ABOUT BOARDIO
7000+ advisors from 100+ countries! Boardio provides companies with the skills and expertise they need to expand internationally.
We've successfully completed hundreds of advisor and board member searches for various companies. See some examples here.
Always free advisor search for companies, start from here.
OUR MISSION
TO PROVIDE COMPANIES WITH SKILLS AND EXPERTISE NEEDED TO EXPAND
Our mission is to be the leading global service for growth companies, providing them with the skills and expertise they need to expand internationally. We do this by connecting them with advisors or board members who have the right experience, networks, and interest in their businesses.
OUR VALUES
OPENNESS - HONESTY - TRUST - EQUALITY
Although Boardio is a global service, we rely on some of the good characteristics of the Nordics - we are originally from Finland - as we believe that these make a good foundation for a successful business in any country.
OPENNESS
We believe in fostering a culture of transparency and openness, where ideas, feedback, and concerns are freely exchanged. Embracing openness allows us to collaborate effectively, promote innovation, and make Boardio a better service for companies and advisors.
HONESTY
If you lose your wallet, better lose it in Finland while there the likelihood of getting it back untouched is the highest in the world.
Honesty is at the core of everything we do. We value truthfulness and integrity in all our interactions. We are not looking for quick wins but are in this for a long term and think that honesty is the foundation for a long term success.
TRUST
We trust in people.
Trust is the foundation of our relationships, both within our organization and with our stakeholders. We work diligently to earn and maintain the trust of advisors and companies. By being reliable, consistent, and accountable, we create an environment where trust thrives.
EQUALITY
Equality is the core of Boardio service. Our selection process is solely based on expertise, qualifications, and experience aiming to provide companies with the most suitable advisors independent of gender, race, religion or any other factor.
HOW IT STARTED
Back in 2009 our founder, Tuomo, while working at Nokia, got this idea to share his expertise and help growth oriented companies in mobile domain. At that time there wasn't services available to help companies find advisors so after some talks with his Nokia collegues, Tuomo decided to leave Nokia and start building one. As you can see from this email that Tuomo sent to his Nokia collegues right before leaving, the initial idea was quite close to what Boardio is today:
"Dear friend,
i'm leaving Nokia in few weeks to set up a new internet service.
In this new service (called Abonnet = Advisory Board on Net) small and medium sized companies can get a group of people to act as advisors to help in new market entry, finding new partners, providing information on competitors etc. - basically to help in any operative or strategic issue company may have.
Abonnet offers a place for companies and advisors to find each other but also a place to run the advisory work i.e. secure online environment to have discussion among the group, share documents and have VOIP/video meetings. Use of internet enables wider use of advisors in a more cost effective way than today. And being an advisor is not limited to board professionals but anyone with valuable expertise and desire to share it could act as advisor."
In 2013 we noticed that the biggest value add we can provide is to help companies find skilled individuals. This lead us to remove features like video meetings and document sharing but also to change our name to BOARDIO.
In 2020 we introduced Company Turnkey service which is the backbone of our offering today. We find suitable advisors for the company and only charge if company starts to work with one we have found.
In 2022 we started to make Boardio a global service by hiring local Country Managers to run Boardio business in their regions - see our current Country Managers below. Global platform with local service is something that works well.
Today in 2023 we are stronger than ever. With 7000 advisors around the globe, hundreds of successfull search assigments and a network of ~20 Country Managers we are a unique source of skills, experience and networks for any growth oriented company. The vision that Tuomo had in 2009 - use internet to share expertise with growth companies - has finally become reality.
MEET THE TEAM
Tuomo Virkkunen
Founder and CEO
The CEO and founder of Boardio, Tuomo has over 20 years of experience in online services, notably at Nordea and Nokia and within the startup community with Boardio. Boardio was founded after Tuomo wanted to start sharing his expertise to growth companies but could not find any services to connect advisors with companies.
Tuomo leads the Boardio global expansion, feature development as well as manages sales & service delivery in Finland.
Andrew Spratley
CTO
Andrew joined Boardio and took on the CTO role to provide consistency to the development process and guide it through it's next stage of development. Andrew brings over 10 years of experience with start-ups and small companies, helping them deliver bespoke platforms and solutions. He enjoys the vibrancy of new companies and working to create something new.
Andrew leads the code and infrastructure development at Boardio.
Ashwin Sivakumar
Business Partner India
Ashwin with his company JugularSocial is the business partner for Boardio in India. Ashwin has helped many incumbents and startups tap into new digital business models and positioning opportunities. He has made strategic contributions to leading enterprises in areas like Healthtech, SAAS, enterprise software and e-commerce who have successfully prototyped, launched, and expanded their digital businesses under his guidance.
Per Landquist
Country Manager Sweden
Per has joined Boardio as Country Manager for Sweden. Per has over 17 years of experience as Managing director for Sweden and Finland, within a leading international company, working in the loyalty and value-added services space. Per has also led and being part of management in two startups and spend over 20 years within the Banking and Credit Card business in Sweden. Per´s expertise includes strategic sales, business development and to creating successful partnerships between companies.
Daniel Alonso
Country Manager Spain
With more than 15 years experience as a CEO in different companies and sectors, Daniel is our Business partner for the Spanish market. With a wide experience in international markets, Daniel is an engineer and MBA with a strong background in Corporate Strategy and in Business Development, playing important roles in areas like Innovation, Management or Sales throughout his career in industrial and maritime sectors.
Gaby van Otterdijk
Country Manager Netherlands
Gaby is the Boardio country manager for The Netherlands. Gaby is a business leader with more than 25 years of international experience. As a Strategic Consultant, Advisor and Leader in Capgemini and in Gartner, Gaby worked for hundreds of corporations in Europe and the Middle east. In 2021 Gaby started his own company, where he is now advising and coaching CEOs and Business Owners of Startups, Scaleups and SMBs and has a strong network of business leaders, investors and advisors in The Netherlands.
Allan Boes
Country Manager UK, Ireland and Denmark
Allan is the Boardio country manager for UK, Ireland and Denmark. His career spans 25 years in the transport and logistics sector, where he has excelled in roles that revolve around sales and operations. Over the past five years, Allan has been a partner in the establishment and growth of a specialized recruitment firm dedicated to the transport industry. Allan has also actively participated in various startup ventures. His core competencies lie within effective communication and the successful attainment of goals, particularly in challenging, deadline-driven environments.
Ola ElKobrosy
Country Manager Egypt
Ola is the Boardio country manager for Egypt. She is a seasoned Business Advisor, with over two decades of experience in both the public and private sectors across Europe and the MENA region. She possessed an Executive MBA and substantial expertise in facilitating investments, expanding markets, overseeing all support functions, and restructuring organizations. She advises numerous global scale-ups and serves on the boards of venture capital firms.
Gregor Aschoff
Country Manager Australia
Gregor joined Boardio as the country manager for Australia. Over the course of 19 years, he has held executive and company director roles, gaining extensive global experience in transforming and enhancing technical businesses in both B2B and B2C contexts. Throughout his career, he has been involved in various system implementations and upgrades across diverse sectors as well as has actively participated in marketing and sales initiatives for heavy industrial equipment.
Gregor provides guidance to start-up, scale-up, and mature companies regarding market entry, growth, and ESG-related issues.
Wladislaw Grasza
Community Lead - Poland
Wladyslaw is a seasoned manager with practical business experience in CEE encompassing business development and team management in several industries: medical and healthcare, cross-border trade and advisory, fairs & expo, aviation, manufacturing industry, food processing & agriculture, financial services & IT, logistics, automotive, education & training, retail, municipal services, real estate, etc.).
With over 30 years of business practice and positions in management & supervisory boards, he has developed a wide network of contacts and a deep sense of a competitive business landscape in Poland.
Giancarlo La Pietra
Project Manager Italy (North)
Passionate about innovation, technology transfer and startup creation, Giancarlo is driven by the desire to empower individuals and organizations to develop valuable skills for their future endeavors. With over two decades of experience in the university setting as Manager and Design Thinking Trainer, he holds an MSc in Law and an MBA, further complemented by a Certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitator designation. A regular startup mentor and coach at various European events and a Project Reviewer for EU institutions, Giancarlo thrives in dynamic and diverse environments, bringing a unique blend of academic expertise and practical experience to both public and private sector engagements, supporting Boardio development in Italy.
Jan De Clippeleer
Country Manager Belgium
Jan joined Boardio as the country manager for Belgium. He is a senior intrapreneur and serial entrepreneur with a background in Business Development, R&D, Services and Operations in high-tech industries and IT, focusing on Knowledge, Innovation and Change Management. Jan worked 32 years in various industries and 5 years as Executive Director in innovation consulting. Re-using his experience as a founder himself, Jan is also Member of the Advisory Board in several startups and scale-ups. Jan is passionate about 'Open Innovation', bringing corporates and SMEs, startups and scale-ups, Academia and Public Services together to create greater value.
Helge Andreas Notland
Country Manager Norway
Helge Andreas is the Country Manager of Norway. With more than 20 years of senior executive experience in both the public and private sector including Health-care, Research, Education, Advisory, HR, Media, Design, Digitalization and Marketing, he manages a broad range of areas. He has a Master in ICT and Learning and has also studied Executive Master of Management and Digital Transformation. Certified with a Black Belt in Lean he has a strong focus on continuous improvement and building relationships between companies and across the borders.
Georg Wolf
Country Manager Germany (South)
Georg is a seasoned sales and marketing executive, innovator, and disruptor with over 25 years of corporate experience at international companies such as Amazon, Apple, Siemens, LEGO, and ProSiebenSat.1.
Throughout his career, he has consistently focused on innovation, data-driven decision-making, customer-centricity, and long-term thinking. With over 20 years of people management experience, having conducted hundreds of interviews and overseen dozens of hirings, he is fluent in all aspects of recruiting and staffing.
Francisco Matos
Country Manager Portugal
Francisco is Boardio Country Manager for Portugal. Throughout his professional career, he has worked in Consulting, Retail and Healthcare industry focusing on Business Development, Corporate Strategy, Business Analysis and KPI development to support decision making. Francisco has also been involved in Portuguese startup ecosystem and university incubators. He strongly believes that Boardio can not only solve a need of a wide range of companies but also foster a new trend in job market.
Alessandro Ortolani
Country Manager Italy (South)
Alessandro is the Boardio Country Manager for Italy. Alessandro has acquired extensive international exposure in the Consumer Goods and Healthcare industry with 25+ years of operating experience in senior corporate roles, leading business growth at various organizational stages. He is a behavioral enhancement entrepreneur and team coach for organizations on their transformation journey. He is also a Business Innovation Coach for the European Commission.
His main areas of expertise are Strategy, Sales and Marketing, Business Model Assessment and Innovation, Organizational Behavior and Change, Innovation and capabilities Transformation, and Global Expansion.
Deepak Peschard
Country Manager Switzerland
Deepak is the Boardio country manager for Switzerland. Deepak is bringing a wealth of 18 years of international experience from HSBC Bank where he held various senior leadership positions across Europe, Middle East and Asia. He has a strong network of business leaders, investors and advisors in Switzerland/Europe, mostly gained from his recent exposure as Co-Founder of Taktime SA, a Swiss based FoodTech startup. Deepak is also very connected to the startups/small businesses ecosystem (including trade offices and incubators).
Fabien Tavernier
Country Manager France (North)
Based in Paris, Fabien is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience, having been involved in numerous startups and SMEs as a founder, manager, or associate partner in the IT and digital markets. Beyond his experience in consulting services, primarily for Energy/Utilities, Industry, Healthcare, and pure player markets, the last decade has seen him expand his professional network by collaborating with ventures and corporates to facilitate fundraising for more than 30 startups and companies in France and Europe.
Joining the Boardio network to develop the French market is now the logical step to enhance the provided services.
Sasho Tripunovski
Business partner for Adriatic region, North Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria
Sasho is our business partner for Adriatic region, North Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria. With more than 20 years of executive experience in both corporate and PE, including FMCG, automotive, chemicals, renewable, clinical centers, civil explosives in mining industry, and training, he specialized with his consulting company in working with companies that face challenges on drive mindset, adapting to change and growth. Sasho is member of global networking organizations and PEs, building relationships between individuals and companies for long and prosperous relationship.
Gaurav Bansal
Country Manager Canada
Gaurav is a Tech Investor & Advisor (100+ startup investments globally) with experience in venture capital & global growth accelerator program (35+ investments in 10 countries) and investment banking (IPO/Private Equity deals worth ~US$2Bn)
Gaurav plays multiple roles in the global tech ecosystem. He is an active Advisor/Mentor/Expert in Residence at accelerators/incubators (across North America, Europe, and SEA) coaching CEOs as a Board Advisor on investment readiness to raise capital from VCs/Angel investors and assisting CEOs on global business expansion.
Yuri Kruman
Country Manager US
Yuri is the CEO of HR, Talent & Systems Consulting, an award-winning HR consultancy and PE/VC advisory. Yuri is also a member of Fast Company Executive Board, Newsweek Expert Forum and Forbes Coaches Council. He is likewise a contributor to Fast Company, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Newsweek, among others. He has consulted and spoken at numerous Fortune 500 and Inc. 5000 companies, VC-backed startups and top universities, including EY, Google, Medtronic, Columbia and UPenn.
In addition, Yuri is the best-selling author of "What Millennials Really Want From Work and Life" and "Be Your Own Commander-in-Chief".
Ali Usman
Country Manager Pakistan
With over 20 years of diverse industry experience, including leadership roles at PepsiCo., Baker Tilly International and Pitch-House, Ali brings expertise in FMCG, e-Commerce, FinTech, A.I, SAAS, edTech, HealthTech, and Real Estate. As a 7-time founder with 3 successful exits, including TripDeal, Fund A.I, and WeCommerce Global, Ali has also mentored startups like UberEats and Delivery Hero, while facilitating over $240 million in fundraising and M&A deals. With a focus on financial coaching and entrepreneurship, Ali is committed to driving innovation and growth for businesses worldwide.
YOU?
Your country
We are expanding Boardio into many new countries and seek several highly motivated and independent Country Managers/Lead/Directors to drive our business in their regions. Please see details here.
Our Offices
Finland
Abonnet Oy
Maapallonkuja 2 B 46
02210 Espoo
info(at)boardio.com
Adriatic region
Best Solutions Ltd
sasho(at)boardio.com
Australia
Cumas International Pty Ltd
gregor(at)boardio.com
Belgium
ATHENA CONSULT
jan(at)boardio.com
Canada
AMG Xchange Inc.
gaurav(at)boardio.com
Denmark
Boes
allan(at)boardio.com
Egypt
ola(at)boardio.com
France (North)
Army Of Frogs
fabien(at)boardio.com
Germany (South)
georg(at)boardio.com
India/APAC
Jugular Social Media Pvt Ltd
ashwin(at)boardio.com
Ireland
Boes
allan(at)boardio.com
Italy (North)
giancarlo(at)boardio.com
Italy (South)
Mutatio
alessandro(at) boardio.com
Netherlands
Van Otterdijk Advisory
gaby(at)boardio.com
Norway
NOTLAND CONSULTING
helge(at)boardio.com
Pakistan
WeCommerce.Pk
ali(at)boardio.com
Poland
Consulting Wladyslaw Grasza
wladislaw(at)boardio.com
Portugal
Circulo Transparente, Lda
francisco(at)boardio.com
Spain
NAVALCO Solutions, s.l.
daniel(at)boardio.com
Sweden
PLQ Consulting AB
per(at)boardio.com
Switzerland
Digeto
deepak(at)boardio.com
United Kingdom
Boes
allan(at)boardio.com
United States
DGTeca LLC
yuri(at)boardio.com