Leah Fricke named inaugural Future Director for 2022.
The Future Directors Institute (FDI) has selected Leah Fricke for the first-ever Future Director Award.
Leah Fricke is a non-executive director who has worked as a senior executive in both private and public companies, including currently serving on the boards of Columbus Capital, Forager Funds Management and Western NSW Local Health District.
The Future Director Award was for Australian-based directors only (this year) and decided by a panel of local and international board directors and governance experts, in an anonymised entry process.
Leah’s entry stood out for the positive impact her work is having on boards, in particular, her always-learning mindset, and thoughtful, future-focused approach to boards, companies, and stakeholders. As well as general badassery to bringing new thinking to the boardroom and challenging the status quo.
FDI Founder Paul Smith said Leah’s exemplary leadership goes beyond good governance. “Leah has a well defined WHY and clearly articulated approach to how she wants to contribute to boardrooms and how it informs her identity. She has a considered and deliberate practice in her board work, with her eyes well focused on the future. These are essential traits of a great Future Director, and the kind we want to see filling the boardrooms now and into the future.”
Leah said the most critical challenge of being a Future Director is to remain contemporary; “I often describe myself as being contemporary and future focussed, and I think the recognition of those characteristics and the continued learning approach of directors is important. It’s understanding, not just what we did previously and what we’re doing today, but what will be the broader expectations. What will result in success? What does the future need from us? Where are we going and what is the most efficient and effective way to get there?
“I think, individually, that is as important as it is for boards. Understanding who is the person you want to be given what is going on around you, in the world and in the community. The Award is recognition that will help people appreciate the benefit that a kind director can bring to the boardroom.“
Leah, and her fellow finalists, receive $10,000 worth of prizes, thanks to partners OnBoard, Integrity Governance and WAVIA. The main prize is a study tour with Paul Smith to explore different models of board governance and director performance.
The Future Director Award is an initiative by FDI, a leading director education platform and community, who have been making boardrooms and directors fit for their future, and the world’s, since 2015. The aim of the new Award is to recognise directors pulling their organisations toward a fairer, safer, smarter future. Leah was selected from a finalists group that included Akii Ngo, Elyse McInerney, Clare Thorpe, Leesa Chesser and Zara Bending.
In its inaugural year, nominations were open to anyone based in Australia who held an active non-executive position (voluntary or paid) for over 12 months. Australia is the first country to celebrate the Future Director Award, with plans to take the awards global in the next few years.
Visit FD Award Portal for further information on the awards program.
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For media enquiries, please contact psmith@futuredirectors.com
The Future Director Award is brought to you by FDI and sponsored by Onboard and supported by our national community partners.
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The Future Director of the Year Award is sponsored by Onboard and supported by national community partners.
ABOUT FUTURE DIRECTORS:
FDI is a group of thinkers & board experts creating and supporting a new wave of board directors fit for their future, and the world’s.
FDI’s programs and events have inspired thousands to join boards or refocus their board careers, and tackle the future head-on. FDI’s innovative tools and training are reshaping director education and building greater board intelligence for individuals and boards - helping people find pathways to the boardroom, and have impact when they’re there.
ABOUT PAUL SMITH:
Paul Smith is the Founder of FDI.
Paul has been described as a ‘boardroom futurist’ and one of the leading global thinkers on the future of board governance. He’s spoken around the world on the themes of board diversity, inclusive decision-making and the role of ‘Future Director’.
Paul is an award-winning author with his first book ‘Right Seat Right Table: An outsider’s guide to securing the ideal board role’, and is currently working on his second, ‘Leave your ego at the door: a guide to impact & influence inside the boardroom’. He serves on a number of boards including as Vice-Chair of the Jane Goodall Institute Global, an international NGO dedicated to expanding the legacy of the iconic Dr Jane Goodall – who he (pre-COVID) gets to share a whisky with now and again.
ABOUT ONBOARD:
At OnBoard, we believe board meetings should be informed, effective, and uncomplicated. That's why we give boards and leadership teams an elegant solution that simplifies governance. With customers across the globe in higher education, non-profit, health care systems, government, and corporate enterprise business, OnBoard is the leading board management provider.
As the leading provider of board management solutions, we’re also proud to support the 2022 Future Directors Award, recognising the outsized impacts and achievements board directors make across all walks of life.
Visit onboardmeetings.com for more information.