Women on Boards: Succeeding as a Corporate Director
Navigate the board selection process and maximize your success as a corporate director.
- Dates
Dec 2 – 6, 2024
- Status
Accepting Applications
- Format
In-Person
- Location
HBS Campus
- Fee
$14,000
- Application Due
Nov 22, 2024
The program fee covers tuition, program materials, accommodations, and most meals.
Traditionally, most board appointments are made through informal networks that are especially hard for women to break into. With a focus on the critical issues facing boards today, you will learn how to approach board selection strategically and raise your profile to find your best match.
Women on Boards unpacks the board selection process and provides you with the knowledge you need to instantly drive impact as a new member. You'll also develop the skills and network you need to attain your ideal board appointment.
Key Program Features
Key Topics
Examine best practices to learn how high-functioning boards drive value
Explore the legal and regulatory environments affecting boards
Recognize the gender lens—how women are perceived in the boardroom
Understand the politics and pitfalls of corporate networks
Match your skills and talents to the board's specific needs
Raise your profile among directors, founders, and funders
Disrupt the established lines of succession and become the winning candidate
Program Format
- 5
- 12–15
Case materials and a detailed schedule will be made available approximately two weeks prior to program start.
Who Should Attend
Senior businesswomen who hold positions in large established companies ranging from division head to CEO—or who are retired from such positions
Women in senior executive roles who currently sit on nonprofit or private boards who wish to serve on public corporate boards in any industry
While the program is designed for executives who identify as women or non-binary, the program is open to all who otherwise fulfill the admissions criteria. Please view our policy on nondiscrimination for more information
Global Perspective
Top Industries Represented
- 18%
Financial
- 12%
High Technology
- 12%
Professional Services
- 10%
Chem/Pharma/Bio
- 10%
Consumer Products
- 5%
Nonprofit Services
- 4%
Education
- 4%
Health Care
- 4%
Raw Materials / Energy
- 3%
Manufacturing
Experience
Years Worked
- 4%
Less than 10 years
- 2%
10-14 years
- 7%
15-19 years
- 23%
20-24 years
- 25%
25-29 years
- 25%
30-34 years
- 12%
35-39 years
- 2%
40 or more
Companies That Have Participated
- Apple
- Credit Suisse
- DuPont Company
- General Motors
- The Hershey Company
- Marriott
- NBCUniversal
- Office Depot
- Save the Children
- Thomson Reuters Corporation
- Unilever
- Zurich Insurance Group
Teaching Team
All our executive education programs are developed and taught by a team of widely recognized HBS faculty. Many are skilled educators, groundbreaking researchers, and award-winning authors. Through their board memberships, consulting, and field-based research, they address the complex challenges facing business leaders across the globe.
Faculty Cochairs
Boris Groysberg
Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration
Lynn Paine
Baker Foundation Professor
The HBS Experience
This in-person program takes place on our storied campus where you'll live and learn at the heart of Boston's vibrant business, academic, and technology hubs.
At HBS, every detail is carefully calibrated to drive your success. Living arrangements and classrooms that spark connection. Unrivaled academic resources. And rejuvenating fitness, dining, and cultural amenities.
Admissions
We admit applicants on a rolling, space-available basis, so you are encouraged to submit your application as soon as possible.
The selective admissions process is based on professional achievement, organizational responsibility, and the admissions criteria for each program as described in Who Should Attend. There are no formal educational requirements for HBS Executive Education programs.
Program content, dates, schedule, fees, technology platforms, and faculty are subject to change. In accordance with Harvard University policy, Harvard Business School does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex or sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or disability in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities.