Kahina Van Dyke decided early in her career that she wanted to serve on corporate boards. She worked at Citibank and other major companies, taking on challenging international assignments launching new digital products and services, which gave her experience dealing with uncertainty and bringing together diverse teams. When she asked about board seats in her early 30s, she was told she had to be a Fortune 500 CEO first. Undeterred, Kahina kept expressing her ambition over several years. She finally got breakthrough advice from a CEO – connect with the heads of board practices at top executive search firms. This led to board interviews and ultimately her first corporate board seat at age 47 based on her digital expertise.
Now, Van Dyke evaluates board opportunities based on whether her specific skills fill a need they value for future success. She didn’t limit herself initially and interviewed across industries. Key was finding a mutual connection and comfort level with the board leadership taking a chance on each other. Her first board experience involved observing for months before choosing a committee, allowing her to learn by watching. She built relationships at meals and through one-on-one outreach. After five years, Kahina is highly selective about adding more boards, wanting to ensure she fills a specific gap and has impact.
She stresses that increased Black board representation needs “net new” directors early in their careers focused on gaining expertise, not plural seats too quickly. While progress has been made, the environment is less conducive to equity. Meaningful pressure for change will likely only come from institutional investors.
