ATHENA BOARD SOLUTIONS
Placing Exceptional Women on Boards
Boards are navigating a more complex world than ever before — accelerating technology, shifting stakeholder expectations, tightening governance scrutiny. Thriving in this environment demands a new kind of director: one who combines resilience and strategic clarity with the ability to see the whole picture, lead across difference, and build organisations grounded in collaboration. Athena Board Solutions identifies and assesses exceptional women for board roles — because the qualities boards most urgently need are precisely the qualities these women bring.
OUR VISION
Our vision is a future where every board has a seat filled by an exceptional woman — purposeful and ready to lead. Not as a concession to diversity targets, but because that is what boards of the future will require to govern well.
WHAT WE DO
We meticulously search for and assess exceptional women for board roles — evaluating their readiness before they reach the nomination committee, so that every woman we put forward is assessed, benchmarked and genuinely board-ready.
WHY IT MATTERS
These are not quotas being filled — they are qualities of being that boards urgently need: heightened ethical and stakeholder attunement, a broader view of long-term value, and a leadership style built on trust, collaboration and quiet authority rather than status. Boards with these qualities at the table govern with more foresight and more resilience.
THE WOMEN WE PUT FORWARD
- •Independent in judgement — they challenge assumptions, avoid groupthink, and think critically.
- •Low-ego, high-impact — they influence through substance and outcomes, not status or recognition.
- •Observant & strategic — they see patterns others miss; they listen deeply and speak with purpose.
- •Calm under pressure — they are a steady, composed presence in crisis and complexity.
- •Values-driven — they are guided by integrity and long-term responsibility over short-term pressure.
- •Systems thinkers — they see across functions, sectors, and stakeholder groups.
THE EVIDENCE
- ›Strategic thinking, ESG expertise and digital governance are the top skills gaps on boards today (PwC 2025; CGI 2025).
- ›Women directors foster more collaborative board dynamics, enhance trust among directors, and improve the quality of collective decision-making (Deloitte 2023; McKinsey 2023).
- ›Women on boards are associated with improved board monitoring, greater accountability and broader consideration of stakeholder interests (Kirsch 2024).
FOUNDED BY
Dr Ella Egel and Dr Thomas Larder founded Athena Board Solutions to close the gap between exceptional experience and effective board contribution. Their work draws on deep expertise in leadership assessment and governance research — combined with a conviction that the quality of boards determines the quality of organisations.