Get on Board Australia: 10 years in

Looking back on starting Get on Board Australia at 29 years old I marvel at the audacity I had to create a company serving the needs of aspiring and emerging Board Members. Those needs were my needs too. I was a fledgling Board Member only five years into her board journey. They were the needs of the many other people who shared their frustration of not being able to easily access high-quality governance knowledge. For the organisations these people govern, the little things are the big things. Not having knowledgeable Board Members means that the ability to achieve the organisation's mission is negatively impacted.

This (still) doesn't sit right with me.

My inner drive for fairness and justice spurred me to create something for people like me, because, if not me, then who?

So I built an organisation with the mission to increase the minimum standard of corporate governance through accessible, high-quality governance and board knowledge. Get On Board Australia does that through free articles on our website and the Board Shorts Podcast (on Apple Podcasts and Spotify), affordable online courses , one-to-one support, and customised Board workshops.

Like most businesses, what Get on Board Australia is doing today is not what Get on Board Australia was doing when it started. My initial ideas 'failed' and I feel like I'm still evolving and finding my feet as a governance educator and practitioner. It even feels a little weird to call myself that.

It's been overwhelming to look back on the past decade and quantify what Get on Board has done so far. It's far more substantial than I remember! I'm looking forward to the next 10 years and beyond. The mission is the same and I have exciting ideas to help more people on their board and governance journey.

Like most business owners, achieving 10 years in business hasn't been a solo journey. Many people have supported me and trusted me to support them with their board career or with their entire board. It's here that I would like to publicly recognise and thank them for their involvement in Get on Board Australia's history.

Jerry Kleeman - my husband and biggest cheerleader and business development manager.

Nicole Swaine - for being Get on Board Australia's inaugural group facilitator.

Karen Percival - a Boardroom Bootcamp contributor, subject-matter expert, and Get on Board group facilitator.

A huge thank you to my Boardroom Bootcamp contributors:

?Stacey Copas ; Andrew Heard, FCA ; Roseanne Healy ; Janet Finlay ; Sarah Bartholomeusz ; Trudy MacDonald ; Juanita Lovatt ; Lewis Stratton ; Michael Bennett ; Colin Chodos ; Brian Birley ; Calvin Stead ; Noel V. ; Renee Preece ; Jenny Hassam ; Rob Pyne - I'm so grateful for you and your involvement in Boardroom Bootcamp.

My deepest gratitude to those who have supported my journey through participating in programs, speaking at events, being a guest on the Board Shorts Podcast, or early involvement in one of Get on Board's projects:

Veronica Mignone ; Stacey Packer, Business Strategist ; Caitriona Murtagh ; Sue Wundenberg ; Tiffany Jones ; Kate Gould ; Renee Feltrin ; Stacey Quinn, FCA ; Tim White FIPA FAICD FFA (Sport Governance guru); Tricia Karp ; Thea Eszenyi ; Amanda Underwood ; Jessica Wainwright ; Alexandrea Cannon. OAM FAICD, FAHRI, FAMI ; Kerin Cross ; Kathy Gramp ; Sunita Miranda ; Shelley Rogers Organisational Psychologist ; Ruth Hutchins (Morgan) ; Alana Lenart ; Michelle Pole GAICD ; Andrea Slattery ; Liz Savage ; David Campbell ; Kelvin Spiller OAM ; Greg Bustin ; Julie Garland McLellan ; Amy Bottoms ; Bobby Herrera ; Joanna Bloor ; Samantha McGolrick ; Paul Lloyd ; Brad Waldron ; Rod Buchecker ; Carolyn (McSweeney) Grant ; Amanda Cole FABC ; Jodie Hawkes ; Carolyn Mitchell ; Rebecca Allen ; Dr. Patton McDowell, MBA, CFRE ; Sabrina Walker Hernandez, MPA ; Miranda . ; Tamsin Simounds ; Steven Bowman FAICD ; Barbara Clarke ; Georgia Henry GAICD ; Simon Starr ; Jasleen Kaur .

A special thank you to Rosy Sullivan and John Sullivan for your belief in me from my early twenties. I'm glad Nelson bought us together.

Thank you for indulging me on this appreciation post.

Here's to the next decade!