External perspective for boards and CEOs when the stakes are high
Boards and CEOs rarely lack information. More often, they lack signal, shared context, and a practical way to turn strategic discussion into a small set of decisions that actually move the company.
Clarivia’s board advisory services bring a calm, operator-grade external perspective to the boardroom. The goal is straightforward: improve decision clarity, strengthen oversight without micromanaging, and reinforce an execution rhythm that management can sustain.
If this is working well, board meetings become more decision-oriented, tradeoffs are made explicitly, and both the board and management leave the room aligned on what matters next.
What board advisory is, and what it is not
Board advisory is a structured, independent thought partnership for boards and CEOs. It helps clarify tradeoffs, improve how decisions are framed, and strengthen the operating signals that connect board intent to management execution. It is not shadow management. It is not a replacement for directors’ fiduciary responsibilities. It is not an “enterprise playbook” dropped onto a mid-market reality. This boundary matters because the best board relationships are built on trust, role clarity, and a shared standard for what good governance looks like in practice.
Where Clarivia helps boards and CEOs most
A strategy that can survive contact with reality
Boards often discuss strategy at the right altitude, but the company still struggles to execute. Clarivia helps close that gap by turning ambition into a small number of explicit choices, with clear sequencing. That includes defining what the company will do, what it will not do, and how those choices show up in the next 90 days, not just the next 12 months.
Better questions in the boardroom, with less noise
Many boards unintentionally spend meeting time on updates and reassurance rather than decisions. Clarivia helps improve the signal-to-noise ratio by reframing discussions around a decision set, clarifying what must be governed versus what should be delegated, and sharpening the questions that reveal true risk, not just progress.
Operating cadence, KPIs, and accountability design
Even strong strategies fail when the operating cadence is weak. Clarivia helps boards and CEOs design a lightweight rhythm that makes performance visible early and reduces surprises. This typically includes simplifying KPI dashboards, agreeing on leading indicators, defining thresholds that trigger escalation, and creating an action register that drives follow-through without turning board oversight into day-to-day management.
Growth-stage complexity: product, go-to-market, and global execution
Boards often need one coherent narrative across product, revenue, delivery, and operations, especially when the organization is scaling across geographies or adjusting its go-to-market motion. Clarivia supports that integration so discussions stay connected to outcomes and capacity, not disconnected functional debates.
How engagements typically work
The board advisory is designed to be lightweight and high-leverage. Most engagements follow a repeatable loop.
First, we align with the CEO and board leadership on the decision set that matters most for the next 60 to 90 days. Then we surface the real constraints, including capacity, execution risk, product maturity, sales motion, retention dynamics, and cash realities, so decisions are grounded.
Next, we translate those decisions into operating signals. This is where dashboards get simplified, leading indicators are clarified, and escalation thresholds are agreed upon. Finally, we reinforce cadence and follow-through with decision-oriented agendas, clearer pre-reads, and a practical action register that closes the loop between meetings.
This approach consistently reduces circular conversations and increases the board’s ability to govern with clarity while preserving management’s autonomy.
What you can expect
When board advisory is working well, you can usually see the change quickly. Board meetings become shorter and more decision-dense. Pre-reads become clearer and more actionable. The CEO experiences less “board drag” and more constructive challenge. Risks surface earlier, and the company course-corrects faster because the board and management share the same signals and thresholds.
Why Gérard Métrailler
Gérard is an operator with deep experience across software and SaaS businesses, with broad responsibility spanning product, go-to-market, operations, and execution systems. His board advisory style is practical and calm: define the decision, clarify tradeoffs, align on signals, and support follow-through.
He also brings governance experience from highly regulated contexts and crisis environments. He has served on boards in regulated industries such as aviation, where risk posture, compliance expectations, and operational discipline are non-negotiable. He has also served during crisis periods, including board service in a K–12 school context during COVID, when governance required speed, clarity, and steadiness under pressure.
This combination matters when boards need an external perspective that respects governance boundaries while raising decision quality and execution reliability.
Who this is for
Clarivia board advisory services are a strong fit when the board and CEO want to improve decision clarity without adding process overhead. It is particularly useful when the company is navigating a pivot, scaling complexity, margin pressure, AI adoption decisions, go-to-market changes, or heightened stakeholder scrutiny.
It is also a strong fit when a board wants to strengthen oversight to improve management effectiveness, rather than create additional friction.
Clarivia’s board advisory services help boards and CEOs improve decision clarity, alignment, and execution cadence, without stepping into management’s role. The work is structured, lightweight, and focused on observable outcomes like better meetings, sharper signals, and faster follow-through. Gérard brings an operator’s perspective and board-level experience in both regulated environments and crisis periods.
Thank you, message received.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What does a board advisor actually do?
A board advisor helps the board and CEO frame decisions, clarify tradeoffs, strengthen operating signals, and reinforce a cadence that improves follow-through. The advisor’s role is to improve governance effectiveness and execution reliability, not to manage the business.
How do you avoid stepping on management’s role?
By explicitly defining boundaries. Clarivia focuses on decision framing, governance clarity, operating signals, and cadence. Day-to-day execution remains with the CEO and leadership team.
Do you work with the CEO, the chair, or the whole board?
Typically all three, with a pragmatic split. We align with the CEO and chair on priorities and decision design, then support the board environment to make meetings more decision-oriented and aligned.
How long are engagements?
Engagements are flexible and typically follow one of three patterns.
Some clients start with a 30 to 60 day clarity sprint to reset decision framing, tighten the KPI signal, and establish a sustainable operating cadence. This is useful when the board wants fast alignment on priorities and a practical rhythm that management can execute.
Others prefer an ongoing advisory cadence aligned to board cycles, typically quarterly, with lightweight touchpoints between meetings. This works well when the company is navigating sustained complexity, such as scaling, a go-to-market change, margin pressure, AI adoption decisions, or heightened stakeholder scrutiny.
In certain situations, the relationship can evolve into a more permanent external board role, for example as an independent director or in another formal board capacity, where the fit is strong and governance needs justify it. In that case, the scope, expected time commitment, and boundaries are defined explicitly with the chair and CEO to ensure clarity, avoid overlap with management, and maintain healthy board dynamics.
Do you join board meetings?
When helpful. In some cases, the highest leverage is in shaping pre-reads and agendas and coaching decision framing ahead of meetings. In others, attending meetings supports better governance dynamics in real time.