(1/2)Master the Mechanics of Governance That Works: To Each Body its Role.
✍️ Co-written by Anne-Sophie Delage, Head of Talent — Sébastien Boucraut, Chief Scaling Officer from Breega & Violette Mercherz, Quality Leader from Ignition Program.
No matter the size, every company requires rock-solid governance to ensure proper oversight and thoughtful decision-making.
From the Board of Directors to key committees, this article breaks down the who, what, and how of governance. What are the different bodies ? What are their respective responsibilities? How a rigorous approach to these bodies, based on the most scientific and human principles possible, can secure the organization’s future trajectory ?
The Different Governance Bodies : Who’s in it ? What’s their role?
1. Board meeting = Board of Directors
Who’s in it ? Main investors, independent board members, and the CEO (not necessarily all founders). The COO and CFO can be permanent invitees (non-members) to present results and progress.
Role:
- Reflect and validate the organization’s strategy and annual budget (and potential reforecast),
- Ensure the organization aligns with its business plan and complies with corporate management rules (Anti-Money Laundering, no investment liability overreach, compliance with shareholder agreements, psycho-social risks…),
- Facilitate the organization’s growth through connections and external growth.
Responsibility is also meant in the legal sense (e.g., a board meeting must be followed by minutes outlining the pre-defined agenda and validated actions. The minutes must be signed by at least two board members, as defined in the bylaws).
Timing: From the beginning
Frequency: Pre-seed & early seed: every 2–3 months
Late Seed/Series A and beyond: quarterly
❌ Don’ts
- Come unprepared
- Send the board pack at the last minute
- Overload the board pack with slides
- Treat this body as a reporting entity (it is a decision-making body, a meeting for sharing and co-building the company)
2. Founders’ meeting
Role: Ensure cohesion and alignment in every aspect among the founders.
Timing: From the beginning
Frequency: Pre-seed & early seed: once a week
Late Seed/Series A: twice a month
Series A and beyond: 4 times a year
❌ Don’ts
- Skip meetings due to lack of time or avoid addressing important topics (sensitive or personal matters, requests for help). It’s by discussing problems and resolving disagreements that your relationships and meetings will become effective. Today’s small issue could turn into a big dispute tomorrow!
3. ExCom = Executive Committee
Who’s in it ? C-level functions of the organization, expanding as the company grows. Initially, it’s mainly the founders, then other C-level roles join (the importance of the role depends on the company’s activity; if marketing’s role is to facilitate other functions, direct presence in the ExCom is not essential).
Around Series B: CEO, COO, CFO, CTPO, CRO/CMO, CHRO
Role: Execute the business plan validated by the board. It’s an information and decision forum for sharing the progress of each division and/or subsidiary. Each member is not solely responsible for their department but carries the organization’s overall OKRs. The group is always stronger than its strongest member.
Timing: Late Seed/Series A (when PMF*, GTM** are validated, and/or the CORE team*** is in place)
Frequency: Once a month
❌ Don’ts
- Promote employees who won’t be able to hold their role in the coming years.
- Forget (or think it’s unnecessary) to set entry and exit rules for the ExCom.
- Fail to set and track OKRs and your North Star metric.
- Invite too many people (the body should be small; otherwise, it turns into a Steering Committee/Operational Committee).
*Product Market Fit
**Go To Market
***Core team responsible for executing the growth plan in the next 3 years.
4. Steering Committee / Operational Committee
Who’s in it ?Department heads within the company, along with C-levels involved in operations (CHRO/HR often present).
Role: Short-term project progress review, coordination, and alignment of weekly actions, addressing operational challenges.
Timing: When you have function heads
Frequency: Weekly. The session must be structured (bullet points or consistent format for all meetings) and time-bound (not exceeding 1.5 hours).
❌ Don’ts :
- Attend without an agenda,
- Lose focus on others’ topics (and if what they brought wasn’t relevant, we discuss improvements at the end of the meeting)
- Leave without clear actions or without an owner and deadlines.
