In this episode, I sit down with Yvonne Wassenaar, a seasoned Silicon Valley C-level executive and board member with experience across public, private equity-backed, and venture-backed companies. She currently serves on the boards of Forrester, Rubrik, Arista Networks, JFrog, Alation, Braze, and InfoBlox. She also serves on the boards of Harvey Mudd College and UCLA Anderson's Easton Technology Management Center. Our conversation dives into her executive career and board journey, explores the dynamics of different types of boards, and tackles the pressing 'stay private vs. go public' debate. We also dive into the AI boom, cybersecurity in an increasingly digital world, the impact of geopolitics, and the evolving landscape of ESG. If you like this show, please consider subscribing, leaving a review, or sharing this podcast on social media. You can also contribute as a Patron on the link patreon.com/BoardroomGovernancePod or you can subscribe to the Boardroom Governance Newsletter at evanepstein.substack.com This podcast is sponsored by the American College of Governance Counsel.
(0:00) Intro.
(1:03) About the podcast sponsor: The American College of Governance Counsel.
(1:50) Start of interview. *Reference to E137 with Coco Brown (CEO of Athena Alliance).
(2:47) Yvonne's origin story.
(5:49) Her executive career starting with Accenture, and later with VMware, New Relic, and CEO of Airware and Puppet.
(9:03) On her board journey. Distinctions between private and public company service. Plus non-profits.
(17:43) Explaining board composition and dynamics in VC-backed companies.
(23:23) Explaining board composition and dynamics in PE-backed companies. "It's much more straightforward, structured, and contained."
(27:39) On the 'Stay Private vs Go Public' debate and other considerations on private markets.
(34:29) On the AI boom and how to think about it from a board's perspective: "how do you experiment and lean in without committing?"
(39:06) On the increasing relevance of cybersecurity in the age of digitization. "Cyber attacks are like earthquakes in California. They're going to happen."
(42:33) On geopolitics and the boardroom. "How you think about it really depends on what type of company you're in, how big it is, and what you're trying to achieve."
(45:40) How to think about the ESG landscape.
(49:56) Podcasts that she regularly listens to:
(52:03) Her mentors and sponsors.
(54:44) Quotes that she thinks of often or lives her life by: "Be the change you want to see in the world" by Mahatma Gandhi,
(55:15) An unusual habit or absurd thing that she loves: misting plants.
(56:35) The living person she most admires: MacKenzie Scott.
Yvonne Wassenaar is a seasoned Silicon Valley C-level executive and board member with experience across public, private equity-backed, and venture-backed companies. She currently serves on the boards of Forrester, Rubrik, Arista Networks, JFrog, Alation, Braze, and InfoBlox. She also serves on the boards of Harvey Mudd College and UCLA Anderson's Easton Technology Management Center.