The 2025 Board Buddy Pogram was launched on March 25 at the Boardman office in Helsinki. The event was hosted by Boardman Member Rene Graichen, who participated in the program last year. He shared his experiences from the previous round together with Boardman Partner Heini Pirttijärvi.

Boardman Member Vibha Deshpande introducing herself. On the right, the host René Graichen.

The Board Buddy program is a peer mentoring initiative where Boardman pairs its international members with Finnish board members. Boardman matched participants for the Board Buddy program based on their written applications.

Board Buddy kickoff

This year, 11 pairs kicked off their journey in the Board Buddy program. The main goal of the kickoff event was to introduce participants to their assigned Buddy and to foster connections among all participants. A significant portion of the session was dedicated to introductions, where each participant shared their background and their motivation for joining the program.

The Board Buddy pairs are getting to know each other.

The event concluded with informal discussions and lively networking – the Boardman office was buzzing with energy!

Board Buddy program overview

The program focuses on sparring around board work and leadership themes, creating a valuable connection with your Board Buddy and networking with other program participants.

The Board Buddy program has two main objectives:

• To learn and spar about board work and leadership
• To network.

Towards the end of the event, participants had the opportunity for informal networking.

Pairs will gain insights through one-to-one discussions, learning from each other about board work and leadership.

In addition to creating a valuable connection with your own Board Buddy, additionally two events are organized within the program for all the pairs to expand their network. The program’s closing event will be held in October 2025.

Who can apply?

Boardman’s international Boardman Members can apply for the program. The next application round will open in the fall of 2025.

Read more about Boardman Membership