Getting a seat on a corporate board can be incredibly difficult and take quite a bit of practice to master. Helping people assess their board-readiness and understand the first steps they should take in this process is the topic of a webinar taking place next week.

Deborah Rosati (BAdmin ’84), Founder and CEO of Women Get on Board Inc., will lead the session Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 11 a.m. as part of the Business Breathers series facilitated by Goodman Group, the Goodman School of Business’ community-focused learning and development services provider.

Aimed at people looking to prepare for or secure their first corporate board seat, the session will help participants determine if they are board-ready or not, including learning the differences between being an executive and corporate director and helping participants to think about how they can diversify their board portfolio.

“Getting yourself on a board is a journey and should be learning up, leaning in and sponsoring others along the way,” Rosati said.

Serving on a board can be an enriching experience and is one of the best ways to advance your career, she said. It helps build a person’s personal brand and network, gives back to organizations with meaningful missions, exposes people to different perspectives that can help their existing roles, develops leadership skills and more.

For businesses, ensuring board diversity now goes beyond being a good corporate citizen. Rosati said the evidence is clear that diverse boards enhance all aspects of a company’s performance, including decision-making and financial performance. It broadens the networks a company has to tap into for board renewal while also fostering innovation and enhancing board effectiveness.

“As business leaders, our duty is to step up today and collectively be agents of change in advancing board diversity in Canada,” Rosati said. “Together we can make a difference by promoting diversity as a strategic opportunity for board-building.”

Rosati is a valued corporate director, accomplished entrepreneur and Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA) with more than 35 years of high growth and transformational leadership experience in the technology, consumer, retail, cannabis, life sciences, private equity and venture capital sectors. Recently, she was named to the 2021 Canada’s Most Power Women: Top 100 Award Winners list selected by the Women’s Executive Network. She has also been nominated for the Women of Influence, RBC Women Entrepreneur Award and has been named as a 2020 Direct to Watch.

Everyone is welcome to attend Business Breathers webinars. Topics focus on leadership, management and innovation as well as the financial and social impacts of trending topics. Interested participants are asked to register online. A confirmation email will provide a link to access the webinar at the date and time of the event.