Chorus and Telecom: Building the Boards

In 2011, Telecom, the largest telecom provider in New Zealand, was being divided into two publicly traded companies. In connection with this split, Sarah Naudé and Matt Stanley worked with the chairman of Telecom New Zealand, Wayne Boyd, to create two new boards of directors for these companies. This teaching note reviews the role and importance of a board of directors, the processes used to select board members and assemble boards, and the steps taken at Telecom to ensure they created two high-performing boards. Teaching Note for HBS Nos. 413-030 and 413-081.