An article in the Herald this morning discusses a new website set up to act as a source for independent directors for board positions.

For along time I’ve had a two pronged attitude about governance for NZ businesses. The first prong is that independant boards are as important for SME’s as they are for larger businesses. The second prong is that in my opinion the current pool of directors are not ideal candidates to plot a path for a business in the “new economy”.

So often I meet professional directors who have significant experience in meat, milk or wool and the old ways of doing business. While I accept that they have valuable experience at working within that paradigm and growing traditional businesses, I contend that to lead a hi-growth business takes something else. This is compounded when one looks to govern hi-tech companies that work within new paradigms of revenue generation, monetization models and community value fundamentals. Obviously there are isolated individuals who can combine business growth experience with new paradigm understanding – Rod, Guy, Jim, Sam et al – however they are the exception rather than the norm.

So… jumping off my soapbox for a second I see the Find Directors service as an excellent way to begin to break down the status quo and introduce possibly unknown but potentially very effective independent directors to the marketplace.

Disclaimer – governance is what I do, so naturally I am listed on the Find Directors site, this plug however is based on the site’s core value – not because of any potential spin offs for myself!

Ben Kepes

Ben Kepes is a technology evangelist, an investor, a commentator and a business adviser. Ben covers the convergence of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users.

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