S7 | Ep 8 | How to become a NED? with JoAnn Stonier, EX-CDO Mastercard, Lara Izlan, Director of Data, ITV & Abbi Agana, CEO, Leathermarket JMB

S7 | Ep 8 | How to become a NED? with JoAnn Stonier, EX-CDO Mastercard, Lara Izlan, Director of Data, ITV & Abbi Agana, CEO, Leathermarket JMB

May 26, 2026 · 1h 2m · Season 7 · Episode 8

About this episode

The episode discusses how to become a Non-Executive Director (NED) with insights from industry experts.

This is a special episode of the Driven by Data Podcast, where we publish our recent NED webinar! Featuring JoAnn Stonier, Ex-CDO Mastercard, Lara Izlan, Director of Data, ITV and Abbi Agana, CEO, Leathermarket JMB Our speakers shared career trajectories into NED roles, emphasising diverse backgrounds (data, media, housing, finance, privacy) and recurring themes: continuous change, giving back, mentorship, and strategic coaching mindset. How to break into NED roles: build a board CV, clarify your 'why' and value proposition, leverage networks, observe boards, speak to chairs and current board members, and use targeted communities and programs. Differences between nonprofit and for-profit board experience: governance skills transfer but scale and profile matter; large/high-profile nonprofits can be gateways to commercial boards while small trustee roles mainly develop governance experience. What boards look for: subject-matter expertise gets you noticed, but financial literacy, generalist judgement, governance and fiduciary responsibility are baseline requirements; c-suite title is not strictly necessary. Practical expectations of NED work: time commitment varies (frequently…

People in this episode

Guests: JoAnn Stonier, Lara Izlan, Abbi Agana

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mastercard, ITV, Leathermarket JMB

More episodes of Driven by Data: The Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Driven by Data: The Podcast podcast page.