Meet the board: Aliesha Staples
What was your first governance role?
It was with TVNZ as a future director, a significant first step to help me navigate a pathway into governance as a career. I was able to witness first-hand what good governance looks like. It also opened the door to the IoD and the support and development training.
What is the best advice you received as a young director?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even so-called “stupid” ones. The value of having a future director on a board is that you bring a perspective that experienced board members no longer have. Having someone ask those sometimes obvious or even just logical questions is enough to make the group really think about due diligence and ensure there is no autopilot or group think happening.
What has given you the greatest satisfaction in your boardroom career?
I have really enjoyed my time at TVNZ and that has led to being on the establishment board for the new Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media entity. The entity setup still has a way to go before it is implemented but being able to play a governance role and shaping what the future will look like has been really rewarding.
What would be the title of your biography, and why?
“A Series of Short Stories”. First, because I don’t have much time to read I would need to be able to start it and put it down for a couple of months, then pick it up again so short stories are the way to go. Second, because I have lived and worked in so many roles and countries I have a back catalogue of crazy mini-stories, everything from being banned from a country in the Caribbean to being chased by a rhino in Africa.
Who would you like to invite to dinner, and why?
Peter Beck. He founded a rocket company (Rocket Lab) in a country that didn’t really have a space industry and in May they successfully caught a falling rocket booster with a helicopter. I have so many questions!
What keeps you awake at night?
How fast technology is moving and how slow governments and entities are to respond. The likes of Web 3.0 and metaverses have some amazing advantages to the way we live and operate, but they also have some huge downsides. If I think too much about it, this literally keeps me up at night. What if we are moving towards a world where being inside another reality is better than actual reality and what does this fourth industrial revolution mean for the kids of today who are already so connected to the virtual world? How do we make sure that the failings of social media are not being currently repeated on a much bigger scale?
Also see Aliesha Staple's governance roles.