Jessica Saad

Jessica is the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the Environmental & Sustainability Initiatives Unit at the University of Wollongong. In 2009 she completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Dean’s Scholar) majoring in Human Resource Management and Marketing.

Jessica has served as President for the Junior Chamber International Illawarra from 2008, Non-Executive Director and Chair of Services Committee for UniCentre Ltd since 2007 and was the youngest ever appointee to the Illawarra Business Chamber Board of Directors after being appointed for a two year term in 2008. She is one of eight appointed members to the Wollongong City Centre Advisory Committee.

Jessica was asked by Women on Boards to share her insights and experience with women interested in directorships early in their career.

At a recent workshop in Wollongong I provided my ‘SCREW IT’ acronym for giving Board roles a go:

  • S is for SUBSCRIBE & SAVE  -become a member of important organisations like WOB and AICD but remember you will need money to do so! 
  • C is for CREATE A PROFILE – Get on linkedin and even opt to provide your opinion in the media where possible. Try and have a point of view or idea that you particularly stand for.
  • R is for READ – If you want to be a Director you better like reading. Besides staying up to date by reading the news you will have board papers to get through and will need to keep current on articles related to governance and policy that may affect your organisation.
  • E is for ENGAGE – Networking is important as it will help you to meet people who are Directors or find out about organisations that might need Directors.
  • W is for WIGGLE – think about creative ways to get on a board especially if you are still profile building.  Consider not for profit organisations or joining committees to build experience. 
    And the IT is two pieces of advice...
  • I is for IT DOESNT MATTER IF YOUR YOUNG – my role on Boards right now and for the next few years is to represent the younger persons view, so it doesn’t matter that I am young...because that’s the point!
  • T is for TELL EM WHAT YOU THINK – If you have thought something through, read the facts and have an opinion or question then just put it out there. If you don’t have the courage to do so, someone else will and you will be left disappointed for not taking the chance, or worse still the question will never be addressed.

It’s probably good to note that I had no intentions of ‘getting on a board’ when I first started. Rather I was looking for organisations I wanted to connect with and assist. By putting myself out there some natural opportunities came about and each of these were distinctly different pathways to getting director roles.

At the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Illawarra, I started off as a member because I shared the Chamber’s belief that in order to create positive change, we must take collective action to improve ourselves and the world around us. I soon moved onto a committee and then was elected to the Board. This was a natural progression and allowed me to feel quite comfortable with the escalation of responsibilities and the skills required.

For my three year Board appointment at Wollongong UniCentre I actually had to run an election campaign. The Unicentre is a non-profit organisation providing recreation, artistic, cultural and developmental events in Wollongong University and the wider community. I spent time researching the organisation, decided on some key points I felt I could lend an opinion to on the board, and then rallied colleagues, friends and eligible voters to give me a go...and they did.

Finally, at the Illawarra Business Chamber, I was approached by a director to be on the board for a two year term. The Chamber was specifically seeking to connect with youth and were looking for someone who was connected to young professional networks in the region. My other directorships stood me in good stead for this opportunity.

 

Without exception, my motivation for joining these boards was to ensure that decisions based on the future were made in conjunction with those people that would be affected – young people. While young people have a lot to learn from experienced professionals, we also have a right to contribute to debates about future decisions.  Resultantly, I am passionate about making the appointment of youth advisory members a common, accepted and welcome practice on boards.

My background in human resource management and marketing means that I make the majority of my contributions in these areas. My history in directorship positions even at this early stage is with membership organisations and I am particularly passionate about membership management and communication. I also work in the area of environmental sustainability and try to ensure that where possible I encourage other directors to consider environmental principles in decision making.

As a director, I am required to give a lot of time and energy but I also benefit greatly from these experiences. Understanding how the economic climate affects the industry your organisation is in is a fantastic skill to build. Being a director has also extended my capability to interpret and question financial statements and budgets. On a more generic note so many transferable skills such as debate, negotiation, analytical skills, problem solving and understanding corporate governance are an advantage in my every day working career. On many occasions I have been able to contribute more to my workplace due to the skills I have built and been exposed to as a young director.

If I was asked to give advice to a young woman considering directorship I’d say acknowledge your skills and weakness so that you understand your offering. Join organisations like WOB who do the work on what is going on in terms of information and vacancies and devour their information. It is never too early to begin considering a directorship. I think a lot of women don’t consider directorships in their planning and yet there are probably so many activities they are involved in that could easily provide a breeding ground for attaining directorship roles.