In our latest Chair case study, we speak with Mitch Cuevas, an experienced executive and governance leader who brings a personal passion for CEO peer groups to his role as a Chair in New Zealand. Having held multiple CEO and board positions, Mitch understands firsthand the professional and personal value that comes from shared leadership dialogue. Drawn to The CEO Institute for its structured and supportive approach, he now facilitates a collaborative, open, and trusted environment where CEOs can speak candidly, listen deeply, and grow authentically.
Can you share a brief overview of your professional background and what led you to become a Chair for the CEO Syndicate?
I have had several CEO and Governance roles and, in my own career, found enormous value, both professional and personal, in CEO-level peer groups. Having experience in similarly structured, but often more loosely structured, groups like this, I was drawn to the opportunity to be able to facilitate and bring my experience to create and grow similar, but better structured, CEO-peer groups like this.
What motivated you to work with The CEO Institute, and how does the role of Chair align with your personal and professional values?
I liked the structure and support that the CEO Institute were offering in how the Syndicates were run. This appealed to what I believed would add significant value to the peer groups. The focus on open communication and trust are both essential to making the groups effective, but also closely align with my own values in developing fertile grounds for both personal and professional growth.
In your experience, what are the core qualities of a successful business leader, and how do you foster these in your syndicate sessions?
I think that it’s very much a “horses for courses” in terms of key qualities. What things work well for one leader and situation, can be completely different to what works for another leader in a different situation. However, across different situations, from my experience I believe that 2 key things a leader should do are:
1) listen, and actively and intently listen, and
2) lead authentically, be who you are, with your own individual personality & skills, in your leadership. Don’t try to be something/someone you aren’t.
In what ways do you see the CEO Syndicate positively impacting the personal and professional lives of its members?
I strongly believe that the Syndicates provide a “safe space” for CEOs to be able to discuss their highs, lows and key challenges with peers, who understand their situations and therefore contexts, in an accepting and non-judgmental environment. This allow leaders to get perspectives, understand that they are “not alone” and consistently get advice and perspectives on tough leadership situations which allow them to lead be more effective, both commercially & personally.
How do you stay informed on current business trends and issues, and how do you integrate this knowledge into your sessions?
Personally, I’m a bit of a news junkie, so am always staying up to date on current events, trends and key business activities. I think that this just naturally gets integrated as we discuss the challenges of the day, it’s more organic than planned.
How do you balance providing guidance with encouraging CEOs to find their own solutions to business challenges?
I’ve found that, for me, an effective way to provide guidance is to encourage the sharing of experiences, rather than necessarily giving direct advice. If a member presents a tough situation, I encourage other members to draw on their own experiences and relay what they did, and what they learned through that process. The original presenter can then probe with more questions to gain clarity and, hopefully, insight. I try to avoid advice giving sessions (which is challenging since were all generally “type A” – haha) as these can be a bit closed off and don’t provide the learnings that relaying similar experiences do.
What lasting impact do you hope to leave on the CEOs you work with through The CEO Institute?
I like to hope that each of the member CEOs is learning and being both more effective / productive and happier in both their commercial and personal lives. I hope that the CEO Institute experience enriches everyone who participates – I know that I gain an enormous amount from the sessions myself.