When Clarity Escalates Impact – A Study of Organisational Priorities, Advisory Board Alignment & Impact.
2023 -2025 Research Lead – Louise Broekman
An in-depth study 2023 – 2025 of 455 organisations implementing and assessing alignment and impact of advisory boards with organisational priorities. This is a segment of an ongoing longitudinal global study from 2017, collating information from advisory board professionals completing a self assessment with organisational sponsors who are establishing and measuring priorities, management alignment and impact of an advisory board. Two key assessments are utilised in the study – The Business Growth Score (from 2017 – 2025) and the Strategic Priority Index (2025 – current). At at an organisational level, executives assess at both a quantitative and qualitative level, organisational performance and expectation management. At an advisory board professional level, they assess and facilitate key priorities for the advisory board purpose and advisory board composition to meet the need. This provides an impact measurement approach for advisory board effectiveness. At a research level, the Global Research Council can identify opportunities and challenges driving advisory board activity, sectors where advisory boards are activated, size and demographic characteristics of organisations utilising advisory boards, emerging trends including motivations and triggers creating the need for advisory board input.
Evidence Advisory Boards are worth Spruiking About – A longitudinal assessment of public positioning of Advisor Board Professionals.
2019 – 2025 Research Lead – Louise Broekman
A longitudinal study conducted biennially, to ascertain the number of professionals positioning themselves as board professionals including governance and advisory functions. This snapshot utilising linkedin, is not conclusive. However, it provides insight into the evolution in the advisory board sector and markers to directorship roles. Commencing in 2019, data assessment commenced on current advisory board roles by location and by sector. A random assessment of 100 professionals in Canada was conducted to ascertain role title to currency, which identified a 5% variance of title to current role. In 2025, the research broadened to capture advisory boards with other board roles. The title of advisory board, advisory council and advisory panel was included. With over 50 million professionals within a total sample, 58% – board directors, 19% – advisory board professionals, and 23% – advisor. Where advisory boards are more fluid than directorship roles and more complicated than individual advisor engagement, this comparative analysis provides a snapshot of professional individual positioning in an open market.
Advisory Board Sector Triangulation – A six-month professional engagement analysis.
2024 – 2025 Research Lead – Louise Broekman
At the commencement of a longitudinal study, a 6-month data sample gathered information from over 300 current advisory board professionals, aspiring professionals and organisations with an existing advisory board. As advisory boards consist of many different stakeholders, engagement cannot be one dimensional. Similarly, the emergence of the sector also requires consideration for existing and aspirational professionals to understand the current and future advisory board profession. Triangulating of a wide data sample, enabled a deep and wide evaluation of the sector. At an individual level, professionals profile their motivations, barriers to entry and engagement considerations. At an organisational level, executives asses the triggers, opportunities challenges and the effectiveness in the application of best practice and resulting impact. At a research level, the Global Research Council can identify opportunities and challenges for the individual advisory board professional and those who aspire to enter the sector, as well as gathering evidence of where advisory boards are practically adding value, and where they are not.
Confidence building in creating a new approach –a Study Collection of Organisations Establishing Best Practice Advisory Boards.
2023 -2025 Research Lead – Louise Broekman
What do organisations do when they commence an investigation into advisory boards? Who is tasked with the role of investigation, what do they look for and how do they build the business case internally to establish a broader advisory board strategy. Where over 90% of advisory boards are being formed for the first time, these are important questions. Who is interested in best practice, when do they consider ethics in engagement, how long will they take to commit, and how do they profile their advisory board members? The Global Research Council takes a multi faceted approach of over 7,000 data points to the study collection points to gain a holistic view. It also takes a longitudinal approach to see how and who are taking the advisory board sector seriously.
From Idealism to Reality – What does an executive transition into a portfolio career really look like? – a study of professional expectations, opportunities and challenges.
2023 – 2025 Research Lead – Louise Broekman
How prepared are executives to transition into the career of choice, a portfolio career where they will engage with between 2 – 6 organisations at any given time. The Global Research Council undertakes to understand both supply and demand as advisory boards are a key consideration for inclusion in a portfolio of work. Executives, early in their career increasingly want to have choice in how they work, more experienced executives are seeking not to retire and continue contributing to the workforce in a flexible, values-based way and entrepreneurs seek to support others with the lessons learnt. What are the demographic trends, triggers for change and the challenge of preparation and transition? This study maps expectations of executives in transition.
Who are you Listening to and should you? When does the Trusted Advisor Shift from the Protector to the Connector? – Families in Business and the role of Trusted Advisor.
2024 Research Lead – Louise Broekman
Family businesses are important to the global economy and individual countries/regions for the generation of GDP, labour force employment and economic growth/revenue in their respective locations. Therefore, their success and support are important to various governments, industries and communities. Across the globe, family businesses often outperform comparable businesses operated by non-family members. In focus is advice models for the Family Office structure, argued to be one of the fastest growing business structures increasing the demand for the role of the trusted advisor implementing multiple advisory boards. The Global Research Council undertook a 12 month study to deeply consider the complex web of advice to protect business needs (tax, financial and legal) and its multi-generational needs (succession planning). Where are advisory structures becoming more sophisticated and how is it evolving? Undertaking a comprehensive global literature review, focus groups and interviews, this study considers where advice models have been used historically. Qualitative interviews with advisory board practitioners globally provide foresight to look ahead at the future role of the trusted advisor.
