Many boards spend years trying to optimise their performance, effectiveness, and efficiency, unfortunately with little success. What most don’t realise is that the foundational architecture, or structure, of the board is the most important focus area requiring attention to ensure long-term success. This is because proper board architecture considers multiple integrated facets of a board’s appropriate makeup, not solely each individual board member’s area of professional expertise or experience.

‘The Modern Board Architecture’ educates boards and business leaders on the immense value of properly architecting an experienced and integrated board of directors. Vertical Considerations such as leadership acumen, operational experience, and expertise coverage, Horizontal Considerations such as personality trait balance, strategy and governance acumen, emotional intelligence and mindfulness intelligence (EQ and MQ), and Coverage & Overlap Considerations of important expertise to allow for identification and meaningful deliberation are all required.

Mark A. Pfister shares the proven and effective steps to plan and build a high-performance board of directors, or board of advisors, within your organisation. Experience how these achievable and focused efforts will help your organisation thrive and reach its full potential.

Learning Outcomes

Attendees will learn the theory and application of 3 main architectural components of successful boards of directors:

• Creating your board’s proper ‘Sphere of Influence’
• Infusing important ‘Planes of Congruence’ in your board design
• Ensuring ‘Expertise & Experience Depth’ on your board

MARK A. PFISTER
CEO and Chief Board Consultant, M. A. Pfister Strategy Group, New York, United States

With a strong focus in Strategy, Governance, and Technology / Cybersecurity, Mark A. Pfister is CEO & Chief Board Consultant of M. A. Pfister Strategy Group, an executive advisory firm that serves as a strategic advisory council for executives and boards in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. He is also Chairman & CEO of Integral Board Group, a specialised board services and consulting company. Mr. Pfister is a ‘Board Macro-Influencer’ and his success has been repeated across a wide range of business situations and environments. He prides himself on being a coach and mentor to senior executives and directors. In board director circles, Mr. Pfister has earned the nickname ‘The Board Architect.’

The overarching theme throughout his career has been his aptitude in leadership positions, passionate focus on people, unique governance models, and ability to create value for stakeholders through innovative business strategies and operational excellence. Michael Lorelli, Executive Chairman of Rita’s Franchise Company, has said, “Mark’s unusual combination of excelling at a macro and micro grasp of business, genuine interest in Governance, and ability to coach and mentor a management team make him a terrific independent director.”

Mr. Pfister is a certified project management professional and frequently serves as an expert project executive, consulting on global projects in their initiation and operational phases, as well as programs requiring remedial focus to bring them back on track. He has deep knowledge and experience in board design & operations, strategic planning, business transformation, technology implementations, decisioning processes, continuing education programs, executive coaching, and governance models.

Previously, Mr. Pfister was CEO of Pro4ia, Inc., an international consulting and professional services company specialising in a wide range of technology solutions utilising formal Project Management as a proven and repeatable delivery method. With a Fortune 50 client list, Pro4ia was Citibank’s Nominee for Crain’s Magazine ‘Entrepreneurship of the Year’ Award in 2005. He simultaneously served as CEO of Onit, Inc., a national sourcing company specialising in placements for all levels of technology skill sets. Mr. Pfister was also the National Program Office Leader for American Express leading some of the largest technology transformation initiatives in the company’s history. He served as a Licensed Engineering Officer in the U.S. Merchant Marine, holds a B.S. from the State University of New York Maritime College in Facilities Engineering, and completed Harvard Business School’s Executive Education Program for Board Directors.

Mr. Pfister is the creator of the ‘Board as a Service’ (BaaS) engagement model, an industry he is credited with inventing. He is a Master Speaker and conducts national speaking tours, lectures, and seminars focused on effective leadership, strategy, board architecture, becoming an exceptional board director candidate, professional project/program management, and entrepreneurship. His popular book, ‘Across The Board: The Modern Architecture Behind an Effective Board of Directors,’ an Amazon best-seller with circulation in over 70 countries, has influenced a whole new generation of board directors.

Mr. Pfister is a proficient board director and CEO with experience across multiple industry verticals. He is typically the chair, or a member of the strategic planning committee, governance committee, technology & cybersecurity committee, and nominating Committee. Mr. Pfister’s experience as a renowned board consultant, having guided and coached hundreds of boards, board committees, and board members, additionally offers up unique and informed viewpoints to the companies he serves.

He holds an Executive Masters Professional Board Certification through the American College of Corporate Directors (ACCD), is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute (PMI), is a Global ESG Certification candidate (anticipated completion November, 2020), and holds a Certified Cyber Intelligence Professional Board Certification (CCIP) through the McAfee Institute.