Academy, Community & Placements

of Non Executive Directors, Supervisory Boards, Advisory Boards, Top Executives

The Board Academy, part of the Board Partners Group, was founded in 2010 to constantly develop the work of advisory and supervisory boards so as to keep up with changing markets, organisations and governance requirements within the context of entrepreneurial and sociopolitial accountability. In just 12 years, we have not only become established, but have become a key player in the field of future-oriented board work. Our triad of certification, active community and board placement has proven to be effective and to build bridges. We help you do the right things and then hear the right things.

Our passion for professional and effective board work, that is meaningful to organisations, is not only as strong as ever, but has also become more comprehensive and more profound. Having assisted with the placement of members of both advisory and supervisory boards, we see the difference that results from well-considered and outstanding board work.
Over the years, our academy and community has evolved into an effective hub linking boards in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and the Middle East.

Certification

Having the required knowledge, being prepared and avoiding surprises – we offer prospective and active supervisory and advisory board members tailored training and professional qualification for effective board work. The core of the Board Academy is the certification course, a 6×2 day curriculum followed by an exam and a certificate. We also accompany companies, boards and top executives in the form of individual in-house training and resultshops.

Community

Networking on a national and international level – with more than 600 certified members, we are the most established active community in Germany. With exclusive events, such as the Board Dialog Days, the Board Lounge Events or the international Master Classes and Summits, we initiate space for effective networking and offer insights into current trends & developments of board work.

Board Placements

Being able to apply the acquired knowledge you – we fill supervisory and administrative board mandates as well as committees for family businesses, medium-sized companies, but also growth companies & start-ups from our community of qualified supervisory and advisory board members.

Any company with an interest in filling a board position is welcome to get in touch with us.

Our Partners

Right from the start, the Board Academy has cooperated with “Partner of Excellence” companies and institutions with expert lecturers who share their many years´professional experience in their field of knowledge and bring in the Peer2Peer experience of board work.

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Founder

The Board Academy was founded by Guido Happe, Managing Director of Board Partners GmbH, in 2010. His goal was and still is making a contribution to the permanent professionalisation of board work and enabling the transfer of knowledge. The quality of board work depends on proper mandating, the indispensable understanding of the environment, and the ability to ask the right questions.

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Founding Team

Together with Dr. Rüdiger Theiselmann – who was Head of CF Corporate Center of Commerzbank AG back then and main contact for governance issues, is today Managing Partner of the Corporate Development Boutique Huckberg, CEO of Legaltech platform Digitorney and founder of the Corporate Finance Association,

Roland Startz, Partner of the international law firm BeitenBurkhardt is an expert for family businesses and corporate groups as well as good governance issues, litigation and corporate law, and

Marco See, then head of the Nuremberg office of Deloitte and now partner and head of the Nuremberg office of PwC with in-depth and broad knowledge of international risk, compliance and audit operations and strategy

Guido Happe has developed a best-in-class curriculum The team is still together after 10 years, with passion for the cause and with prospects for another 20 years. This team composition was one of the key decisions for the successful course-setting of the Board Academy.

Guido Happe

Board Partners

Dr. Rüdiger Theiselmann

Huckberg

Roland Startz

Beiten Burkhardt

Marco See

PwC

board placements

certified participants

dialogue partners

yaers of Board Academy

Made by Experience

The decisive impact of our Board Academy is the practice2practice philosophy coupled with scientific and socio-psychological perspectives.

Changes of perspective through real-life and transparent market experience gathered from national and international service on advisory, supervisory and administrative boards make the difference.

The leaders, speakers and dialogue partners are all experienced board members, visionary individualists and personalities with a global reach. Not just being up close, but right in the thick of it is what makes the difference.

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Philosophy & Values

We regard qualification, integrity and social responsibility as the key attitude to effective contemporary board work. We think of a board’s composition as a mirror of the organisation and its markets, with neutral and structured appointment processes. This is the only route to long-term best-of-class work.

We are a transparent “shared community” that believes in “mutual networking results” and shares knowledge in an open, practical dialogue. The question what I can do for the organisation and for my Counterpart demonstrably outweighs the question what the organisation and my counterpart can do for me. That’s how we remain relevant and create relevance for our community.

International Scope

We don’t only build bridges in Germany and the DACH Region. In 2018, Guido Happe founded the Board Academy Africa (Pty) Ltd. to extend our scope to South Africa as well and to build more international bridges. Likewise, the Board Academy – via the Board Partners Group – started working on the Board Academy Turkey in order to link up mutual international board expertise there as well.

Spain is home to our Board Academy International and will present a European master class on Mallorca as from 2020. Up to 25 new-generation board members from Europe will get together there to focus on international board work.
Peer2peer learning leads to effective and sustainable networking.