As advisory boards proliferate globally amid rising workplace challenges, opportunities are growing for HR professionals to bring their expertise to the table. Here’s what it takes to secure a seat on an advisory board and build valuable governance experience.

As workplace complexity advances rapidly with increasing AI, psychosocial and geopolitical risks, so do the governance challenges of people management.

For HR leaders who are looking to enhance their governance expertise, carving out a career path on advisory boards can offer a way to elevate their skills to a strategic level either inside or beyond the limits of their own organisations.

The number of advisory board practitioners globally has grown from 1.3 million in 2019 to 9.8 million in 2025, while Australia now has around 58,000. Advisory boards operate across different markets and regions, with increasing opportunities for HR professionals, according to Louise Broekman, Director of Australia’s Advisory Board Centre and Chair of the Global Research Council.

“In the last 12 months, we’ve seen a spike in the need for critical thinking around the people piece [on advisory boards], which is pretty exciting for HR professionals. The skills around human resources, human capital and leadership are really in demand at the moment.”

Understanding the future of work and workforce design are also current focus areas for advisory boards.

“We’re dealing with AI and digital transformation. It’s happening right now and we’re also looking at conversations about complexity, global supply chains, global workforces and organisational sustainability.”

These are all skills that HR practitioners bring to their organisations on a daily basis, which is why, according to Broekman, an advisory board can be a great next step for aspiring HR leaders or those seeking to prepare themselves for a future formal board position.

How do advisory boards differ from traditional governance boards?

Advisory boards provide organisations with external, high-level guidance without advisers making decisions, exercising voting rights or being subject to the same level of legal fiduciary liability of traditional board roles.

“You can go to [jail] on a governance board – due to legal liability penalties for offences – because they carry out decision-making. Advisory boards don’t make decisions, but they are still responsible for the advice they provide.”

For HR leaders, advisory boards offer a career pathway to influence business-wide strategy beyond people operations and potentially build skills towards a future governance board portfolio.

“It’s a big leap going from an executive role straight onto a governance board, but an advisory board creates a pathway to build skills and reputation,” says Broekman, who has a background in HR herself.

“Professionals receive a lot of experience when sitting on advisory boards in the business sector. You learn about the agility of HR in those markets.”

Mid-market businesses without an internal HR function can be valuable opportunities.

“We’re able to provide this really great lens for corporate businesses, especially in the mid-market, where you’re dealing with significant businesses, family businesses, family officers that are incorporating their business models.

“Successful planning in those environments is very tricky, so HR leaders can provide – and gain – a lot of experience.”

“It’s a big leap going from an executive role straight onto a governance board, but an advisory board creates a pathway to build skills and reputation.” – Louise Broekman, Director, Australia’s Advisory Board Centre and Chair of the Global Research Council.

How to prepare and position yourself for advisory board roles

HR professionals remain under-represented on boards, with only about one per cent of Australian board directors coming from an HR background.

For HR leaders looking to move into advisory work, improving their visibility and sharpening their skills in risk management, critical thinking, cross-border regulation and strategic and commercial areas is key.

Some steps that Broekman suggests considering include:

Gain experience in a voluntary advisory role.
Consider universities, start-ups or the community sector. Around 20 per cent of advisory board roles are pro bono, with some paid through equity.

Develop facilitation skills.
Build a reputation as someone who can facilitate productive discussions, communicate HR metrics for wider business use and help groups reach informed conclusions. You could also establish an advisory board in your own organisation.

Use your existing networks.
Around 70 per cent of advisory board roles are sourced through personal networks, as roles are often not publicly advertised.

Broaden your network.
Build connections outside your own organisation and beyond the HR profession.

Build expertise in emerging issues.
Areas such as AI governance and ethics, non-human workforce challenges and psychosocial safety risks are increasingly on the agenda

Advisory board growth sectors

Strategy, growth, digital transformation, ESG, research and development investment and emerging technologies are among areas generating demand for advisory board members, says Broekman.

A global Advisory Board Centre report points out that risk management is a key driver of demand for advisory boards.

“While growth remains the principal motivation for establishing advisory boards, the sharper rise is the demand for guidance through uncertainty.

“Organisations are turning to advisory boards to interpret volatility, complexity and systemic change. In other words, advice is no longer a luxury. It is risk management.”

In terms of sectors, in Australia, healthcare and education are leading sectors in the advisory board space, so experience in public-sector HR can be an advantage.

As the report points out, “…there is rising demand for human capital expertise in an ever-changing technological world. Organisations are grappling with workforce transformation, culture and the implications of this change. The premium is increasingly on those who can integrate tech into strategy, people and execution.”

In terms of structure, there is also a trend towards short-term, project-based advisory boards addressing issues such as organisational restructuring, cultural or digital transformation and executive succession planning. These project boards are ideal for HR leaders seeking to give advice to make organisations more agile and responsive, she says.

They can also help to manage governance systems between the governance board and executive teams, and projects or different initiatives that require innovation.

“Organisations don’t have advisory boards because they want to maintain business as usual. They actually want to do something different. And HR have a clear line of sight about capability, capacity and resourcing.” – Louise Broekman, Director, Australia’s Advisory Board Centre and Chair of the Global Research Council.

AI and the new workforces of the future

Understanding how AI affects workforce design, leadership, organisational culture, risk and employee experience could become increasingly valuable for those performing in advisory roles.

“People in HR leadership, especially in transformation, are ideal advisers, because they already have the mindset of building the capability and capacity of other people,” says Broekman.

“Organisations don’t have advisory boards because they want to maintain business as usual. They actually want to do something different. And HR have a clear line of sight about capability, capacity and resourcing.

“This is why HR leaders have an incredible opportunity. If they’re wanting to be part of innovative, creative new thinking, developing leaders for the future, advisory board work is a great way for them to be able to deploy their skill sets.”

HR leaders are also strong at visualising capability and capacity for the future.

“How do we resource [for] what’s next? What do we need to think about before those decisions are actually being made?”

As part of that process, HR professionals will need to be able to formulate relevant questions to the advisory boards they serve, whether they are internal or external.

For example, in the AI area, questions could include the following:

• What AI systems does the organisation currently deploy, and what business decisions do these systems influence?
• How can HR lead AI transformation in the organisation, rather than just reacting to it?
• What ethical guardrails are in place to strengthen governance checks on AI? (e.g. adding a layer of human accountability for AI tasks and agents?)
• Does the AI adoption rate need to slow down until the right internal policies/guardrails are developed?
• Will there be monitoring, review and reporting to leaders on metrics from the impact of AI adoption over time, including those operated by third party vendors, and ongoing changes made where needed?
• Do we know who in the workforce is truly AI-ready?
• Is there transparency about the introduction of AI for staff, so that they will trust the new technology?

By bringing this kind of thinking to the table, HR leaders can help ensure AI adoption strengthens, rather than sidelines, the human capability at the heart of their organisations.”

This is the kind of thinking that turns HR from a function that supports change into one that leads it – and it’s exactly why advisory boards need HR at the table.

🧰 HR’s career resource toolkit

• Course: Workforce Planning (Advanced level)
• Podcast: Navigating boardroom dynamics with Dr Juliet Bourke
• Article: 5 situations where HR could be held personally liable
• Article: How to prepare for your first board role
• Event: The Power of Brand in HR: Build Your Influence, Impact and Career – 13 October, Law Institute Victoria (AHRI Victorian State Council event).