Kia ora Research Entrepreneurs

The MacDiarmid Institute would like to invite you to their next Commercial Skill Building seminar.

Pathways to board directorship - what's a Board and why it might need you!

"Start-ups rely on Governance Boards to guide strategy, drive performance and manage risk during early growth stages of the company. When raising capital, it’s essential to understand how a Board operates, and once you're up and running, how to get the most out of your board.

The MacDiarmid Institute would like to see more scientists developing familiarity with governance, and the role of research entrepreneurs interacting with start-up Boards, or potentially becoming Board Directors themselves.

We would like to support diversity in the make-up of Boards over time and as a step towards this we would like to hold a relaxed panel kōrero that covers some of the basics and lets you ask questions about how you might work towards being a Director over time."

The panel session is a chance to hear from:

Debra Hall, an experienced Angel investor and Director
Justin Hodgkiss, OnBoard observer at Cirrus Materials Science
Geoff Willmott, OnBoard observer at CarbonScape

We have supported these two MacDiarmid researchers to participate in the OnBoard programme which is a Board Observer position in an established start-up company for a year. We’ll have Justin and Geoff discuss their experience of the programme from the perspective of a scientist (an underrepresented profession in the realm of Directors) and help you explore if this is ultimately something you might consider pursuing.

As this will be an interactive session, please bring any burning questions you have to the forum, or send them in advance to Kevin Sheehy with your RSVP.

Date - 29 September
Time - 2pm to 3pm
Venue – Online zoom call

RSVP to Kevin.Sheehy@vuw.ac.nz to receive the calendar invite and zoom link.

Panel member bios:

Debra Hall is the Kiwinet Investment Committee Chair and draws on her experience as an engineer in the mining industry, a strategic marketing consultant, a business owner, and exited entrepreneur to deliver clarity of thinking and strategic direction to the governance and advisory boards on which she sits. In addition to her Board work, she mentors young entrepreneurs, trains aspiring directors of early-stage companies, and invests in start-up businesses in the high growth/ technology space supporting the growth of NZ inc.

“My role as a director is to challenge the status quo, pushing organisations to be the best they can be. I draw on my engineering training to develop solutions to complex problems, with a personal style for straight talking and a focus on outcomes. My strategic and analytical skills support the boards I am on to make evidence-based decisions, with courage.”

Justin Hodgkiss is co-director of the MacDiarmid Institute and a Professor in Physical Chemistry at Victoria University of Wellington. Justin is currently spinning out a laser instrumentation company from his research group – the second tech spinout he has been involved with.

“As an observer on a tech board currently, I am rapidly gaining valuable insights into startup governance, including strategy, risk management, and capital raising. I believe that New Zealand’s tech future will bring many rewarding opportunities for entrepreneurial scientists to add value in startup governance roles.”

Geoff Willmott is Deputy Director (Commercialization and Industry Engagement) with the MacDiarmid Institute. In that role he has supported numerous ‘Deep Tech’ commercialization efforts, ranging from ideas at the lab bench through to mature start-ups. He is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Physics and Chemistry at the University of Auckland, with research group specializing in nano- and microfluidics.

“There is clear demand for greater scientific expertise on governance Boards in New Zealand, particularly in the ‘Deep Tech’ sector. Involvement in the OnBoard programme has given me great insights into the requirements for Board roles. The Institute should be able to develop a number of excellent candidates for governance from within our ranks over the next few years.”

Further background info on Boards here:

A Board’s function - https://www.iod.org.nz/resources-and-insights/starting-a-board/#

The OnBoard Programme - https://nz.linkedin.com/company/onboard-nz

This Commercial Skill Building Seminar is brought to you by the MacDiarmid Institute and Return on Science and we welcome research entrepreneurs from NZPA, Callaghan, SfTI, Kiwinet, Dodd Walls and other organisations to join.

Great job opportunity in Australia at Nucleotrace: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2631165023