--- title: "The Board Seat — Family Group Advisory" url: https://mkelango.com/coaching/board-seat/ description: "The Board Seat is quarterly board advisory for family groups and scaling companies: 8–10 groups, ₹25L–₹55L a year, four meetings plus a coherence re-score." site: mkelango.com author: M. K. Elango updated: 2026-08-26 evidence_standard: "Every figure carries a grade [A] verified / [B] claimed / [C] estimate and an as-at date. See https://mkelango.com/evidence/" --- Governance, not operations # The Board Seat Quarterly advisory to a family group’s board or a founder’s leadership team. Portfolio governance, deliberately not operations. Availability 8–10 groups 10 seats · **3 open for 2027** Scarcity is the product. The number is printed because it is true. - **Term:** 12 months, renewable - **Register:** Annual retainer - **Band:** ₹25L – ₹55L per year - **Volume:** 8–10 groups Four meetings plus the annual coherence re-score. Travel at cost. Bands as at 26 August 2026. In short Updated 2026-08-26 The Board Seat is quarterly advisory to a family group's board or a founder's leadership team, held at governance level rather than operations. It runs to 8–10 groups at ₹25L to ₹55L a year: four board meetings attended in person, the annual coherence re-score, the constitution review, and availability to the chair. Who it is for For a family group or a scaling company that needs the portfolio question held at board level by someone from outside the family and outside the cap table. Who it is not for This is not an operating role and I will not take one. If what the group needs is someone to run something, that is a hire, not an advisor. What it actually is ## No curriculum. That is the definition of the tier. Four board meetings a year, plus the annual coherence re-score, plus availability to the chair between meetings. The reason this tier exists separately from the Founder's Table is that the questions are different. One-to-one work is about what you are building. Board work is about whether the structure will survive the people currently in it — succession, subordination, the constitution, and what happens when the third generation wants to renegotiate the objective. I hold no equity in client groups and take no transaction fees. That is not a moral position; it is a structural one. The moment I am paid on a transaction, my opinion on whether the group should do the transaction is worth nothing. The shape **Four board meetings** — Attended in person, papers read in advance, one written position circulated before each. **The annual coherence re-score** — The same instrument, same weightings, year on year. Movement is the point. **Availability to the chair** — Between meetings, on the structural questions. Not on operations. **The constitution review** — Once a year: does the governing document still say what the family means? Apply ## Four things, honestly stated. There is no application fee and no discovery call script. These four answers tell me whether this is the right tier — and if it is not, I will say which one is, including when the answer is “none of them yet”. 01 The group structure, including the entities nobody lists on the website. 02 Who sits on the board today and what each seat represents. 03 The succession position, honestly stated. 04 Whether the objective is agreed or contested inside the family. Seats 10 seats · **3 open for 2027** When a tier is full, this page says full. There is no hidden capacity that appears for the right number. Structural positions No equity in client groups. No transaction fees. No operating roles. One client per category and geography, written into the agreement. [Why](https://mkelango.com/coaching/) FAQ ## Questions about The Board Seat Answered plainly, with the real figures. If something here is wrong, [tell us and it goes in the log](https://mkelango.com/evidence/). ### What does The Board Seat cost? ₹25L to ₹55L per year on an annual retainer, covering four board meetings plus the annual coherence re-score, with travel charged at cost. The term is twelve months, renewable, and the tier runs to 8–10 groups in total. Bands as at 26 August 2026. ### How is The Board Seat different from The Founder's Table? The questions differ. One-to-one work at the Founder's Table is about what the client is building. Board work is about whether the structure survives the people currently in it — succession, subordination, the constitution, and what happens when the third generation wants to renegotiate the objective. The Board Seat is governance, deliberately not operations. ### Will Elango take an operating role or hold equity in the group? No. This is not an operating role and he will not take one; if what the group needs is someone to run something, that is a hire, not an advisor. He holds no equity in client groups and takes no transaction fees, because being paid on a transaction makes an opinion on that transaction worth nothing. ### How many groups does the tier hold, and are places open? 8–10 groups. As at 26 August 2026, three places are open for 2027. The seat count is printed because it is true, and when the tier is full the page says full rather than releasing hidden capacity. The waiting list is honest about its length. ### What information is needed to apply? Four things: the group structure, including the entities nobody lists on the website; who sits on the board today and what each seat represents; the succession position, honestly stated; and whether the objective is agreed or contested inside the family. Every application is read and answered, including the declines. The other tiers ## A different shape of access. [All three tiers](https://mkelango.com/coaching/) One to one The Founder's Table One-to-one with Elango. Monthly session, quarterly on-site, a direct line in between. Their agenda, not mine. Six clients. Ever. [The Founder's Table](https://mkelango.com/coaching/founders-table/) Licensed delivery Certified Practitioners Trained practitioners deliver AQ, Flywheel and CCi work under licence. I review the output. I do not deliver it. Open cohort [Certified Practitioners](https://mkelango.com/coaching/practitioners/)