"Although there continues to be a need for digital disruptors at the board level (think Stacy Brown-Philpot, CEO of TaskRabbit and director at HP and Nordstrom), increasingly we’re seeing and encouraging the appointment of leaders from the fourth category. "
Harvard Business Review July 13 2017
See also "Digital islands isolated in seas of analogue complacency?"
Digital thinker. The director has had little direct interaction with digital as an operator but conceptually understands the digital environment. They have been a board director or adviser in a digital business but are not a digital native. Digital disruptor. The director has been deeply embedded in digital, often with experience from a pure-play company. This type of leader typically has less general management breadth. Digital leader. The director has had substantial experience running a traditional business that leverages digital in a significant way (retail or media, for example). It’s likely that this person has less hands-on digital experience but has managed disruption as a general manager. Digital transformer. The director has led or participated in a transformation of a traditional business. Typically the person does not have the seniority of a digital leader but is more digitally astute.
