Shaping with Passion: Panel Discussion “Career Option Supervisory Board”

How can women find pathways to supervisory board positions, and what factors play a decisive role? These questions were at the center of a panel discussion organized by the FS Women’s Society in collaboration with FidAR e.V.

The panel brought together a range of perspectives: Daniela Bünger, management consultant and former M-DAX board member, shared insights from an operational, corporate perspective. As a multi-board member, Evelyne Freitag provided a glimpse into the day-to-day work of supervisory boards. Maike Lauterbach, Senior Manager and member of the Executive Board at BludauPartners Executive Consultants, contributed the perspective of an executive search consultant. Marija Mironjuk, Director of International Advisory Services at Frankfurt School, highlighted the role of continuing education and the importance of building competencies.

Angelika Werner, Vice President Strategic Relations at Frankfurt School and initiator of the FS Women’s Society event series, opened the evening and thanked Bettina Laurick and Christine Gärtner from the FidAR board for their cooperation. She emphasized that a supervisory board mandate is just one of many ways to shape one’s professional life, and that the FS Women’s Society aims to address the full range of career opportunities.

The panel discussion was moderated by Christine Gärtner from the FidAR Rhine-Main regional committee.

The right preparation: due diligence, experience, and building competencies

The experts emphasized that taking on a supervisory board mandate comes with significant responsibility, including personal liability. Evelyne Freitag in particular encouraged attendees to conduct their own due diligence and ask themselves whether they are personally ready to assume this responsibility and engage in a detailed examination of the company and its challenges. This also includes assessing whether they possess the necessary expertise. Daniela Bünger likewise highlighted that industry knowledge and an understanding of corporate processes are essential to meet the demands of a supervisory board role.

According to Evelyne Freitag, three factors are key to successful supervisory board work: experience, experience, and more experience. Only through experience can board members identify problems, risks, opportunities, and future perspectives at an early stage. Experience forms the foundation for evaluating whether an organization is well positioned and whether its internal processes are sufficiently robust. Daniela Bünger recommended gaining initial experience in an advisory role, for example with a start-up, before taking on a supervisory board mandate. Such organizations tend to be less complex, while still offering valuable opportunities to build relevant expertise.

Further education and lifelong learning

With increasing demands on supervisory board members, continuing education is becoming ever more important. Marija Mironjuk referred to the Supervisory Board Excellence Program at Frankfurt School. The program covers key topics such as ESG, strategy, legal issues, and emerging trends. Its focus is on delivering practical knowledge as well as fostering peer-to-peer exchange, which strengthens participants’ experience and professional networks.