Balaji Nagabhushan, DTM

Toastmasters offices held and terms of service (international and regional level):

• 2004-2005 Division Governor, District 79
• 2011-2012 Division Governor, District 20
• 2012-2013 District Conference Chair, District 20
• 2017-2018 Program Quality Director, District 105
• 2018-2019 District Director, District 105
• 2019-2020 Immediate Past District Director, District 105

Toastmasters honors and recognition (international level):

• 2011-2012 President’s Distinguished Division
• 2017-2018 Excellence in Program Quality
• 2018-2019 Smedley Distinguished District

Relevant work experience and how it relates to Toastmasters and your role as a Board Member:

Professionally, a C-Suite Management level Executive responsible for Governance, Compliance and Policy matters, I am a certified Independent Corporate Director representing management in Board committees like the ESG, HR & Remuneration. I also represent my company as a board member of two non-profit organizations contributing to their strategic development. With my vast expertise in Leadership, Governance, Compliance, Policies, Business Strategy, & Brand Building, I can contribute to Toastmasters on a global scale across aspects including visibility, learning & development, strategic growth, thereby contributing to the vision-mission-goals of TMI.

What experience do you have in strategic planning?

Through several leadership and project roles where I was responsible for building a strategic path, aligning teams with collaborative goals and ensuring measurable objectives, I have worked across functions to facilitate strategic planning alongside helping develop long term goals, succession planning, and success KPIs for teams through cascading score cards and 360-degree reviews. I work with global leaders supporting them address challenges, find resolutions and evaluate alternatives to optimize and reach their goals successfully.

What experience do you have in the area of finance?

Having commenced my career in banking, I have a diverse experience in the finance industry for 25+ years. Alongside preparing budgets, managing them within teams and across functions, and ensuring financial decisions are aligned with organizational priorities, I have also worked vastly with financial statements, drafted finance policies and complied with compliance & audit requirements. I also have expertise in fraud investigation and follow financial trends closely, adapting to today’s technologies and enabling financial functions and teams to engage with them, securely. Presently, being part of the management, I am involved in finalizing budgets and ensuring transparency as well as adherence to organizational standards.

What experience do you have in developing policies?

Developing policies has been my forte for the last two decades. Professionally I have and continue to be responsible for policy development in the organizations I am employed in, including company-wide policies related to Governance, Compliance, Code of Ethics, Board and Committee charters, Operational, Financial et cetera,. As a certified Quality Management Assessor, I continue to also advise and assist organizations in developing policies related to leadership, strategy, 360 degree evaluation. As a member of the task force engaging with few government establishments, I have contributed to their policies related to gender neutrality, women empowerment, and more. Within TI as well, I was a member of the Toastmasters DEI policy review committee last year.

What lessons did you learn from previous leadership positions?

Leadership is an opportunity I refuse to miss each time it has been within my reach. It is my biggest learning phase and continues to be. A few important aspects I have learnt along the way through previous leadership positions are:

1. Leadership is about influence, not authority; the most effective results have come each time I focused on motivating and empowering the people within.
2. Listening is more powerful than speaking, and being open to feedback helps me connect better, therefore coming up with effective decisions more relevant to the matter at hand, and long-lasting.
3. Delegation is a strategic skill. It not only distributes the workload but also builds trust, confidence and capability in the team allowing for co-creation and flat leadership within hierarchies.
4. Celebrate at every opportunity while continuing to focus on learnings and growth; Every small win counts to enjoy with the team to keep the energy going.
5. Lead by example as consistency creates credibility; Showing commitment, accountability and integrity inspire the team to move with a leader who ‘walks the talk’.
6. Lastly, Humility and Learning. Be as humble as possible as every individual is unique, has something to learn from and contribute to each other’s lives irrespective of position.

What experience and key strengths would you bring to the Board of Directors?

With over three decades of professional experience of which almost two decades have been in leadership positions, key strengths which I can bring to the Board are:

1. Strategic planning, Design thinking, leadership and credibility
2. Adaptability, Agility & problem-solving
3. End-to-end project management, analyzing objectives and developing structured plans to guide teams
4. Financial & Analytical skills
5. Global connections and experience, allowing for respectful co-creation across the organization
6. Create, deploy and review policies ensuring Compliance & Consistency, thereby assisting the Board in safeguarding organizational reputation.

Why do you want to serve as an International Officer/Director?

Toastmasters International is for the members, but it is also by the members. For the last 100+ years, there have been so many members who have contributed and continue to contribute to its success, and I wish to do the same in supporting and enchancing Toastmasters’ capabilities to continue its vision with more strength for another 100+ successful years, and more.

The mission of Toastmasters is to empower individuals to become more effective communicators and leaders. I am one of them who has benefited from this mission for almost three decades now, and seen how this transformation happens firsthand at various levels. Serving at this next scale provides me with an opportunity along with the other Board members to continue strengthening the programs, build it to today’s relevant pace, allocate resources and support systems, thereby improving member experience and continuing to transform TMI’s benchmark to provide as an organization.

With my background in policy development, compliance & regulations, I can provide adequate support to the Board to further our mission. I wish to be part of these transformational decisions which guide the organization’s values and strengthen its brand reputation.

I am inspired by the impact Toastmasters International has across cultures, professions and communities. It has impacted my life so strongly that the present employment which I hold as a C-Suite executive is because of Toastmasters, as I continued to support employees become better communicators and leaders as a mentor inspired by TI’s vision, thereby consistently scaling up the ladder.

Lastly, during my induction into Toastmasters when I joined in 1998, my mentor had told me that this is one organization where any member can grow up to be a leader, board member or President. True to his words, I am the example who has grown consistently in leadership and would like to continue contributing in this space and capacity.

What volunteer experience do you have outside of Toastmasters?

Outside of Toastmasters, I started volunteering by helping blue-collared employees learn spoken and written English language, realizing that communication is key at any phase in life. As volunteer with an organization named Smart Life, I have assisted in improving their organizational strategy, continued efforts in improved communication and technical skills. Professionally I manage and facilitate corporate social responsibility and ESG wherein we volunteer in community related and environment-benefitting activities regularly. I represent my professional organization as a Board member of two non-profit organizations in the U.A.E and have been a member of task forces with Government entities like the Dubai Chamber, as mentioned prior. I am presently the co-convenor of the logistics focus group of the Indian Business Professional Council in U. A.E. and I look forward to continuing to contribute across spaces.

Have you worked with other Boards of Directors outside of Toastmasters? If so, describe your experience.

As mentioned prior, I am a Board member of two non-profit organizations in the U.A.E representing my company and have the experience of working with Board members across different cultures. I have also been the secretary to the Board of Directors in my previous organization. I am a Certified Corporate Independent Director through the Institute of Directors, India. My experience as a board member has been very positive. There is a lot to learn about various aspects and from people who have varied experience. As a Board Member, I have understood that the role changes in line with organizational needs, with one organization requiring focus on certain aspects while another on other aspects. Bridging gaps, allowing for all members to collectively contribute, mediating shared value creation, and learning from various experiences of each of us, is what I believe will continue to guide and support me as a Board Member in any organization that I contribute in, including Toastmasters.

In your opinion, what are Toastmasters International’s major objectives and how would you work to achieve them?

In my opinion, the major objectives are:

1. Strengthen member experience by delivering high-quality educational experience.
2. Sustainable club growth through retention, onboarding and mentorship.
3. Keep Toastmasters relevant in the changing world through technology, innovation, co-creation, to collaboratively cater to diverse member expectations.
4. Maintain operational and financial stability – strong financial governance, driving member value and impact.
5. Uphold Mission, Vision, Values – promote ethical leadership and diversity at all levels.

As a Board member, I would work to achieve these goals as a team with the other members of the Board through responsible governance, collaboration, strategic leadership & fulfilling my fiduciary responsibilities. I would also be open to consistent growth and learning within my role, listening to each member, adapting what matters in line with the values for continued success of the organization.

Additional information about candidate:

Learning in my life has been a continuous process and will continue to be. Improvement at every stage is what I look at and this is evident by the various educational certifications I’ve strived to achieve. Alongside this, of course, various intangible references continue to shape my learning journey as well.

On the personal front, I practice active listening and believe in the power of how we react to situations that we possibly cannot control, and therein lies our true strength.