Tim Jones – Get to know our VAB member

What inspired you to become a member of the Virtual Advisory Board community?

Over the course of my career, I have had the benefit of breadth of experiences spanning global, local, operational and strategic roles in both commercial and supply chain functions. I currently lead the Sales, Category Management and Trade Marketing teams for AlEn USA, a subsidiary of Grupo AlEn. Grupo AlEn holds leadership positions in the Laundry and Cleaning categories in Mexico and we are on a steep growth curve in the US. As a member of the AlEn USA leadership team, I have worked very closely over the last six years with an incredibly talented, experienced advisory board. They provide strategic counsel to our leadership team, regularly helping us shape the company’s strategic direction. Witnessing the impact that our advisory board has had on our business and our team, I would love an opportunity to do the same one day. I see VAB as a perfect step in the direction of making that happen.

In what area do you feel board advisors can add the most value for Boards of Directors (BoDs) and executive teams?

From my experience a key value advisors can add to boards of directors is in helping to shape the strategy and direction in which the company is headed. Technology has driven rapid change in the way we do things: in the amount of information we process and the volume of data streams that come across our desks and phones every day. This can create incredible pressure to keep our minds in the here and now, i.e. the operational focus, checking what happened yesterday and deciding what we need to do about it today. Advisory boards can help leadership teams pull their minds out of the day to day and take time to reflect on the next 3-5 years. Without regularly shaping the long-term direction and roadmap, you will never get to where you want to be. Leadership teams need to chart the future of the company, and advisory boards can be a tremendous source of inspiration and guidance in that endeavour.

What would be your dream company/organisation to work with as a board advisor/NED?

Well, my dream company would be one that emulates where I am working today. We are a family-owned business, driving a world class ESG strategy with the purpose of building a cleaner, more sustainable world. We are leaders in the laundry and cleaning categories in Mexico and rapidly growing/scaling in the US. In Mexico we are a very mature business having served Mexican consumers for 75 years. In the US we are building strategies, teams, capabilities, processes and tools. We are accelerating growth in revenue, in people and in our culture. It is a very exciting time to be part of the business. Our passion to win comes from a combination of our immense potential, our human connections and our corporate values. Where I am today is my passion, and it would be incredibly rewarding to partner with another non-competitor business in a similar stage of development and which shares corporate values similar to that of AlEn USA.

What book or podcast would you recommend to VAB members that might improve their skills in corporate governance, board advisory or boosting board-to-executive team communications?

Of course there are many great leadership books past and present, but lately I have been reading books about leaders in history. I recently read and would recommend the following two which I found interesting: Washington’s Farewell Address by John Avalon. It describes the US founding fathers’ journey in building the country and writing the constitution. It also includes George Washington’s farewell address and predictions on future challenges, many of which came true. My second recommendation is The Accidental President, Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World by A.J. Baime. It primarily covers the incredible first months of Harry S. Truman’s term in office and details how he rose to the challenge of serving as US president during one of the most tumultuous times in US history. There are lots of good lessons on leadership in both these books.

Follow Tim Jones on LinkedIn.