Take on Board

Today on the Take On Board podcast, I am speaking with Darya Boukata about the presence of nature in the boardroom. This discussion builds on some episodes I recorded in late 2025 with the fantastic Dominique Hes, so if you're interested in hearing more, I encourage you to check those out.

Darya is a PhD researcher at the University of Sydney Business School, where she investigates how the loss of nature is influencing corporate...

This week on the Take on Board podcast, I'm a guest on Sue West's podcast Flourish After Fifty. I joined Sue on her show for a wide-ranging conversation.

Our conversation demystifies what board work is really like for women in the second half of their careers. If you’ve ever imagined a board role as the “natural next step”, a meaningful way to contribute, shape strategy, and maybe create more flexible work, thi...

Today, on the Take on Board podcast, I am talking to Sarah Gray. Sarah is one of Australia’s only dual-qualified health professionals in pharmacy and nutrition, a certified menopause practitioner, and the author of "If It's Not You, It's Perimenopause."

She sits on the boards of Moyne Health Services and the Advisory Board for Healthy Life, and is passionate about helping women thrive through perimenopause and menopause, e...

Today on the Take On Board podcast, I'm speaking with Fiona Bennett about clear and planned communication for board chairs. 

Fiona is the chair of Australian Mutual Bank, and she's also on the board of Neami. She's a certified practicing accountant with extensive experience in financial management, governance, audit, and risk management across listed companies, New South Wales government, and banking.

Fiona lives in Cent...

In this episode, I’m recording from the beautiful Larapinta Trail in Central Australia, where I’ve just wrapped up a 14-day end-to-end trek. Disconnected from the outside world, I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on governance, drawing parallels between the wilderness and the boardroom.

I share lessons on adopting a "starry night" perspective for strategy, the critical need for robust risk assessment and scena...

Today on the Take On Board podcast, I'm speaking with Davina Stanley about how boards can maximize the effectiveness of their board papers.

Davina previously served on the University of Technology Sydney Executive MBA Advisory Board, and she enjoys the "aha!" moment when a client discovers a breakthrough idea hidden amid the noise. She humorously notes that she is likely the only kindergarten teacher ever hired by McKinsey.

S...

Today on the Take On Board podcast, I'm speaking with Jaala Pulford about setting up a new statutory authority, scale an organization or scope, and having to manage staffing changes quickly. 

Jaala chairs MTPConnect and the Children's Cancer Foundation. She's a non-executive director with several growth stage companies and the Tech Council of Australia. A member of parliament from 2006 to 2022, Jaala was Victoria's first fe...

Today, on the Take on Board podcast, I would like to talk to you about reclaiming your white space and why total downtime might actually be a fiduciary duty. 

Let me give you a bit of the context. So I'm about to embark on a two-week holiday and will be off the grid. I'm doing the Larapinta Trail hike in Central Australia. It's about 250 kilometers over 14 days. There's no internet, there's no computer. Because I'm going wi...

This week on the Take on Board podcast, Karen Tisdell is back for this Take on Board event. Karen responded to questions from the Take on Board community about how to use your LinkedIn profile to get the maximum benefit whether it's for a job search or getting traction with a post, Karen is the insider you want to hear from.

So key highlights: How much of your experience should you include, using LinkedIn for board roles, approa...

I wanted to take you inside a scenario that leaves even the most seasoned corporate directors in a cold sweat. The dilemma is this: you’ve just landed your first board seat and are immediately faced with a time-sensitive request for approval of a massive acquisition that the rest of the board has been debating for six months, yet it’s completely new to you.

I attended a masterclass on governance hosted by Pioneer Col...

 Today on the Take On Board Podcast, I'm speaking with Malini Raj about how boards stay connected with the people that they serve. 

 Malini is on the boards of The Parenthood, Entertainment for Change, and the Settlement Council of Australia. She's previously been on the boards of the Australian Pituitary Foundation and FinSIA. Malini is the executive director of Australian Multicultural Women's Alliance.

She brings ove...

Today on the Take on Board podcast, I share key takeaways from a WorkSafe Victoria event, “Hearts, Minds, and Improving Your Business,” featuring Professor Lea Waters on the neuroscience and business impacts of psychological safety in the workplace.

I explain the difference between psychological health and harm, including how each affects thinking, decision-making, behavior, and workplace outcomes like profitability,...

Today on the Take on Board podcast, Sarah Federman joins me to talk about "corporate reckoning," which she defines as the process of finding a way back and healing massive, irreparable harm that organizations have caused in the past. I was keen to dive into how organizations, many of which in Australia have reckoning to do around issues like stolen land or people, can address their inherited legacies.

Sarah shared that the tempt...

This week, I’m sharing a short, focused solo episode on board inductions. I’ve been having numerous conversations with board chairs and directors, as well as with my own board, regarding this topic, especially since we have some new board directors joining soon. 

I’d like to share some ideas for creating an effective induction process. Like anything else, the best induction is tailored to your organisation...

Today on the Take on Board podcast, I’m speaking with Karen Tisdell about LinkedIn. I had Karen on the podcast a couple of years ago, and this episode is an update to that discussion.

As you listen to this episode, please note any questions you might have, because Karen will be joining the Take on Board Community for an online event on Thursday, May 21, 2026. Reserve your spot here.

Karen transitioned from recruitment t...

Today is one of the sessions with just me, and I wanted to reflect on a conversation we had at one of the accelerator groups recently. As many of you know, I host a program called Take on Board Accelerator. Each month, a group of board directors comes together, and we pull apart a challenge.

We share achievements and resources on the topic, and then somebody brings a challenge to the table. Now, I am not going to go into all the...

Today on the Take on Board podcast, I'm speaking with Julie Lyford about the critical role of the board chair as the unifying force within the board, along with the challenges and benefits of that philosophy.

Julie is the chair of WELA, the Women's Environmental Leadership Australia. She's also on the boards of the Green Institute and Gloucester Transitions Incorporated. She was formally on the Boards of Regional Development Au...

Day two of the Australian Governance Summit 2026 was filled with even more important governance insights, expanding on the themes from day one. We listened to an excellent group of speakers, starting with Kate Waterford on the vital need for boards to proactively utilise AI, moving beyond security concerns to address its full disruptive potential. 

I shared takeaways from Philip Chronican on Australia's economic position, e...

Today, on the Take on Board podcast, we have the crowdsourced Day 1 recap from the Australian Governance Summit (March 2026, Sydney). It covers key themes raised across sessions. The summit opened with an Acknowledgement of Country linking stillness and shared purpose to stronger governance. That session was followed by AICD chair Naomi Edwards on boardroom diversity progress, collective board accountability, lessons from the Star ...