Over the years, I’ve spoken with countless senior executives who have tried to transition into board roles. Many are extremely accomplished, highly regarded leaders with decades of experience as CEOs, CFOs, Managing Directors, or senior partners in professional firms. Yet despite their achievements, many of them fail to secure even one board appointment.
Just recently, a senior partner from a tier-one law firm shared his frustration with me. After nearly two years of applying for board roles through LinkedIn, SEEK, and the AICD job board, he had received only a couple of interviews and not a single appointment. His results were, in his own words, “extremely disappointing.”
What I explained to him is something I find myself saying every week. Applying for advertised board roles without any existing relationships behind the scenes is rarely effective. The advertised market is overcrowded, hyper-competitive, and usually represents only a small fraction of the genuine opportunities available. Most of those advertised roles are already earmarked for known candidates. By the time they appear online, the decision has often been made in principle.
The truth is that board appointments happen through trust and networks, not job boards. The majority of appointments are made quietly, through introductions, recommendations, and relationships built over time.
“Networking just for the sake of networking itself does not secure board directorships. Your networking strategy is absolutely crucial to your success.”
This is the reality most executives don’t fully grasp until they’ve spent months, even years, chasing the wrong market.
Why So Many Get It Wrong
Building a board portfolio is one of the most misunderstood career transitions in the professional world. Many people underestimate its complexity. They assume that because they have senior leadership experience, the doors will open naturally.
The reality is very different.
There are three recurring reasons why highly capable people struggle:
1. No clear direction. Most executives do not have a defined strategy for which sectors or board ecosystems align with their background, values, or aspirations. They apply reactively, not strategically.
2. Lack of access. They network without purpose or sequence, often talking to the wrong people or spreading themselves too thin. True board networking is about deliberate, relationship-based engagement over time, not one-off coffee meetings.
3. Weak positioning. Their messaging fails to communicate their strategic value at board level. A résumé full of executive achievements is not the same as a compelling board proposition.
“If it was simple, everyone would be doing it. The reality is it’s complex. It requires nuance, strategy, and a lot of pre-planning and thought to secure roles.”
The Reality of the Board Market
In Australia, more than 80 percent of board appointments occur through private networks and trusted introductions. The advertised market, which most people rely on, represents only about 20 percent of available roles.
That means the majority of aspiring directors are competing for a very small pool of public opportunities. These are often the least strategic roles, the ones everyone else can see, and they come with the highest levels of competition.
When you are playing in the wrong part of the market, even an impeccable career history won’t help. You can have the right skills, the right achievements, and the right motivations, but if you are not visible to the right people, you are effectively invisible.
“It doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through very specific, tried and tested strategies that deliver the results required to secure the right roles, in the right order, and build the right relationships with the key people in the right ecosystems.”
This is not about luck. It’s about intention, positioning, and execution. It’s about doing the work that others are not prepared to do, and doing it consistently over time.
“If you go out there with your begging bowl, you are not going to receive any results.”
The uncomfortable truth is that many people approach the board market from a position of desperation or uncertainty. They reach out to private equity firms or chairpersons without any clear strategy, and it shows. Successful directors, on the other hand, approach the market with purpose, value, and clarity.
What Actually Works
Over the years, I’ve refined the Board Portfolio® methodology to address the three core pillars that determine success. These principles have helped hundreds of executives secure paid board roles, build influence, and develop sustainable board careers.
1. Board-Ready Personal Brand
This is not just about having a polished résumé. It’s about positioning yourself as the obvious choice for the boardroom. You need a professional board biography, clear messaging, and a consistent online presence that demonstrates credibility, judgment, and the ability to contribute at a strategic level.
Your personal brand should speak directly to what a board needs: governance acumen, risk insight, financial literacy, and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder landscapes. When these elements come together, your brand becomes magnetic.
2. Access to the Hidden Board Market
The real opportunities exist in what I call the hidden board market. This is the 80 percent of roles that are filled through quiet introductions, recommendations, and relationship networks.
The ability to access that hidden market is what separates those who succeed from those who struggle. It’s not about luck. It’s about proximity to the right people, credibility within the right ecosystems, and being top of mind when opportunities emerge.
As I often tell my clients, the difference between being considered and being chosen often comes down to the strength of your connections.
“You can’t network with everyone I’ve met in 20 years in just 12 months. There’s an order and a strategy to it.”
3. Strategic Roadmap and Mentorship
Building a board portfolio is a long-term game. You need a structured plan that helps you maintain focus, build visibility, and convert opportunities. A 12-month roadmap provides clarity on the right actions to take each quarter, how to approach introductions, and how to nurture relationships over time.
It’s also about having guidance from someone who knows how the market actually works, who can provide warm introductions, and who can help you position yourself strategically when the right opportunities appear.
These three pillars form the foundation of a sustainable, income-generating board portfolio. They help you secure the right roles, in the right order, and build genuine long-term influence.
Your Results Reflect Your System
If you’ve spent the past year applying for board roles, attending networking events, and trying to “figure it out” on your own, and you still haven’t made progress, it’s not because you’re not qualified. It’s because the system you’re using doesn’t work.
You can’t rely solely on the advertised market or occasional networking lunches and expect meaningful results.
“Unless you are really willing to do the hard yards, the outbound reach, and have people willing to recommend you, you’ll find that at the end of twelve months you don’t have a lot of board roles to show for it.”
Success requires deliberate strategy, a clear personal brand, and access to trusted introductions. It also requires patience and consistency. You cannot expect overnight success in an ecosystem built on credibility, relationships, and trust.
Those who succeed are the ones who invest in understanding how the board market really works. They play the long game. They know who they are, what they stand for, and where they add value.
The Next Step
If you are serious about developing your board portfolio for 2026, now is the time to start preparing. The board market rewards those who are intentional, proactive, and consistent in their approach.
The Board Portfolio® Platinum Program is designed for executives who want to build a meaningful board career with structure and purpose. It’s for people who are ready to create momentum, access the hidden board market, and position themselves for paid commercial and advisory board roles.
I am currently finalising my small cohort of participants for 2026. These are people who are genuinely committed to building sustainable board careers, not just collecting titles. If that sounds like you, I would love to have a confidential discussion.
“Sounds simple in practice, but the reality is there’s a fair bit of strategy involved to get this right.”
Building a board portfolio is not just about landing one appointment. It’s about creating a long-term ecosystem of influence, income, and opportunity that continues to grow year after year.
If you are ready to elevate your board career, it starts with a conversation.
