Governance is not for the faint-hearted. That was one of the messages from Lauren Semple, one of four women who shared their governance experiences at a Women in Governance luncheon in Dunedin this week, hosted by the Otago chapter of the Property Council.
Judge Semple, a lawyer who was appointed to the Environment Court in March last year after 30 years in private practice, said most of her governance roles were in Dunedin and she remained chairwoman of the board of Mercy Hospital.
On the surface, governance could appear to be ‘‘very glamorous’’ but the reality could be very different.
‘‘Sometimes it’s just really hard work and it’s a bit shitty and there are really challenging situations you have to navigate. Sometimes you just feel a bit defeated and have to pick yourself up again,’’ she said.
One of the most challenging times for Judge Semple was her tenure on the board of the Christchurch Stadium Trust, which was established to develop a temporary stadium following severe damage to Lancaster Park in the 2010-11 Christchurch earthquakes.
It was originally expected the stadium would only be required for five years and everything was set up for that, but its lifespan was subsequently extended.
The trust found itself in a position where it did not have cashflow and it believed, if it was not already, it was about to start trading insolvently.
As a board member, that kept her up at night – ‘‘that was lie awake and stare at the ceiling’’ – and she feared for not only her professional career as a governor but also potentially her career as a lawyer in terms of director liability. It was an incredibly challenging time and a very tight board, where the directors were determined to get through it.
Judge Semple said sitting on the Otago Community Trust for many years had provided an opportunity to see how many amazing organisations operated throughout the country, often doing work ‘‘on the smell of an oily rag’’, and were so committed and passionate.
‘‘To be able to contribute to those organisations being able to continue, that was probably the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,’’ she said.
She originally volunteered to be on the board of the YWCA Otago branch which led to her being the YWCA representative on the National Council of Women.
Becoming involved in governance was driven by a sense of service and a desire to give back to the community.
She was not a fan of the often-prevalent shoulder-tapping system for governors, saying it could end up being ‘‘a bit of a closed shop’’, sitting on boards with the same people all the time.
‘‘We are not getting enough new blood into boards if we keep doing that.’’
Volunteer organisations might not always be very sexy but they often had roles available and struggled to find people and they could be a great training ground to get started in governance.
Trish Oakley, who recently stepped down as chairwoman of the Otago-Southland branch of the Institute of Directors, came from a very strong service background.
‘‘For me, it was about wanting to contribute and give back and do more than what I was doing in my day job. I felt like I had more to offer and the pathway to do that was through service,’’ she said.
The key was to have a clear passion for governance, know what you cared about and find an organisation with values that aligned with yours.
‘‘Know who you are, know what you offer, know what you stand for,’’ Ms Oakley said.
She encouraged those keen on governance to read widely, be curious about the world and talk to lots of people who were different from you so you were not in your own-eco-chamber, understand what you had to offer and also think about what sort of director you wanted to be.
‘‘You’ll see different styles around the [board] table, take time to work out what is the director you want to be.’’
She had been blessed to have some fantastic mentors but also pointed out governors could outgrow mentors.
‘‘There is a natural end to some mentoring relationships and you don’t need to be scared of that,’’ she said.
Sarah Ramsay, co-owner and chief executive of United Machinists, said it was fortunate in Dunedin ‘‘that you can literally just contact anyone in this city and ask to go for a coffee and get advice and that’s what I did. You have to put yourself out there, pull up your big girl pants,’’ she said.
She urged people to think about their core skillset and what they could offer an organisation.
‘‘Talk to who may be influential in that group, it’s just being really, really deliberate and don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’ve genuinely got value to add, that person will see it.’’
North Otago sheep and beef farmer Jo Hay, who is relatively new to governance, said the value that fresh eyes could bring to a boardroom should never be under-estimated.
She also came from a strong background of service and contribution and was ‘‘that person’’ with various community groups like the rugby club and play centre who was happy to put her hand up and help.
Women were often not good at seeing themselves for what they could bring and she had a trusted team of women around her to look over value propositions.
‘‘Sometimes I don’t think you see yourself when you look in the mirror, you don’t see the full package of what you can bring.’’
Asked what their red flags were when they were asked to join a board, Mrs Ramsay said it was a lack of diversity around the table while Judge Semple said it was ‘‘because they are looking for a woman’’.
Mrs Hay said she was values-based and the values of whatever entity it might be needed to align with her values, and excite her.
Mrs Ramsay said you need to ‘‘make sure you are passionate enough about what you’re getting involved in’’.
sally.rae@odt.co.nz
