About Us

The Virtual Advisory Board (VAB) is a structured transition ecosystem for senior executives, entrepreneurs and investors building portfolio careers. Founded in 2020 by Mark Hamill and David Fernandez, VAB has grown into a global development and operations community where over 1,300 senior-level leaders across 85 countries and 145 industries design, build and protect their career planning architecture.

VAB is not a networking club. It is intentional transition infrastructure — a structured environment where trust precedes opportunity, and career diversification is treated with the same rigour as capital allocation.

Our Mission

Our mission is to help our members navigate their way through the continuing journey of professional transition to support their aims of developing portfolio careers and achieving structural independence.

Our Vision

To be the world's leading transition ecosystem for senior-level leaders — where trust precedes opportunity, career planning architecture is built with precision, and every member advances with key structural advantages.

Our Values

Talent Diversity & Inclusivity
Top-Quality Advisory Talent & Services
Fun & Collegial Community Environment
Member-driven Programming
Investing in and Supporting People
Curating Success

Our Founders

Mark Hamill

Chairman & Co-Founder

Mark Hamill is a board-level advisor and ecosystem builder. In the past, he served as CEO of Spengler Fox and today is a board member (NED) at Ackermann International.

Mark has extensive experience working with senior executives, founders, and investors across governance boards, advisory boards and in portfolio career structures.

He has a deep understanding of how people actually access board and advisory roles: through credibility, compelling narratives and trusted peer environments — not transactional approaches.

Mark designed VAB on a first-principles conviction: that career planning architecture requires a structured ecosystem, not a transactional one.

David Fernandez

Head of Institutional Relations, Co-Chair & Co-Founder

David Fernandez brings to VAB a background in strategy development, entrepreneurial journey consulting, high-growth global corporate environments, executive advisory- and network-driven growth. He has held senior roles with renowned global brands like Kraft, Groupon and Vend.

David has experience building and scaling professional communities with strict admission standards and high member engagement. His work in VAB focuses on operationalising trust: transforming informal executive networks into structured, easily replicable ecosystems.