Shefaly Yogendra, Ph.D., is an experienced board director.
She is also an advisory board member of Harvard Data Science Review in the USA, a Professor of decision-making at the Vedica Scholars Programme for Women in India, and a mentor on Royal Academy of Engineering’s Shott accelerator. She began her career in the technology industry becoming a country manager and a first-time board director at age 26. Her book Uncharted Spaces: Reset the Agenda, Reimagine the Boardroom, is out now.
Four generations work side by side in modern workplaces.
Older generations believe Gen Z to be different from all others – in terms of values, emotional literacy, communication styles, and what a good life may look like. Unlike previous generations, employers are not promising Gen Z clear career paths, because the nature and structure of work is expected to undergo dramatic change at least partly due to the adoption of agentic AI and automation. Gen Z will be at the centre of this change, and it makes sense to take part in helping shape that conversation.
But how to get started?
Have your say.
Gen Z is widely believed to view the physical and virtual worlds as a single, fluid ecosystem. Within that context, it is worth developing a considered point of view, not received or memetic wisdom, on things that concern businesses today. Some of these concerns include workforce attitudes, the evolving nature of work, supply chain considerations, societal demands for transparency, and geopolitics. While you have views from the ground, layering it with an understanding of macroeconomic cycles and geopolitical considerations will give you an edge.
Show the way.
“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” – thus goes a well-known philosophical thought experiment on observation and perception. So that your point of view is discovered, you may need to showcase your work and make it discoverable. This may need you to raise your understanding of GEO as well as of knowing where your target audience – board directors, CEOs, other senior business leaders – source information that shapes their opinions and views. The process itself will sharpen your understanding of the business context and realities that need navigating for which a board would seek your insights.
Ready to play.
As a woman in tech, making your own way is not new to you. This journey to your first, early board position will be no different. Except you already have a hustle-muscle that many people with linear corporate careers probably do not. Experienced directors know it requires a lot of work to find board roles which interest them and where they can see themselves contributing. It is not a linear path and can look a bit like a random walk or Brownian motion. It may feature unpredictable interim destinations such as advisory board roles or board observer positions, or formal pathways such as Board Apprenticeships. None of these guarantees an appointment to a statutory board. Some large corporations are setting up shadow boards or next-gen boards for providing insight and ideas without burdening them with fiduciary responsibilities. They also provide networking opportunities and introductions which may lead to your first formal board position.
Last but not the least, when you do arrive at the destination you seek, remember to hold the door open for others behind you. That is how change will be driven in boardrooms. One person at a time.
