How Cbio used Boardway to evaluate their board skills and composition

A conversation with Chair of the Board at Cbio, Else Beth Trautner, on evaluating board skills, improving boardroom dialogue, and making better decisions about board composition.‍

For many chairs, evaluating the board is not the difficult part. The difficult part is creating a transparent, structured and constructive conversation around what the board is good at today, where there may be gaps, and whether the time is right to strengthen the composition.

That was the situation at Cbio — a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to curing cancer patients by making T-cell based immunotherapies available for patients worldwide. As Else Beth Trautner wanted a clearer basis for discussing the board’s skills and composition. Not as a theoretical exercise, but as a practical governance tool that could support better conversations and better decisions.

Using Boardway’s free digital board evaluation tool, Cbio was able to increase transparency about the board’s capabilities and take a more data-driven approach to an important question: 

Do we have the right board composition for both our current stage and the strategic direction we aim to pursue over the coming years — and if not, should we strengthen the board now or at a later stage? 

Creating clarity around board composition

Board composition is often discussed informally. Experience, perspective, and chemistry all matter, but without a structured overview, conversations can easily remain subjective.

At Cbio, the goal was to make the discussion more concrete.

“As part of the annual board review and while looking ahead to the coming years, we wanted to ask: Do we have the right board composition to support the company’s future ambitions — and should additional competencies be added now or later?” — Else Beth Trautner.

By using Boardway, the board could step back and assess its current strengths and composition in a more structured way. The result was not just a better overview, but a stronger foundation for dialogue in the boardroom.

Instead of relying on assumptions, the board had a shared starting point for discussing its capabilities and future needs.

From intuition to a more data-driven discussion

One of the biggest benefits of having a simple, structured board portal is that it helps move the conversation from intuition alone to something more transparent and evidence-based.

For Cbio, that meant the board could discuss questions such as:

• Which competencies are already well covered?
• Where do we see potential gaps or future needs?
• Are those needs urgent, or can they be addressed later?
• Does the current board composition match the company’s stage and priorities?

These are not always easy conversations to have. But with a clear framework, they become easier to approach productively. Rather than forcing a premature recruitment discussion, Boardway’s platform helped the board consider timing more carefully and openly.

“The process confirmed several of the board’s existing strengths, while also opening an honest and forward-looking discussion about the competencies, experiences, and perspectives that may be needed in the years ahead.” — Else Beth Trautner.

A simple tool that improved the quality of conversation

The value of the process was not only in the output. It was also in the quality of the conversation it enabled.

Boardway made it easy to run a digital evaluation without creating unnecessary complexity. That simplicity mattered. It meant the board could focus less on process and more on insight.

For Else Beth Trautner, the tool helped shape a more transparent conversation in the boardroom and created a clearer basis for deciding whether additional board members were needed now or at a later stage. That kind of clarity is valuable for any board, but especially when governance decisions need to be made thoughtfully and at the right time.

“For us, it highlighted many of the board’s known strengths, while also fostering an open-minded and constructive discussion about future competencies and perspectives needed to support the company’s continued development. “ — Else Beth Trautner.

Better governance starts with transparency

When boards have a transparent view of their composition, they are in a better position to make decisions about succession, recruitment, priorities, and future direction. They can identify strengths with confidence and discuss gaps without turning the conversation into guesswork.

That was the strength of the process at Cbio: 

“The process highlighted many of the board’s known strengths and gave rise to open, constructive, and forward-looking discussions about future board competencies and needs.” — Else Beth Trautner.

Deciding whether to recruit now or later

A strong board is not only about identifying missing competencies. It is also about understanding timing.

For Cbio, the evaluation supported a more grounded discussion about whether additional board competencies were needed immediately or whether the current board composition was right for the company’s present stage.

That distinction matters. Recruitment should not be driven by instinct alone. It should be based on a realistic understanding of where the company is, what the board already brings, and what the next phase will require.

A practical step for chairs and owners

For chairs and owners, board evaluation should not have to be complicated to be useful.

Cbio’s experience shows that even a simple digital tool can have a meaningful impact. By creating transparency around board skills and composition, Boardway helped support a more focused boardroom dialogue and a clearer approach to future board development.

Sometimes, the most important outcome is not an immediate change in composition. It is having the confidence to know whether change is needed now, later, or not at all.

That is where better decisions begin.

“Boardway’s solution contributed to a more competence-driven and constructive dialogue, strengthening the quality of the board’s discussions about future direction and board composition.” — Else Beth Trautner.