Using AI Tools to Land a Board Seat

Image created with ChatGPT 5

Why AI Matters for Your Board Journey

Landing a board seat is no longer just about who you know—it’s about how clearly you can communicate your governance value and position your expertise. That’s where AI for board governance comes in.

Today’s AI tools can help women leaders:

• Rewrite resumes into board-ready bios

• Research private equity portfolio companies

• Enhance LinkedIn optimization for visibility

• Build confidence in executive presence

  
  

For women navigating the path to board service, AI tools for board search can accelerate progress, provide sharper insights, and open doors to opportunities that might otherwise stay hidden.

Key Workshop Takeaways

Refresh Your Board Bio with AI

Your board bio shouldn’t read like a resume—it needs to showcase governance, strategy, and fiduciary oversight. Tools like NotebookLM and CustomGPT help translate “operational” language into “board-ready” positioning. For example:

• Managed P&L → Provided fiduciary oversight for business growth

• Implemented new systems → Directed strategic initiatives across the enterprise

This shift is essential for AI board readiness.

Strengthen Your LinkedIn Presence

Your LinkedIn profile is often the first stop for recruiters, nominating committees, and investors. Using AI for LinkedIn optimization can help refine your headline, surface keywords that align with board opportunities, and suggest thought leadership content. Platforms like Perplexity are especially powerful for sharpening messaging.

Target PE Firms and Portfolio Boards

One of the most underused strategies is leveraging AI for private equity board seats. With the right prompts, AI can:

• Identify PE firms investing in your target industry

• Pull portfolio company lists

• Surface board members and potential contacts (including female leaders on the West Coast, for example)

This kind of AI-powered research helps you move from “casting a wide net” to targeted, strategic outreach.

Custom Board Branding GPT

The Board BrandingGPT helps executives transform their resumes and LinkedIn profiles into board-ready bios. The focus is on shifting from operational, task-driven language to governance and strategic framing.

It provides swaps like “Managed” → “Led,” “Implemented” → “Guided,” and “Delivered results” → “Ensured long-term value creation.” The style is plain, direct, and professional—no jargon, hype, or filler.

The uploaded examples used to create this GPT show how this works in practice:

Templates outline key sections such as senior roles, industries, companies, business models, global reach, board experience, education, and thought leadership.

Draft bios highlight strategic impact, board service, and industry expertise—for example, Melinda Marchesi’s growth and digital transformation leadership, Jenny Kay Pollock’s global monetization strategy and AI expertise, and Freda Lam Zietlow’s financial oversight and cross-continental governance experience.

AI Tools We Shared

• NotebookLM: notebooklm.google.com

• CustomGPT – Board Branding: ChatGPT - Custom Board Brand GPT

• Perplexity: perplexity.ai

• Prompt Guide: bit.ly/getonboardweekai

• WOMEN x AI Blog – 30+ Battle-Tested Tools: Explore 30+ Tools battle tested by women leaders

Copy Paste Prompts to Help Your Board Search

These prompts are designed to help you during you boards search. For this section anything in [ ] is suggested to be edited to your interests and board search.

Prompt: Identify Operating Partners at mid-market PE firms in San Francisco focused on [industry]. Prompt: Build me a list of 10 PE firms in the [$500M–$2B] fund size range investing in [consumer tech], and give me [2] contacts per firm preferably [females on the west coast].

Board Matrix and Needed Skills Prompt Series:

All of the prompts in this series go together. Prompt 1: PE firms that focus on [x] industry.

Prompt 2: List the portfolio companies of [PE Firm].

Prompt 3: Help me find out who is on the [company name] board? Be sure to check all the typical places including LinkedIn to see who is listed as a board member. Prompt 4: Based on who is on the board create a board skills matrix be sure to highlight any potential gaps.

Meet the Workshop Hosts

This workshop was led by three women bringing deep expertise in AI, governance, and leadership:

• Jenny Kay Pollock – Co-Founder & Co-CEO of WOMEN x AI, board member of How Women Lead, and advisor helping women leaders use AI to accelerate growth and board readiness.

• Holly Uber – Board member at How Women Lead and experienced executive who guided participants through hands-on AI board bio exercises. Known as a Narrative Rebel, she challenges leaders to reframe their stories with clarity and confidence.

• N. Liberty White – Founder of She Learns AI and Women and AI Futures, Liberty specializes in AI-driven LinkedIn optimization and digital presence. She recently led a delegation to the Cannes Lions Creative Festival, amplifying women’s leadership in AI on a global stage.

Reflections from Participants

💬 “AI gave me language that feels board-ready, not resume-driven.”

💬 “I walked away with three PE firms to explore and two warm contacts I can follow up with this month.”

💬 “Seeing others test prompts in real time made me realize I don’t have to be perfect to start—AI is a partner, not a judge.”

Resources to Keep Exploring

If you’re ready to strengthen your AI board readiness, dive deeper into these WOMEN x AI resources:

• Join WOMEN x AI for more board readiness resources

• Explore 30+ AI tools for women leaders and board directors

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can AI tools help with board bios? AI can quickly reframe your resume into a governance-ready bio. Instead of focusing on operational tasks, it highlights fiduciary oversight, strategic leadership, and long-term value creation. Tools like NotebookLM and CustomGPT are especially useful for transforming language into board bio–ready content.

Q: Can AI really help me land a board seat? AI won’t replace networking or expertise, but it’s a powerful accelerator. With the right prompts, you can identify private equity firms, surface portfolio companies, and research nominating committees—saving hours of manual work and surfacing opportunities you might otherwise miss.

Q: What are the best AI tools for board search? Some of the most effective include:

• Perplexity for LinkedIn optimization and quick research

• NotebookLM for reframing bios and board documents

• CustomGPT for tailored board branding prompts

• ChatGPT for ideation, outreach drafting, and presentation polish

Q: How can AI improve my LinkedIn presence for board readiness? AI helps optimize your headline, refine your summary with keywords like “board governance” and “strategic oversight,” and suggest content that positions you as board-ready. This boosts visibility with recruiters, nominating committees, and investors.

Q: Is AI safe to use for board search and governance? Yes—when used responsibly. Always fact-check outputs, avoid sharing confidential data, and remember that AI is a partner, not a replacement. Human judgment and executive presence remain at the core of effective governance.

✨ AI is not a shortcut—it’s an amplifier. By integrating these tools into your board search, you can position yourself strategically, identify the right opportunities, and step into boardrooms with confidence and clarity.