Caroline Coates – Get to know our VAB member
We would like to introduce you to our member Caroline Coates who joined VAB earlier this year. She is based in London in the UK and recently co-founded the Greenlights Consultancy Ltd., where she and her team advise startups and other companies on financial and business development topics. For just under a decade, Caroline led The Woosaa Chicken Co Ltd. as franchise owner and, prior to that, director of finance and operations. She has also held high-level financial management positions with businesses such as Cobra Coffee Ltd and The Structure Group. Caroline also donates her time to volunteer causes and has worked for over 10 years with the UK’s Children with Special Needs Foundation. She is currently at the start of her board journey and is exploring various options for initial board roles. Feel free to connect with her to discuss her professional experience and potential board interests.
What inspired you to become a member of the Virtual Advisory Board community?
After 10 years in the world of KFC and their network, I wanted to branch out, meet new connections and investigate the next chapter in my life and where that will lead me. I am super excited to be able to leverage VAB’s networking and learning opportunities to move my board journey forward.
In what area do you feel board advisors can add the most value for Boards of Directors (BoDs) and executive teams?
I would say the vast wealth of experience from all types of industries and businesses can provide important insight and opinions. Advisors have the benefit of being able to give external, more objective perspectives on strategic issues and can confront boards with new ideas and approaches.
What would be your dream company/organisation to work with as a board advisor/NED?
It would likely be something travel-related, customer-focused and with an ethical heart running through it. I am not sure if I would make any limitations on industries or businesses sectors at the moment. I am more curious to explore what opportunities exist in the market.
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?
Board advisory and board directorship are new areas for me, so I am still investigating and looking at literature and materials on corporate governance and board operations. That said, I am an avid reader and am currently enjoying books on improving human longevity through nutrition. I can recommend lots of books in this area if members working on boards in the FMCG, healthcare, retail, food production or similar spaces might be interested.
