The right board appointment can change the direction of an organisation
A board appointment is never just another senior hire. The right director can sharpen strategy, challenge assumptions, strengthen governance, open commercial doors and help an organisation navigate its next stage of growth. The wrong appointment can create tension, leave critical capability gaps untouched and cost the board valuable time.
Kylie Hammond provides specialist board search and non-executive director recruitment for organisations across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region through Tiger Boards, the board search and advisory practice she founded to give organisations access to a broader, stronger and more relevant director market.
We recruit Chairs, Non-Executive Directors, Executive Directors, committee members, advisory board members and investor directors. Every search is built around the organisation’s strategy, governance needs, culture and future direction, not a recycled list of familiar board names.
Our focus is simple: find the people who can make a real contribution in the boardroom now and help the organisation deal with what comes next.
Boards are dealing with a far more demanding operating environment than they were even five years ago. Cyber security, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, workforce risk, regulation, capital constraints, stakeholder scrutiny and rapid shifts in customer behaviour are now board-level issues. Yet many organisations still recruit directors through the same narrow networks and the same familiar circles.
Experience matters, but tenure and profile alone are not enough. A strong board needs directors who understand contemporary business, bring current operating experience, exercise sound judgement and know how to contribute without crossing into management. It also needs the right mix of established governance capability and next-generation thinking.
That is where our board search approach is different. We look beyond the obvious candidates. We actively map the market for senior executives, experienced directors, technical specialists, entrepreneurs, investors and emerging governance leaders whose skills match the organisation’s real needs. Some will already have substantial board portfolios. Others may be highly accomplished executives whose board experience and commercial contribution are stronger than their public profile suggests.
We do not lower the bar to create a broader shortlist. We search more intelligently so the board has a stronger field from which to choose.
“We do not lower the bar to create a broader shortlist. We search more intelligently so the board has a stronger field from which to choose.”
Our board recruitment assignments are tailored to the organisation, its ownership structure and the type of appointment required.
We identify board leaders with the judgement, credibility and interpersonal maturity to lead the board, work constructively with the CEO and create the conditions for better decision-making. Chair searches consider governance experience, strategic leadership, stakeholder management, board dynamics and the particular challenges facing the organisation.
We recruit Non-Executive Directors for listed companies, private businesses, private equity and venture capital-backed organisations, family enterprises, government-related entities, industry bodies and not-for-profit organisations. Searches can target broad commercial leadership or specific capability gaps, including finance, risk, people and culture, technology, cyber security, artificial intelligence, legal, regulatory affairs, marketing, customer growth, operations, transformation, sustainability and sector expertise.
Where a board requires an Executive Director, we assess both executive leadership performance and the candidate’s capacity to operate effectively within a formal governance structure. The role must work in both directions: as a senior leader inside the organisation and as a director carrying legal and fiduciary responsibilities.
We source independent committee Chairs and members for Audit and Risk, People and Culture, Remuneration, Investment, Technology, Clinical Governance and other specialist committees. This can give a board immediate access to deeper expertise while also strengthening succession planning for future director appointments.
For growth businesses, private companies and organisations that need strategic capability without immediately expanding the formal board, we design and recruit advisory boards. We help define the advisory board’s purpose, skills mix and member contribution so it becomes a working commercial asset, not a collection of impressive biographies with no clear mandate.
For selected emerging and growth-stage businesses, we identify directors and advisors who may bring investment alongside commercial expertise, market access and strategic networks. These appointments require careful alignment around capital, expectations, governance, contribution and conflicts. They are not treated as ordinary fundraising introductions.
Not every board search begins with an immediate vacancy. We also work with Chairs, CEOs, Chief People Officers, HR Directors and Nomination Committees on board succession and talent mapping: future board capability, succession risk, and a credible pipeline before a gap becomes urgent. That is particularly valuable where director retirements, ownership changes, an IPO, acquisition activity or a major strategic shift are approaching.
Every mandate is different, but the discipline behind a good appointment should never be improvised.
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Kylie begins with a confidential briefing involving the Chair, CEO, HR Director, Chief People Officer, founder, investor or Nomination Committee, depending on the organisation. We examine the business strategy, ownership environment, board composition, current challenges, culture, stakeholder landscape and the outcomes expected from the appointment.
This is where we get beyond the generic position description. We want to know what is changing, where the board is exposed, what has been missing around the table and what kind of person will be able to influence constructively in this particular environment.
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We translate the discovery process into a clear candidate mandate. This may include a review of the existing board skills matrix or the development of a more practical appointment framework covering governance experience, technical capability, sector knowledge, strategic contribution, independence, diversity, location, availability and cultural fit.
The result is a search brief that helps decision-makers agree on what they actually need before candidates enter the process.
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We combine targeted research, direct approach, proprietary networks and the Tiger Boards director community to identify candidates across the visible and hidden board market. Strong directors are often not actively applying for advertised roles. They need to be identified, approached confidentially and given a compelling reason to consider the opportunity.
Our reach extends beyond conventional board networks into senior executive, investor, entrepreneurial and specialist talent pools. This is critical when a board needs contemporary operational expertise or wants to improve diversity without compromising on commercial depth.
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Candidates are assessed against the agreed mandate, not simply their title history. We look at how they think, how they influence, what they have actually delivered, the relevance of their networks, their understanding of governance boundaries and their ability to work with the existing board and executive team.
We also consider motivation, capacity, potential conflicts, independence and whether the opportunity genuinely fits the candidate’s wider portfolio. A director who is impressive on paper but unavailable, misaligned or unable to contribute in the required areas is not the right appointment.
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We present a focused shortlist with clear evidence against the selection criteria. Kylie works closely with the client through interviews, candidate comparison, internal calibration and final selection. Where required, we can support board papers, interview structure, referee discussions, due diligence and appointment negotiations.
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Our involvement does not stop when a preferred candidate says yes. We help manage expectations, appointment terms, communication and the transition into the boardroom. A clear start matters, particularly where the director is joining during a period of change, growth or heightened scrutiny.
Every board member we appoint is backed by a 12-month replacement guarantee. If the appointment does not work out within the guarantee period, we will conduct a replacement search in line with the agreed terms. It is a straightforward commitment to the quality of our work and to the organisation making the appointment.
Every board member we appoint is backed by a 12-month replacement guarantee. If the appointment does not work out within the guarantee period, we will conduct a replacement search in line with the agreed terms. It is a straightforward commitment to the quality of our work and to the organisation making the appointment.
“Every board member we appoint is backed by a 12-month replacement guarantee.”
Board mandates are not handed down through layers of junior consultants. Kylie Hammond personally leads and remains closely involved in the search, from the initial board briefing and market strategy through to candidate assessment and final appointment.
Clients get direct access to the person whose reputation sits behind the result.
Kylie has spent more than two decades identifying, assessing, recruiting, mentoring and positioning senior executives and board directors. Her work spans board search, executive search, governance, board career strategy, succession, human resources and leadership advisory.
That breadth matters. It allows her to assess not only whether someone has held a board title, but whether their executive record, judgement and operating experience will translate into useful board contribution.
Through Tiger Boards, Kylie’s executive networks and more than 20 years of work in the director market, we can reach well beyond candidates who respond to advertisements. Our community includes established Chairs and directors, senior executives, functional specialists, investors, entrepreneurs and next-generation directors across a wide range of industries and ownership settings.
“Next generation” does not mean inexperienced. It means directors equipped for the next generation of business challenges.
These are people bringing current expertise in areas such as cyber risk, AI, technology, transformation, customer growth, workforce strategy, capital, regulation and new business models. Many have run substantial operations, led difficult transformations and advised boards throughout their executive careers. They may not yet sit on five prominent boards, but they can bring exactly the capability an organisation is missing.
We combine this talent with experienced governance leaders to help clients build boards with both judgement and relevance.
“Next generation does not mean inexperienced. It means directors equipped for the next generation of business challenges.”
Better board diversity does not come from adding a few names at the end of a search. It starts with where and how the market is mapped.
We deliberately search across different industries, leadership pathways, professional disciplines, cultural backgrounds, genders, ages and geographies. The aim is not diversity as decoration. It is a board with a wider range of lived experience, sharper debate and fewer shared blind spots.
Every candidate must still meet the mandate. The difference is that the mandate is searched properly.
We offer the close involvement and responsiveness of a specialist practice with access to a substantial Australian and Asia-Pacific talent market. The process can move quickly when needed, but speed never replaces judgement. Clients know who is doing the work, where the search stands and what the market is telling us.
Every board appointment is guaranteed for 12 months, with a full replacement search provided under the agreed guarantee terms. Board recruitment involves significant trust and reputational risk. We stand behind the appointments we make.
Kylie Hammond is a leading Australian board and executive search consultant, CEO mentor and founder of Tiger Boards. She has worked with CEOs, Chairs, senior executives and directors across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region for more than 20 years, helping organisations appoint leadership talent and helping high-calibre executives translate their experience into meaningful board contribution.
Kylie holds a Master of Laws in Enterprise Governance and brings together deep human resources and executive search experience with practical knowledge of how boards operate, how appointment decisions are made and why conventional searches so often miss strong candidates.
She has recruited and developed thousands of board directors over the course of her career and has been a long-standing advocate for opening boardrooms to capable people outside traditional appointment networks. Her approach is direct, commercial and highly involved. She is prepared to challenge a brief when it is too narrow, test assumptions about what the board needs and tell clients honestly what the market is likely to deliver.
Tiger Boards grew out of that work. It is a specialist board search and advisory practice designed to find the strongest combination of established governance leaders and next-generation director talent for organisations facing real change.
We undertake board search and director recruitment for:
We also work directly with HR Directors and Chief People Officers who have been asked to support a board appointment but need specialist market reach, governance insight and an independent search process.
A specialist board search process is particularly valuable when:
If the appointment matters to the organisation’s future, the search should be broader and more rigorous than asking who the existing board already knows.
The best director is not always the most recognisable person in the room. It is the person who can understand the organisation quickly, ask the question others have missed, challenge with judgement, support without becoming passive and bring useful perspective when the board is under pressure.
That may be a highly experienced Chair. It may be a sitting CEO or senior executive with current market knowledge. It may be a finance, technology, people, regulatory or industry specialist. It may be an investor who understands both capital and growth. Usually, it is someone whose experience fits the organisation’s next chapter, not simply its past.
Our job is to find that person, assess them properly and give the board the confidence to make a strong decision.
“The best director is not always the most recognisable person in the room. It is the person whose experience fits the organisation’s next chapter.”
We recruit Chairs, Deputy Chairs, Non-Executive Directors, Executive Directors, independent committee Chairs and members, advisory board members and investor directors. Searches may cover a single appointment, several complementary directors or the design and recruitment of an entire advisory board.
No. Some mandates require a proven Chair or a director with extensive formal governance experience. Others are better served by a high-calibre senior executive or specialist bringing current operating knowledge and strong board exposure. We assess each candidate against the actual needs and risk profile of the role. Next-generation does not mean untested; it means relevant, capable and ready for the responsibilities of the appointment.
Yes. We can review an existing skills matrix or help develop the appointment criteria as part of the search. We focus on the capabilities the organisation will genuinely need over the coming three to five years, rather than producing a generic list that describes almost any board.
We use direct search, market mapping, confidential approaches, long-standing executive and director networks and the Tiger Boards community. Many strong directors are not monitoring advertised vacancies, so proactive identification and a credible approach are central to the process.
Yes, provided diversity is built into the search strategy from the beginning. We map beyond traditional board circles and consider a wider range of industries, leadership backgrounds, disciplines, locations and lived experiences. All shortlisted candidates are still assessed rigorously against the agreed brief.
Yes. We can act as a specialist extension of the internal team, giving HR leaders access to board-specific research, candidate networks, governance insight and an independent assessment process. We keep the process clear, confidential and appropriately documented for the Chair or Nomination Committee.
Yes. We can help define the purpose and structure of the advisory board, identify the skills required and recruit members who can contribute to strategy, commercial growth, investment readiness, market access and governance maturity.
Yes. Every board member appointed through our search service is covered by a 12-month replacement guarantee, subject to the agreed engagement terms. If an appointment does not work out during that period, we will undertake a replacement search.
We work nationally across Australia and undertake selected assignments across New Zealand and the wider Asia-Pacific region. We can also identify Australian directors for international organisations requiring local market, governance or sector expertise.
Yes. Board appointments often involve succession, performance, ownership or strategic issues that cannot be made public. We agree communication protocols at the outset and manage candidate approaches discreetly.
Whether you are replacing a long-serving director, strengthening a capability gap, planning succession or building a board for the first time, the starting point is a clear and confidential conversation.
Kylie Hammond will work with you to define what the organisation genuinely needs, test the market and identify directors capable of making a meaningful contribution. Every successful appointment is supported by our 12-month replacement guarantee.
Alternatively, contact Kylie Hammond directly:
Phone: 1300 669 139 or 02 9487 2211
Email: info@kyliehammond.com.au
