4 minute read
Building next-generation boardrooms
by CMI_
Rebecca Robins
When businesses review the way they organise and mobilise their boardrooms after this crisis, they may look to this example of a next-generation board for inspiration
At the end of 2019, I was asked to comment for a think piece on the defining words and language of the new decade. The contribution I made was called “The Decade of ‘We’.” In the context of where we now find ourselves, the phrase has taken on a new level of meaning.
Interbrand’s decision in 2019 to establish a “next-generation board” was driven by a belief in what we make happen together. This board – a collective of our rising talent – was designed to take that to another level. As a company with entrepreneurial DNA that had pioneered innovations in modern branding, it was time to make our own entrepreneurial investment in our talent.
We began the process by listening and sparring internally. We also tracked the culture of leading brands and how they were investing in their people. One of the fastest-growing brands in our annual Best Global Brands study, Gucci, accelerated from $8.8bn in 2015 to almost $16bn in 2019. A number of factors have played into that growth, one of which is the commitment that CEO Marco Bizzarri made around a more inclusive culture. Significantly, this included the creation of a Millennial Committee, which Bizzarri refers to as his “Shadow Comex”.
That prompted the question: how would we define our new board? The current standard terminology is “Shadow Committee” or “Shadow Board”, but at Interbrand we want people to shine, and “shadow” didn’t feel right. Ultimately, we launched our next-gen board as “the Horizon Board”. It’s future-facing, horizon-scanning and fresh.
The idea of the board was promoted via an open application process. We called out to next-gen talent who were open to speaking up, to challenging the why and the why not, and to participating in a community that upholds fair and constructive debate. We invited people to submit short videos that spoke to their “super-skills”, the areas where they have particular strengths, while outlining what matters most to them and why they believe they can make a difference.
Early this year, after viewing dozens of application videos, the executive leadership team selected ten employees who would represent the young generation of the company for a tenure of 18 months. The Horizon Board was born – a diverse collective of six women and four men, based across three continents, in seven cities – New York, London, Madrid, Cologne, Milan, Tokyo and Seoul. They represent an eclectic range of disciplines across the business, including strategy, design, growth and client services. Cultural diversity and neurodiversity are two of the board’s most precious assets.
Born into a global pandemic
The first board meeting was scheduled for mid-March 2020. At that point, some countries were in lockdown and offices closed, and three members of the board were already working remotely, in Seoul and Milan. As I write, the board members are yet to meet each other in person, but even with time zones spanning 14 hours (GMT -5 to +9), the whole team convenes on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. They report to Interbrand’s main board on a monthly basis.
The Horizon Board is already acting as a lens through which the business looks at a number of elements in our strategy. As we live through this period of rapid transformation, the Horizon team is co-creating Interbrand’s ambition and purpose. It’s defining what will inspire and motivate our next generation of talent, as well as identifying the kind of talent that we want to attract in the future. It’s a poignant moment for them to set our new north star.
Learning from each other
We hold a regular open forum, where I act as sparring partner and coach. The Horizon Board members have open access to connect with experts around the Interbrand network to explore and advance their ideas. We’ve also set up some two-way mentoring between the Horizon Board and team leaders across the business. The aim is to find shared value through conversations across generations and skillsets. For both leadership and the Horizon Board, it’s about spending time with people they might not otherwise work with.
Different voices
The leaders of global brands often talk about the importance of keeping a seat open around the boardroom table for the customer. At Interbrand, we have another ten seats around our table.
Each person on the Horizon Board wants to make their mark, and it’s our responsibility to enable and advance that. If leaders and managers embrace ways of working where real change can take place, give a voice to rising talent, open up dialogues and keep listening, just think what we might make happen together.
Rebecca Robins CMgr CCMI is global chief learning and culture officer at Interbrand
