About the Board Perspectives Series: Guided by our motto — Step into the boardroom. Shape the future. — we ask three signature questions that uncover lessons from the past, practical wisdom for the present, and a vision for the future.
Board Perspectives
STEP INTO THE BOARDROOM
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What is the best advice you’ve received about how to be an effective board director – Advice that even today you carry with you to every board meeting?
The best advice I received was to fully understand the difference between being an executive and being a director. As executives, we are trained to solve problems and execute; as directors, our role is to provide oversight, challenge assumptions, and help management succeed without taking over their responsibilities. I carry that lesson into every board meeting by focusing on asking thoughtful questions that influence decisions while respecting the line between governance and management. In my experience, knowing where that line is—and staying on the right side of it—is one of the hallmarks of an effective board director.
GRACIELA I. MONTEAGUDO
Directors who shape the future have the courage to speak up, ask difficult questions, and offer an independent perspective.
Three POWERFUL INSIGHTS to SHAPE Your Boardroom Future
STEP INTO THE BOARDROOM WITH LAURA BARNES WITH THREE INSIGHTS
About the Board Perspectives Series: Guided by our motto — Step into the boardroom. Shape the future. — we ask three signature questions that uncover lessons from the past, practical wisdom for the present, and a vision for the future.
LAURA BARNES is a strategic senior banking executive and board leader with a disciplined, enterprise-focused approach to governance. She brings broad industry experience and strong stakeholder insight to drive performance, strengthen risk oversight, and support long-term value creation.
Laura has served in multiple board roles, including Chair of one organization, where she led CEO succession and key governance initiatives. Recognized for uniting leaders around complex issues, she elevates boardroom dialogue and advances decisions rooted in innovation, accountability, and operational excellence.
LAURA BARNES is a strategic senior banking executive and board leader with a disciplined, enterprise-focused approach to governance. She brings broad industry experience and strong stakeholder insight to drive performance, strengthen risk oversight, and support long-term value creation.
Laura has served in multiple board roles, including Chair of one organization, where she led CEO succession and key governance initiatives. Recognized for uniting leaders around complex issues, she elevates boardroom dialogue and advances decisions rooted in innovation, accountability, and operational excellence.
STEP INTO THE BOARDROOM WITH LAURA BARNES WITH THREE INSIGHTS
About the Board Perspectives Series: Guided by our motto — Step into the boardroom. Shape the future. — we ask three signature questions that uncover lessons from the past, practical wisdom for the present, and a vision for the future.
STEP INTO THE BOARDROOM WITH
GRACIELA I. MONTEAGUDO
About the Board Perspectives Series: Guided by our motto — Step into the boardroom. Shape the future. — we ask three signature questions that uncover lessons from the past, practical wisdom for the present, and a vision for the future.
Graciela I. Monteagudo serves as an Independent Director on the boards of iHeartMedia (Nasdaq: IHRT), WD-40 Company (Nasdaq: WDFC), and ACCO Brands Corporation (NYSE: ACCO). A dual Mexican and American citizen, she is an NACD Certified Director, and has been recognized by Women Inc. Magazine as one of its Most Influential Corporate Directors.
A former President and CEO with 30 years of executive leadership across consumer goods, food, health care, and retail, she has held senior roles at Lala U.S., Mead Johnson Nutrition, Walmart Mexico, Procter & Gamble, and Bristol Myers Squibb, directing businesses ranging from $2 to $6 billion across North and Latin America.
The best advice I received was to fully understand the difference between being an executive and being a director. As executives, we are trained to solve problems and execute; as directors, our role is to provide oversight, challenge assumptions, and help management succeed without taking over their responsibilities. I carry that lesson into every board meeting by focusing on asking thoughtful questions that influence decisions while respecting the line between governance and management. In my experience, knowing where that line is—and staying on the right side of it—is one of the hallmarks of an effective board director.
STEP INTO THE BOARDROOM
What is the best advice you’ve received about how to be an effective board director – Advice that even today you carry with you to every board meeting?
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It starts with bringing expertise that genuinely adds value to the board and aligns with the company's strategic needs. But expertise alone isn't enough. Directors who shape the future have the courage to speak up, ask difficult questions, and offer an independent perspective—even when it's unpopular or challenges the prevailing view. The best boards avoid groupthink, and that only happens when every director is willing to exercise independent judgment in the best interests of the company and its shareholders.
SHAPE THE FUTURE
What does it take for a director to move from merely “filling a board seat” to truly shaping the future of the company?
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Graciela I. Monteagudo serves as an Independent Director on the boards of iHeartMedia (Nasdaq: IHRT), WD-40 Company (Nasdaq: WDFC), and ACCO Brands Corporation (NYSE: ACCO). A dual Mexican and American citizen, she is an NACD Certified Director, and has been recognized by Women Inc. Magazine as one of its Most Influential Corporate Directors.
A former President and CEO with 30 years of executive leadership across consumer goods, food, health care, and retail, she has held senior roles at Lala U.S., Mead Johnson Nutrition, Walmart Mexico, Procter & Gamble, and Bristol Myers Squibb, directing businesses ranging from $2 to $6 billion across North and Latin America.
STEP INTO THE BOARDROOM WITHGRACIELA I. MONTEAGUDO
TAKE THE FIRST STEP
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If you could go back to earlier in your career, what advice would you give yourself — and other aspiring executives — on how to position for board service?
If you're a line executive, you're already building one of the most valuable qualifications for the boardroom: experience running a business and making enterprise-level decisions. I would encourage you to seek opportunities that strengthen your ability to build organizations, lead through change, and develop winning strategies—those experiences have been some of the most valuable in my own board service. If you're in a staff function, be intentional about building expertise in the areas boards increasingly need, such as AI today, and previously cybersecurity, human capital, or supply chain. Board needs evolve over time, so staying ahead of those trends and continuously developing relevant expertise will make you a much stronger board candidate.
SHAPE THE FUTURE
3
What does it take for a director to move from merely “filling a board seat” to truly shaping the future of the company?
It starts with bringing expertise that genuinely adds value to the board and aligns with the company's strategic needs. But expertise alone isn't enough. Directors who shape the future have the courage to speak up, ask difficult questions, and offer an independent perspective—even when it's unpopular or challenges the prevailing view. The best boards avoid groupthink, and that only happens when every director is willing to exercise independent judgment in the best interests of the company and its shareholders.
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