ANNOUNCEMENT: BoardProspects has acquired theBoardlist.
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To the next generation of leaders –

My Silicon Valley story almost didn’t happen.

After growing up in an entrepreneurial family, I began my career in the male-dominated industries of media and banking in Canada and New York where I was rewarded for my aggressiveness. But when I arrived in Silicon Valley, I was shocked to be told on my second day of work that I was “scaring the secretaries.” As a result, I was given increasingly diminishing responsibilities until six months later, I quit and almost left the Valley.

Fortunately, instead, I found my tribe. I joined the founders at a rapidly growing startup where I was given an incredible amount of responsibility running business development. Six months later, we were acquired by Amazon, and my career took off.

Years later, in 2015, Silicon Valley seemed stuck. There was a prevailing belief that the culture at tech startups wouldn’t change until we grew the pipeline of women in STEM. I saw the problem with a different lens. I knew if we put a woman on the board of every Series B company and beyond, we’d change the culture in Silicon Valley overnight.

So, I went to founders, CEOs, and board directors to crowdsource a list of board-ready, exceptional women, and theBoardlist was born. Suddenly, instead of relying on their limited and often homogeneous networks, CEOs and board directors could access the limitless community of recommended female board talent.

theBoardlist started with women because there was, and frankly still is, an urgent need for gender parity in the boardroom. We’re not there yet, but we are making progress. Our ultimate goal is to help companies create full and true representation in their leadership, so that they can better serve their customers, employees, and communities. With that in mind, it is not only a natural extension for theBoardlist to include all underrepresented minorities, regardless of gender, but an imperative.

We’re debunking the “pipeline problem” myth. Whether you are an aspiring  board director, looking for great board talent to join your board, or know diverse candidates that you think boards should meet, we welcome you to join us in our mission.

Sukhinder Singh Cassidy
Founder and Chairman at theBoardlist;
CEO at Xero and lead independent director at Upstart

Formerly served as President at StubHub, Founder and CEO at Joyus, CEO at Polyvore;
previously on the board at Urban Outfitters, TripAdvisor, Ericsson, and Canada Drives
OUR COMMUNITY

Who We Serve.

Candidates

Create your complimentary candidate profile today to start surfacing in relevant search results

Searchers

2,500+ companies have used theBoardlist to search for their next director; 22k+ leaders are open to conversations

Recommenders

Join top leaders like Deb Liu, Stacy Brown-Philpot in recommending extraordinary diverse talent in your network

Companies

Partner with theBoardlist to advance your development and DEI initiatives through our enterprise programming

A TIMELINE

The history of theBoardlist.

2015

Founder Sukhinder Singh Cassidy publishes open letter "Tech Women Choose Possibility" in Recode

2016

theBoardlist launches with 1,000 female candidates recommended by Silicon Valley's most prominent board directors, CEOs, and founders

2018

Inaugural #BoardForward Awards Gala with speakers Susan Wojcicki, Stacy Brown Philpot, Ellen Pao, and Susan Fowler

2020

theBoardlist expands membership to include all underrepresented minorities; launches The Board Challenge to improve the representation of Black directors in the US

2022

Spotlight email series and Board Risers Accelerator program created; database of candidates, searchers, and recommenders grows to 38k+

2023

tBL Plus membership launches to provide ongoing support for aspiring candidates and experienced directors as they pursue their board goals

Our Team.

Co-Founder and board member
Chief Executive Officer
Head of Partnerships
Head of Search
Chief of Staff

Enhanced support to advance your board goals.

tBL Plus annual membership is designed to help board candidates secure your first (or next) board seat through positioning, exposure, and preparation.
View + apply to opportunities
1:1 coaching
Boosted visibility + exposure