Alex Pavel’s Board Journey

What started you on your path to your new role – a network referral, a board role facilitator organisation/head-hunter, another route?

I have been in touch with Aurifer, a fast-growing firm specialised in tax advisory services established in Dubai and Riyadh, over the years and collaborated with them on specific projects on several occasions. The timing was a positive factor – just as I began increasing my focus on board advisory roles and recently joined VAB, Aurifer started considering strategic initiatives which are in my area of expertise. This resulted in my appointment to the new senior advisor role as of May 2024.

How impactful was your network in helping you successfully complete the board hiring process? Where did they provide assistance – document production, interview prep, due diligence?

Interview prep and mindset have been the most important value adds: both from the VAB network as well as from my extended professional network. From the discussions I had with VAB members, I gained a lot of insights from their stories and experiences with different roles, on advisory boards and boards of directors, which helped me in my pursuits and conversations.

What strength or qualification helped pull you over the finish line? Is there a specific skill or experience that made you stand out among others in the candidate pool?

Industry expertise, track record of delivering successful outcomes in previous business endeavours and projects in the same tax advisory space, commitment to consistent learning and improvement, consulting expertise with start-up and scale-up accelerators, and of course VAB membership.

What features of the business or elements in the board structure made you want to take on the role, e.g., a specific career challenge, strong values alignment, learning opportunities, something else?

For me, Aurifer is a great success story in the Gulf region. I am strongly aligned with their leadership team and very excited to support their team build even further and help them reach new heights. I will also learn a lot in the process as I start taking concrete steps in my board journey.

Follow Alex Pavel on LinkedIn.