Expanding Your Impact: A CSO's Roadmap to Board Service

12/18/24 • 40 min

In this episode, we’re diving into an increasingly hot topic for chief strategy officers: joining external advisory boards.

We feature three accomplished chief strategy officers who serve on numerous public and private boards : Desiree Castillejos, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of M&A for Scutum Group North America; Prasad Padman, Chief Strategy Officer of Moog; and Sukanya Soderland, former CSO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Together, they share their experiences and provide actionable advice for CSOs looking to expand their influence and impact through board service.

In this episode we talk about:

How to craft a compelling board bio that highlights your unique value
The importance of networking in securing board opportunities and practical tips and tactics for “board-specific-networking"
The unique attributes and differentiators CSOs can highlight to strengthen their board resume and increase their chances of selection
Important considerations, risks, and factors you don't want to overlook when evaluating board service
Entry points for strategy officers who are looking to land their first external board position

Whether you’re considering your first board position or looking to refine your strategy for securing your next board opportunity, this episode is packed with insights to guide your journey.

Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks

In this episode, we’re diving into an increasingly hot topic for chief strategy officers: joining external advisory boards.

In this episode we talk about:

How to craft a compelling board bio that highlights your unique value
The importance of networking in securing board opportunities and practical tips and tactics for “board-specific-networking"
The unique attributes and differentiators CSOs can highlight to strengthen their board resume and increase their chances of selection
Important considerations, risks, and factors you don't want to overlook when evaluating board service
Entry points for strategy officers who are looking to land their first external board position

Whether you’re considering your first board position or looking to refine your strategy for securing your next board opportunity, this episode is packed with insights to guide your journey.

Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks

Previous Episode

Making Strategic AI Investments

Welcome to another episode of The Chief Strategy Officer Podcast. Today’s discussion centers on one of the most transformative and rapidly evolving topics in business— artificial intelligence. We’re joined by three distinguished strategy leaders --- Joanne Sheppard of Holtzbrinck, Ed Knapp from American Tower, and Prashant Kelker of ISG, who bring unique perspectives about how organizations can think strategically about making investments in AI to minimize risk and maximize ROI.

In this episode, our guests explore the critical considerations for integrating AI into corporate strategy, from navigating the fast-changing AI landscape to evaluating the infrastructure and ethical implications. They share insights on how their organizations are leveraging AI for operational efficiency, data-driven innovation, and enhancing customer experiences.

Things We Will Cover:

The three areas that you as a CSO should consider applying AI to in your organization.
How organizations can build strong data infrastructure that supports AI and enables responsible innovation.
Practical steps for CSOs to stay informed and strategically engaged with AI without needing deep technical expertise.

Join us to learn how other strategists are navigating the complexities of investing in and implementing AI solutions for their organizations.

Learn more about Outthinker's community of chief strategy officers - https://outthinkernetwork.com/
Follow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/outthinker-networks

Next Episode

Mastering M&A: Strategy, Integration, and Effectiveness

Welcome to another episode of The Chief Strategy Officer Podcast! Today, we’re diving into a pivotal topic for strategy leaders: how to approach mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to accelerate your company’s strategic goals.

Joining us are two Outthinker CSOs with extensive Strategy and M&A experience. Kevin Ilcisin, has a fascinating career in high tech, most recently as SVP of Strategy and Corporate Development for NI, formerly known as National Instruments, which was recently acquired by Emerson Electric in 2023. Kevin brings a scientific approach and holds a phD in Astrophysical Sciences with a focus on Plasma Physics. Alok Agrawal is the Chief Strategy Officer at Celestica, a $7B multinational leader in the design, manufacturing, and supply chain solutions industries. Alok started his career as a management consultant with Kearney serving industrial clients before taking strategy and M&A executive leadership roles for industry leaders like Johnson Controls, Meritor, and Tenneco. In this episode, Kevin and Alok share their insights and practical experience in the art and science of successful deal-making and integration.

In this episode, we explore:

The critical distinction between strategy and M&A. (hint- M&A isn’t a strategy- it's a tool to realize your strategy) —What people miss about this and why that matters.
How to identify the right acquisition targets and develop relationships with key players like investment banks.
Practical tips for building and managing a robust M&A pipeline
Insights on navigating cultural integration and realizing post-merger synergies effectively.
The unique role a Chief Strategy Officer plays in orchestrating and guiding the M&A process- and advice they have for CSOs and M&A leaders early in their career about what they wish they knew early on and mistakes to avoid

Whether you’re new to M&A or looking to refine your approach, this episode is packed with practical advice and lessons learned from two seasoned leaders. Tune in for actionable takeaways to become masterful at using M&A to accelerate your strategy and execution.