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Where Boards Come to Think.
And Connect.

High-performance governance starts with relational trust. Our strategic retreats transform how directors align, decide, and act together.

Your board has limited time.

And, the stakes are high.

  • You need a bold agenda.

  • You want brave, generative discussions.

  • You’re after facilitators who can bring the magic.

    • Who understand board politics, and governance, cold.

    • Who can navigate all the interpersonal dynamics and those tough, strategic issues.

  • You want to leave inspired and better connected to one another—after a memorable experience. With problems finally solved. The big questions asked. Decisions taken. The thinking advanced.

    Sound about right?

    That’s why we created The Board Studio.

Testimonials.

  • “It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business.”

    Laurie Payton

  • “It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business.”

    Jamie Kokot

  • “It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business.”

    Lindsey Beumer

  • “It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business.”

    Keith Finley

Q: What Is The Board Studio?

A: The Board Studio offers creative, productive strategy sessions and retreat experiences for boards.

Strategic Retreat Design: Custom-built to align with your board’s goals, constraints, and context.

Relational Governance Facilitation: Using inquiry, trust-building, and real-time group insights to elevate performance and shared outcomes.

Experiential Learning Approach: No boring slides. No endless stickies. No stuffy theory. Only what matters to relate, question, decide, and action.

Not Just Another Offsite

What Boards Walk Away With

Strategic Clarity

  • A refined and aligned direction.

  • Shared understanding of priorities.

  • A practical, go-forward framework to guide board decision-making.

Relational Insight

  • Deeper interpersonal understanding across directors.

  • Recognition of dynamics and habits.

  • Openness in boardroom dialogue.

Lasting Tools

  • Techniques your board will use.

  • Simple frameworks for tough conversations.

  • Practices that reinforce alignment.

Meet the Team

Between them, Suzanne and Jonathan have guided hundreds of boards. They share a passion for helping directors become more attuned, strengthen strategic decision-making, and build the kind of trust that transforms how boards work together.

  • Board Advisor | Leadership Educator | Question & Inquiry Expert

    Suzanne J. Clark is a board advisor and facilitator who helps boards ask and explore the right questions, enhance their effectiveness, and build a culture that supports generative dialogue. A linguist by training, with expertise in inquiry and group decision-making facilitation, she brings over 15 years of experience in organizational leadership, executive recruitment, and board governance to her work.Suzanne is President of Pursuit Advisory Partners Inc.—a management consultancy that operates at the intersection of leadership, strategy and governance—and serves as Executive Director for The Pemsel Case Foundation and on the Governance Committee of The Ashesi University Foundation. She works with diverse organizations acrossCanada, as well as the Governments of Nunavut, the NorthwestTerritories, and Ontario. She is a part-time faculty member in theSchool of Business at Trent University, where she teaches graduate courses in organizational effectiveness and leadership within theMaster of Management program.

    Previously, Suzanne was a Partner at a leading Canadian executive search firm where she guided more than 45 boards through CEO recruitment processes. She also held senior leadership roles at OxfordUniversity Press Canada. A regular CBC radio guest, speaker, and researcher on human leadership in the age of AI, her approach to governance is practical and engagement-focused, addressing critical boardroom challenges that deepen director and board capacity, engagement, leadership, and effectiveness.

  • Board Governance Educator | Strategic Advisor | Corporate Director

    Jonathan Bennett is an advisor to leaders across North America. A governance expert, he works with corporate boards to strengthen strategic oversight, deepen relational trust, and build boardroom cultures that support adaptive, high-performance leadership. A Chartered Director (C.Dir.) and holder of the First Nations Director designation (FNI.Dir.), he brings a unique blend of practical board experience and immersive training design.

    Jonathan serves on the boards of Accerta Services Inc. (ON), a certified B Corp in public benefit administration where he’s the Chair of the Governance Committee. Jonathan is the Chair the Board of OwlCrate Inc. (BC), a fast scaling consumer brand. He previously served on the board of CashCo Financial (AB) and chaired the Ontario Telemedicine Network. He is also currently Co-Chair of a community health centre governed through a shared Indigenous/non-Indigenous model.

    Jonathan was founder and CEO of Laridae, a consulting firm and B Corp that supported over 200 purpose-driven organizations before he sold the company in 2021. Earlier, he was Chief Communications Officer at a large regional hospital, leading strategy and public affairs in a regulated environment. He teaches governance at the First Nations University of Canada and is Special Graduate Faculty at Trent University. Jonathan’s training approach is experiential and applied—focused on real-time boardroom issues that challenge assumptions, elevate thinking, and build the board’s capacity for long-term value creation.

Your Retreat, Your Way.

  • Format Options: Half-day | Full-day | Multi-day Retreat

  • Location: Onsite, Offsite

  • Event Planning: Work with clients to support their planning, or we offer turn key events at well-known resorts and destinations (curated venue packages).

  • Add-ons: Director psychometrics, post-session board and CEO coaching and advisory, succession planning, governance training.

Design a Session Together

Reach out to Suzanne and Jonathan. Let’s explore what’s possible for your board.

High-Performing Boards Start With Connected Directors. Let’s see if we’re a fit.

  • We primarily work with corporate boards, and advisory boards, but we also serve larger/complex public sector boards. Curious if you’re a fit? Drop us a note, and let’s chat.

  • We begin long before the event. Our work is relational. That means we get to know the Directors, and management team, before the retreat. Our style is participatory, and experiential. Expect the unexpected. We challenge thinking, use unconventional tools, and teach techniques so boards learn how to listen, question, and participate in new ways.

  • We work with Boards to ensure they get exactly what they need, and no more. For some, it’s a turnkey offsite experience that allows participants to get away, rejuvenate, connect, think and feel inspired. While others need to stay closer to home, either at the office, or at a favourite local spot. We match the experience to the needs, and price accordingly.