your own company you need to have a diverse range of experiences,” she said.

Here are seven tips to keep in mind when you are seeking a board seat abroad.

1. Cultivate your connections. In today’s global economy, it is easier and more important than ever to network abroad. Attend international conferences. Meet the right people. CT Partners, an executive search firm, said many women directors found their board seats through prior relationships they had. Make sure your network connections know of your potential interest in serving on a board and are supportive of your efforts. Chivee says while most women tend to be hesitant to utilize personal contacts, men generally don’t have such qualms and often reach out to friends when looking to join the C-Suite. The European Women’s Network, for example, is a good place to start.

2. Stand out. Consultants and former audit partners find their way onto boards based on their reputations as thought leaders and their successful track records leading professional services firms.

3. Develop a game plan. Many directors who join boards today found those boards through a rigorous and structured approach. Develop a target list of companies that best fit your skills and expertise, and are also free of conflicts. Boards typically look for directors with relevant experience at similarly situated or similar size companies, so it makes sense to target companies within your reach.

4. Get experience. Chivee says that the main thing that will help you get on an international board is previous board experience or experience in the C-Suite. Because the financial services sector has the highest percentage of women on boards, those women have an automatic leg up when it comes to joining an international board.

5. Participate in a board training program. Search for corporate governance training programs in Europe that will familiarize you with the terms and culture abroad. For example, IMD in Switzerland offers a full program for an Executive MBA.

6. Enhance your professional profile. Speak at professional meetings. Offer yourself as a subject matter expert to editors in the business and trade press. People who conduct board searches often look at newspapers and magazines to see who is being quoted and written about.

7. Create a powerful resume. Write a board bio or description of your expertise that clearly states your value proposition for a board. Make sure you highlight your key achievements, strengths, and skills and make your impact at the organizations you have worked at as specific as possible recommends the Australian based nonprofit Women on Boards. Also, don’t forget to include your membership of relevant organizations and relevant ongoing professional development.

As today’s marketplace becomes more global, demand for individuals with international expertise is heating up. As Donna Friedman, chair and CEO of Tower Consultants, an executive search firm, commented, “Having an executive on the ground in the U.S., running the business for a European company seeking to break into the U.S. market, as well as an executive who has experience expanding into emerging markets and who has done work in those markets, is very valuable.”

Getting this experience abroad can be a valuable stepping stone for your career, and by making sure to strategically enhance your profile and resume, an international board seat can help you advance faster.