How to Become a Great Board Member: What Nobody Tells You Before Your First Seat
Everyone wants a board seat. Almost nobody prepares for what happens after they get one. You've been told "you should be on a board" but nobody explained what the role actually demands, where the landmines are, or how to add value from day one without stepping on the CEO's toes. This session is the honest conversation you don't get from a governance textbook. Hania Hammoud brings the frameworks she teaches at AUB's EMBA program. Maher Sabbagh brings the boardroom reality from advising inside the DAMAC ecosystem. Together, they'll give you the playbook and the war stories.
By the end of this session, you will know:
The three types of board seats (advisory, fiduciary, working board) and which one matches your expertise, your appetite for liability, and your career stage
What boards actually expect from new members in the first 90 days
The governance basics you need cold before you walk into a boardroom — fiduciary duty, conflicts of interest, committee structures
How to get your first seat through practical pathways that actually work — nonprofit boards, advisory roles, warm introductions
The mistakes that get board members quietly removed and how to avoid the political missteps, preparation gaps, and boundary violations that end board careers before they start
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Membership or Waiver Required to Attend.