The Untapped Power of Mid-Career Women.
The Untapped Power of Mid-Career Women: Why Boards Should Embrace 25+ Years of Expertise with a Fresh Perspective
In November 2018, a few days after stepping down from VICE Media—where I had served as the COO and on the board during a particularly tumultuous period—I found myself sitting in my home office with a mixture of excitement and exhaustion. I had two children, ages 18 months and 3 months. After two decades of intense professional challenges, coupled with board experience gained under high-pressure conditions, I was ready for a moment of reflection and reorientation.
As I cleared out old papers, I stumbled upon a goal planner from about five years earlier. I poured myself a cup of coffee, sat down in the corner of the room, and began reading through my old aspirations. The list held bold ambitions: “find balance as a matter of principle,” “get Lindsay & Evan through college,” “join a paid corporate board,” “write a book,” and “have children.” But as I scanned the page of 13 goals, I could only fully check off “have children” and “plant a garden” but gave myself significant credit for “in process college completion” and “a member of a high-profile board” – just not technically “paid”. It struck me that despite the achievements I was so proud of—including board experience that few mid-career professionals had—I still hadn’t pursued some personal milestones that had topped my list for years.
Like many professionals, I had spent years operating at full tilt, focused almost entirely on professional ambitions. But in the 18 months following my departure from VICE, I shifted gears to center my energy on my two young children, on personal growth, and on exploring passions I’d sidelined for years. I joined a large nonprofit board, reconnected with my alma mater, consulted on exciting projects that brought me back to Milan and to Tesla’s MegaPack factory in Reno, and even managed to complete my wedding album from a decade-old ceremony.
This period of reflection revealed to me a significant gap in how corporations engage seasoned professionals—particularly women—who are seeking meaningful contributions outside of traditional career structures at a critical juncture in their careers. Although I left VICE with invaluable board experience, I realized that companies were overlooking professionals like me: experienced executives with governance expertise who might have stepped away from the nonstop grind but are still driven, capable, and keen to contribute at a high level.
Reflecting on my journey, I began to see one of the biggest missed opportunities companies must embrace to advance women in leadership. We "let" women on boards, but we haven't changed the ways those boards are formed or how they operate. We want diverse members, but we rarely adjust our approach to discussions, decision-making, or even the structure of the board itself. By targeting only the most linear career paths, we miss out on a trove of mid-career talent—women who, like me, had amassed expertise and insight over two decades, often in high-stakes environments, and now desire a new chapter of meaningful, flexible work. It’s time to rethink the way we look at career trajectories and embrace a fresh approach to board composition.
Breaking Away from Industrial Revolution Mindsets
The conventional approach to career progression—where experience is seen as a steady, uninterrupted climb—is rooted in a bygone era. The Industrial Revolution ingrained in us the notion that experience builds in a linear fashion, like a machine being refined over time. This mindset assumes that the more continuous the years of service, the deeper the expertise.
Yet in today’s rapidly evolving workplace, this approach no longer fits. With the accelerating pace of social, technological, and workplace changes, experience is amassed far faster than it was a generation ago. Women and men who spend the first 20 or 25 years of their careers in high-stakes, high-responsibility roles often amass insights and skills that, in a previous era, might have taken 50 years to gain. For me, overseeing SEC reporting at GE, one of the most complex and largest companies in the world at that time, or serving on the board of VICE during an incredibly volatile period provided exactly that kind of accelerated experience—exposing me to complex governance challenges and the nuanced demands of corporate oversight.
We should consider career pauses or shifts not as setbacks [I have clearly strong feelings about Corporate America’s obsession with the “Resume Gap”] but as strategic opportunities for professionals to refocus, rejuvenate, and recalibrate and contribute to corporate America in a more strategic way. Taking time away from the linear progression doesn't diminish one’s capabilities; in fact, it can often enhance them. For me, those months post-VICE offered a rare chance to gain new perspectives, refine my goals, and rekindle my curiosity. And that experience positioned me as a more effective and empathetic leader, equipped with renewed energy and a wider lens on life.
If we could apply this same appreciation for nonlinear career paths when appointing board members, we would be able to harness fresh, agile, and relevant perspectives from professionals who are within months of operationalizing many of the complex issues that boards are faced with, while leveraging their accelerated career trajectory and at the same time, possibly saving these highly ambitious yet burned-out professionals from exiting the workforce. This shift in perspective is not only overdue; it’s essential for the future of corporate leadership.
Why Mid-Career Women Represent the Ideal Board Candidates
For many boards, the ideal candidate has historically been someone who has held a CEO position, managed a P&L, or demonstrated years of consistent executive experience. While these are valuable qualifications, they overlook an entire cohort of professionals who bring deep expertise, practical insights, and a desire to contribute in ways that break from traditional molds. Mid-career women and men who have “stepped off” the fast track or taken pauses to realign are perfectly positioned to bring value to boards, especially when they bring previous board experience from high-intensity roles.
These are men and women who have led significant teams, navigated complex projects, and often tackled the unique challenges of balancing professional ambitions with family commitments. By their mid-career stage, many have already weathered multiple economic cycles, adopted and adapted to new technologies, and proven their resilience. They have a unique combination of experience and fresh perspective, one that boards should be actively seeking.
By targeting this group, boards can also bridge what’s often known as the “resume gap.” When women take time away from full-time work for personal reasons—whether caring for young children, supporting aging parents, or pursuing personal projects—it’s too often viewed as a gap in their commitment or capability. This outdated view undermines the invaluable experience these professionals bring back with them, and it discourages companies from capitalizing on this period as a chance to bring in highly skilled board members who are fully present and ready to contribute.
Transforming Board Practices to Embrace Diversity in Thought and Approach
Diversity on boards isn’t just about demographics—it’s about diversity of thought, approach, and lived experiences. When boards are composed only of individuals who have followed traditional, uninterrupted career paths, they risk becoming echo chambers. Simply adding men and women to the board without rethinking how it operates is a limited approach, akin to putting a fresh coat of paint on an old machine.
True diversity involves adjusting the board’s way of working to accommodate and leverage a variety of perspectives. Mid-career women who bring a portfolio of experiences, including time away from the corporate grind, often think differently and ask different questions. They understand, perhaps better than anyone, the nuances of work-life balance, the realities of workforce challenges, and the importance of adaptive leadership. Their perspectives encourage boards to examine issues more holistically, fostering more innovative and comprehensive approaches to problem-solving.
By inviting women in this unique career stage to join, boards benefit from an agile, real-time approach to governance—one that’s reflective of today’s complex, fast-paced environment. Instead of looking at board service as a retirement capstone for those who have “paid their dues,” we should see it as a valuable role for those who are actively building new skills, bridging personal and professional spheres, and engaging deeply with the issues of today.
Preparing the Next Generation of Leaders Through Board Experience
Traditional board paths tend to look like this: junior role, senior role, executive role, then board service as the final career chapter. But this sequence doesn’t suit the needs of our current and future workforce. Instead, board service should be seen as an integral part of a professional’s growth and development—a place where mid-career women can gain insights into governance, hone strategic thinking, and build networks that will prepare them for future executive roles.
This pathway creates a new type of career pipeline for women, one that values their experience and flexibility and provides them with a unique vantage point on corporate leadership. These women, having served on boards, return to full-time roles or other senior executive and CEO positions with a broad, strategic understanding and a network that spans industries. They become better leaders, equipped to tackle the nuanced challenges of today’s business world.
By appointing women in this mid-career stage, boards essentially create a training ground for the next generation of corporate leaders. This approach acknowledges that board service isn’t just an end goal but a critical step in developing a robust and diverse leadership pipeline.
Moving Forward: Embracing Flexibility, Eliminating the Resume Gap, and Redefining Success
Reflecting on my own path, including my board experience at VICE, I’m convinced that companies have an unprecedented opportunity to redefine success on boards and to unlock untapped potential in women whose careers have followed nonlinear paths. If boards can evolve their criteria and adapt their practices, they will not only benefit from the unique strengths of mid-career women but also challenge the rigid career assumptions that still hold many professionals back.
Board service at age 45 or 50 could—and should—be as natural and expected as waiting until retirement. For women, this evolution would normalize nonlinear career paths, diminish the stigma around resume gaps, and create pathways to leadership roles that align with their ambitions and life circumstances.
It’s time for us to move beyond the checkboxes and embrace a more flexible, adaptive approach to corporate boards. By recognizing the profound value that mid-career women bring to the table—especially those with proven board experience—companies have the chance to reshape the future of leadership and build more inclusive, innovative, and resilient organizations. And perhaps, in doing so, they will inspire a new generation to see board service not as an endpoint, but as an exciting, impactful chapter within a broader, evolving career.