MEET MICHELLE ARNAU

Board Member Spotlight

We are excited to share that this month's Board Member Spotlight is one of our first placements, Michelle Arnau! Michelle currently serves on the Board of Directors at Fireclay Tile, Arber, and Aunt Fannie’s. In her insightful and engaging interview, Michelle shares some impactful career highlights, offers advice for first time board members, and shares a bit more about herself outside the boardroom. Thank you, Michelle!

What are your top 3 career highlights?

While running North America at method, we built the method Southside Soap Box – the industry’s first leed platinum manufacturing facility in the South Side of Chicago. The facility was not only best in class from a sustainability standpoint but more importantly, it created the first manufacturing jobs in that region in over 30 years and raised the bar on culture, inclusivity and engagement in manufacturing. The Southside Soap Box continues to set the bar across the industry.
I am proud to be one of the first placements within the Women On Boards project! Fireclay Tile stepped up to be part of the change that we needed to see and the WOB team connected me to their CEO. I was blown away by the values of Fireclay and their commitment to making a difference not only in the way that they manufacture and design but also in their approach to board oversight. It has been an amazing experience and I am proud to be part of their organization.
While launching a start-up is one of the hardest things that I have ever done, it has been by far the most rewarding. I co-founded the first clean beauty brand for dogs called Rowan. Unfortunately, covid supply chains and fundraising headwinds kept us from scaling the business, we had a great ride developing game-changing products, building a fantastic team, landing national distribution, and building lots of brand love. Most importantly, my co-founder and I led with values and despite facing major challenges along the way, we never wavered in our commitment to each other and our partnership. In the world of start-ups, that seems to be a rarity.

What inspired you to pursue joining a board?

Cassie Burr (one of the founders of Women On Boards) and I became friends through the industry over the years. When I was leaving method post sale, Cassie asked me if I had ever considered joining a for-profit board. My honest answer was “I did have interest, but I had no idea where to start”. I had never been approached about a board role, despite holding a senior role in a disruptive and successful CPG organization. We partnered from there and I was placed on the Fireclay Tile board several months later.

What unique perspectives do you bring to the boardroom?

Given my experiences at method and my natural empathetic leadership style, I bring a people and culture-first perspective to the boardroom. This has been especially valuable in recent Covid times along with working with values-driven organizations like Fireclay Tile.

What advice would you offer to aspiring board members?

As women, we can have imposter syndrome. Trust that you have earned the seat and that you bring distinct skills to the table. Focus on your strengths as you navigate the best ways to contribute to the board and teams. Make sure the board and leadership of the company know what those are when you are interviewing to make sure you are a good match for the needs of the board/company. Also, reach out to other board members outside of your board for coaching, sharing and advice. Just like with any first-time role, mentorship is super helpful and can help alleviate any of that imposter syndrome.

What book has had the biggest impact on you?

One of the books that has had the biggest impact on my life is What Should I do With My Life by Po Bronson, a San Francisco based author. The book chronicles true life stories of people who have made significant career changes and works to understand the commonalities of how they pushed through the roadblocks and hurdles to make those changes whether financial, fear of resume/career atrophy, ego, etc. I have referred back to this book on several occasions as I make moves to leave corporate roles, to start my own business and even to step into board positions. It’s an oldie but a goodie!

What's your favorite travel destination and why?

Some would say that I have a Hawaii addiction! I travel to Hawaii as much as possible and spend most of my time there underwater (I am a certified Rescue Diver). Scuba diving is my version of meditation but it also satisfies my explorer soul.