That was where the support provided by the Institute of Directors, through its mentoring for diversity programme, would mean a wider pool of impactful directors for those businesses to choose from, she said.
Ms Halstead, who was Otago-Southland’s representative for the 2022 programme, was now into the last three months of the year-long programme.
Applications opened this week for this year’s cohort and she was actively encouraging friends and colleagues in the South to apply.
Reflecting on the effect it had on her, she said the programme helped her develop fresh perspectives on how she might develop her governance skills in both a regional and national context while continuing her own executive career with Invest South.
Based in Invercargill, she is executive officer of Invest South, an investment fund which supports local business seeking capital and expertise for growth.
Its sole investor is the Community Trust of Southland.
She gained both confidence and clarity through her interactions with her mentor, who was both experienced and insightful and who had successfully merged her own executive and governance careers.
It was great to be challenged on what sort of impact she was looking to have in governance roles and to set goals for the next 12 to 24 months, she said.
With only about two of the cohort coming from the South Island, the importance of regional diversity had been reinforced with the programme providing access to networks that could be challenging to connect into from this part of the world, she said.
"The cohort nature of the programme is also a huge part of its magic, encouraging open and honest dialogue as we all learn from each other.
"Above all, I am grateful for the increased capacity for self-reflection and focus which the programme has encouraged," she said.
Institute of Directors Otago-Southland branch chairwoman Trish Oakley said the programme provided 20 members throughout New Zealand with a mentor to assist them to improve their governance capability.
The mentee needed to have a solid foundation of governance experience and knowledge and would work with a senior director who would assist them with defining their value proposition.
The programme was intended to provide mentees with knowledge and skills to further their governance career, including board roles for larger entities than those they currently served.
It was launched in 2011 to link experienced female directors (mentees) with chairs and senior directors (mentors) from NZX and large company boards, and expanded in 2015 to promote board diversity in its wider sense.
Applications were welcomed on the basis of diversity including gender, ethnicity, LGBTI affinity, age, culture, disability, background, sector and experience.
