This year's cohort of leaders at the Shared Services and GBS Select, 14th–15th September 2026, gathered at the Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina hotel to brainstorm the shared challenges and opportunities on the horizon. Conversations ranged from how to effectively deploy and scale automation, how roles are evolving in their organizations, the high velocity of change, and the evolution and obsolescence of different technologies.
This year's participants enjoyed a particularly spirited Challenge Round, Securing the Boardroom Seat: Mastering the Language of Influence, facilitated by Margot Guy, Vice President, Business Services and Support at AngloGold Ashanti North America. The collaborative session explored how shared services and global business services (GBS) leaders can speak up and be heard in conversations with the C-suite – and more importantly, how to influence decisions.
While the full discussion would warrant more than a single article, for those who weren't in the room, here are our top three takeaways on how to get GBS into board-level conversations.
Takeaway 1: Everybody Love Good News
This week's first Challenge Round introduced an all-too-common story: though some C-level executives have no direct experience of shared services or GBS, they may still have bad impressions. While this could be from horror stories from colleagues or peers and not direct experience, these stories stick.
Articulating SSO and GBS wins with clarity and evidenced impact helps chip away at these perceptions. If you can deliver a successful case study of a GBS win – challenge, solution and (most importantly) results – you can begin to change hearts and minds.
Referring to hard-dollar metrics or other outcome-based data makes all the difference here. As one participant said, "The only way to get traction with the board is to show economic value… They'll be asking, 'Is the juice worth the squeeze?'"
Takeaway 2: It Doesn't Have to Be You
It's understandable that GBS leaders want to be the person to make the case for GBS investment or scope expansion. They are experts in the domain expertise, project-level insights, and organizational experience that inform the case they want to make. However, to assume they're the only people who can deliver the message overlooks the power of their network.
If there is an advocate for shared services or GBS who already has close access to the board, this individual could be a better candidate for communicating wins and ideas to the board. Having a sponsor or cheerleader for the work you're doing can be even more impactful than shouting out the successes yourself. As another participant remarked, "Sometimes the seat at the board doesn't necessarily need you sitting in it".
Takeaway 3: Reframe Problems as Opportunities
C-Suite conversations often focus on risk and cost. Framing GBS initiatives in those same terms – rather than around process improvement or numberless efficiency – gives leaders a more direct route into board priorities.
Instead of presenting automation as an operational fix for an inefficient, problematic process, GBS leaders can position it as a solution to directly reduce the costs of operations or add value by freeing up staff for strategic, revenue-generating work.
It's Not Just What You Say – It's How You Say It
Making an impact with the board is as much about learning to speak the language as it is about carefully preparing a business case. This could be finding the story that has the highest potential to resonate, finding the right person who already speaks the dialect to tell it, or translating ideas into numerical value.
If you're interested in being part of conversations like these at future SSON conferences, be sure to browse our upcoming events – we'll see you there.
