Positioning yourself for board service

Your Board Pitch

Positioning yourself for board service: Tips from Athena's head of board recruitment

Samantha Lorenzo, Director of Board Recruitment at Athena, provides tips on?how to successfully apply for board roles …

• Focus on opportunities where you're a clear fit
• Make sure you have professional, polished board documents
• Create a pitch summary in lieu of a cover letter
• Treat your resume as a living document, adapting it for every role

Read her full list, including tools to help you prepare,?on our blog .

Improving your odds to get on a board

Learn how to tailor your bio to land a board seat in our Salon presented by Athena coaches and experienced board directors Britt Ide, Cheemin Bo-Linn, and Nancy Sheppard. You’ll learn:

• How to structure your board bio and resume in support of your goals
• How to create a unique value proposition to make you stand out
• Board biography toolkits and active strategies you can use to perfect your bio
• Why developing a brand is instrumental in landing a board seat

Gain access and improve your chances of landing a board seat with an?Athena membership .

Get closer to a board seat with our Accelerator

Elevate your chances of securing a board seat with our signature?Athena Accelerator ?program. For the entire month of April, we're extending a 10% discount to give you a head start.?Enroll now ?using the code MEMBER10ACC.

The Accelerator provides six extra hours of personalized coaching from our world-class coaches who specialize in board interviews, recruitment, and onboarding. You'll also receive a Branded Career Portfolio (a polished resume, bio, and updated LinkedIn profile) to showcase your best professional qualities in your board applications.

Guide to Presenting

Presenting to the board as an executive

Download our guide ?to learn best practices for presenting to the board, including how to prepare, tips for success, and approaches to ensure a seamless follow-up.

Reinvent your presentation style

Athena member Gayle Fuguitt sheds light on the impact of the pandemic on presentations and suggests ways to adapt to the new normal. It's crucial to reinvent yourself, incorporating personal authenticity into your presentations to captivate the audience. She stresses the significance of establishing common ground to foster a deeper connection with the audience and convey your message effectively.

Gain access and learn from top women leaders with your?Athena membership .

Put Athena to Work

Success for women leaders at Autodesk through our customizable executive development program

What started with four senior women executives seeking board director roles has now grown into a cohort of 50 women from various departments and geographies across Autodesk. Our customizable approach to executive training and support allows for a scalable and personalized experience that caters to each member's unique needs and goals.

We provide a platform that enables Autodesk to track the progress and engagement of its top leaders' development. For more details on how Athena is providing a strategic advantage for the company, check out our?case study .

Retain and advance your best talent with Athena

Ready to advance your company's top women leaders??Get in touch with our team ?to learn more.

From Our Partners

New study: Gender diversity on private company boards

The?annual report ?produced through a collaboration between our partner Him For Her and Crunchbase shows that although the number of women on boards of high-growth private companies has increased, it is not rising at a fast enough pace.

Women hold 16% of board seats among the companies studied, up from 14% in 2021 and 7% in 2019. Despite a drop in the number of all-male boards from 60% in 2019 to 32% now, women still hold just one seat on every seven-member board on average. Furthermore, over 75% of company boards do not have a single woman of color.

Join Us

Negotiating an offer for a C-Suite role

Join seasoned executive Leslie Loveless to learn how to navigate the complexities of C-level job offers. We'll explore the various components of total compensation packages, legal typical jargon in employment agreements, as well as offer negotiation strategies.

Whether you are preparing to renegotiate your current package or negotiate a new one, this session will equip you with the tools to confidently ask for what you deserve.?RSVP here .

Seed to unicorn: Understanding the various venture stages

Join us for this Salon with Heather Redman and Lilia Sherman to explore the journey from Seed to Unicorn. We'll discuss the different stages of venture capital funding and gain insights into how VCs define each stage. Our experts will share their perspectives on what VCs typically look for at each stage, including when they decide to stay invested or exit the investment.?RSVP here .

Member News & Celebrations

Congratulations to our members on their recent achievements

• Jennifer McFarlane was appointed to the Board of Directors of EMRGY
• Julie Cullivan was appointed to the Board of Directors of Astra
• Shana Simmons was recognized on the list of The Top 50 Women Leaders of San Francisco for 2023 by Women We Admire
• Shing Pan was recognized on the list of The Top 50 Women Leaders of San Francisco for 2023 by Women We Admire

Welcome new members

We are thrilled to welcome this week’s new members to the Athena community. They include Founders, VPs, and Advisors in strategy, marketing, and legal.

Join Athena