XA Podcast 030 | How to Secure Your First Board Position | Su-Yen Wong and Howie Lau | Governance Series

Are you a senior tech executive wondering how to level up with a board position? Why would they appoint you? And what would be the expectations, risks and rewards once you actually make it onto one? Find out in this latest instalment of the XA Governance Series.

Our SpeakersHowie Lau is the Managing Partner, Corporate Development, & Partnerships of NCS Group. He brings years of deep experience and thought leadership in the Info-Communications and Technology (ICT) sector. Prior to joining NCS, he was the Assistant Chief Executive, Media & Innovation Group, at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), which is in charge of developing Singapore's technology, telecommunications, and media businesses, as well as developing technology capability. Prior to joining IMDA, Howie served as StarHub's Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Consumer Business, as well as Lenovo's Vice President of Corporate Development. He has over 25 years of corporate development, business leadership, and marketing experience with Lenovo and IBM in Asia Pacific, China, India, and Latin America. Howie is a member of several advisory committees and boards, including the Singapore Institute of Directors' Governing Council and the Science Centre Singapore's board. He was recognized as IT Leader of the Year 2020 by the Singapore Computer Society and received the Philip Kotler Marketing Excellence award in 2018.

Su-Yen Wong is the chairperson of the Singapore Institute of Directors, and she serves on the boards of several public, private, membership, and not-for-profit organizations in Australia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, and the United States. She was honored to be named in 'Financial Times' Agenda Directory of Top 100 Board Candidates With Pay-Setting Skills a few years ago – to date, the only individual from Asia to be included on the list. She chairs or serves on numerous nominating, remuneration, and audit committees, and she has expertise in business strategy, human capital development, and organizational transformation.She serves as the lead independent director at Yoma Strategic Holdings and on the boards of First Resources CSE Global and IMGA. She is a professor of global leadership at the National University of Singapore and a member of Duke University's Executive Education Faculty. She has also been a guest lecturer/speaker at programs hosted by IESE Business School (Spain), INSEAD (France), IPADE Business School (Mexico), Singapore Management University, and Yale University (USA). Discussion Points

[03:36]: How they secured their first board role

[09:51]: Career stages when they took their first board position

[11:54]: What it takes to be a good board member

[16:31]: Why a board might onboard someone with no prior experience

[19:38]: How to find companies that might want your expertise on their board

[24:11]: Preparing to be a good board member

[28:01]: What’s the compensation going to be like?

[29:38]: How to determine whether you are doing well

Links

• Follow the show on ⁠Apple⁠ and ⁠Spotify⁠
• View the ⁠transcript

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The XA Network (formerly Xoogler Angels) was founded in 2018 as an exclusive investment network comprising senior executives from leading global and regional technology companies. Our mission is to provide smart capital to early-stage companies across Southeast Asia. The XA podcast brings together voices from the ecosystem that powers early st