A big vision for the boardroom

In early 2021, a spark of inspiration struck Andrew Da Silva who approached Sharon Sutherland and I with what seemed like a wild idea, and armed with nothing but sketches on a piece of paper we began a journey together.

The challenge we faced (and all still face) was pretty clear: How could we contribute to broader boardroom diversity [1] - not just age or gender, but across all areas? The goal was to lean into the epic skills of EY's talented individuals to increase their representation on not-for-profit boards, enhancing diversity within the NFP sector while they continued their careers at EY.

From this vision, EY Ignite was born. Fast forward to today, and one of our first 'Igniters' Shyaam has just been elected the Chair of EY Oceania's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness Council. His dedication and the foundation laid by EY Ignite led to his first board role at Stride Mental Health, one of Australia's oldest charities. This is a testament to the program's success and our small contribution to foster intergenerational equity in governance and decision-making.

Spoiler: intergenerational equity is a massive passion of mine.. more on that in another post.

Our design principles for the Ignite program have always been diversity in every aspect, inclusiveness across all job levels, and a commitment to continual growth. We've evolved the program over time to include not only mentorship, but formalised learning and observing the dynamics of how boards operate. No doubt our very patient steering committee is perpetually braced for our numerous "builds" as we keep learning and continuously strive to improve the program year after year.

It's incredibly rewarding to collaborate with visionaries like Andrew Da Silva (affectionately, 'Das') and to have the steer and governance backbone of Alison de Groot Brad Tozer Jenelle McMaster and previously Kate Hillman - and also our incredible learning colleagues Clare O'Brien and Anya Funnell . We operate on the sheer passion of everyone involved, yet the results are extraordinary. We're also humbled in welcoming back our EY Alumni leading the charge in Australia's corporate and non profit boardrooms, as well as the surrounding ecosystem of partners that give us their time and wisdom.

My big vision is that all boardrooms reflect the makeup of the communities that they serve. Sooner rather than later. And let's be clear: this extends way outside of the context of EY or the professional community, so Ignite is just a very small piece of this puzzle. There will always be more work to do and more to learn [2]. In the meantime I hope there are more years of igniting potential and driving meaningful change for the board of the future.

#boardmatters

[1] - According to Watermark’s 2024 Board Diversity Index, the average age of board directors on the top ASX300 listed companies is 61, with 91% from an Anglo-Celtic background. In comparison, of the 32 participants accepted in this year’s Ignite program, 65% are female, 44% come from non-Anglo-Celtic backgrounds?and all are?under 50 years of age.

[2] One way I have kept learning and building is through my attendance at the very insightful Governing for Purpose course - led by the Small Giants Academy - if you want to know more, check out their masterclass in collaboration with Paul Smith and Matt Fullbrook in Melbourne on Oct 16th.

Photo by Kyle Nieber on Unsplash