Debi Boffa: Diversity feeds innovation

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, expat Kiwi Debi Boffa MInstD has managed to keep both feet firmly on the ground while juggling a high-profile international executive position at integrated energy giant BP.

Boffa has successfully carved out a career over two decades working across different parts of the business, including engineering, retail, sales, marketing and operations. She also led BP’s New Zealand convenience retail and downstream fuel business as managing director and head of country.

But the call of international opportunities led her to her current role as CEO of TravelCenters of America (TA), part of the BP business which serves the trucking industry and has grown to over 300 locations in the US.

“It is exciting leading the more than 50-year-old company into its next chapter as part of the BP portfolio. I’m focused on leading TA through the changing mobility landscape, growing the brand and enhancing the guest experience, while renewing the company’s focus on safety,” says Boffa.

In 2012, Boffa gained a foothold in corporate governance, including taking on roles as director/chair of various BP-owned entities and joint ventures in New Zealand, and had a governance role as a director of a retail co-operative, plus a role on an NZX-listed company.

When she left New Zealand in 2021, she began to pick up US-based corporate governance roles, which included becoming president of Thorntons LLC, a retail business acquired by BP in 2021 with more than 1,200 convenience stores nationwide.

When Boffa began taking on governance roles in 2012, she attended the IoD’s Company Directors’ Course (CDC), and says continued learning has cemented her knowledge. In particular, understanding how to execute her governance responsibilities has been a lifelong learning experience, enabling her to comfortably and confidently bring her expertise to board roles across technical engineering, business and the energy sector. 

“The training has been immensely valuable, both personally and professionally. It is incredibly important to tap into all areas of your experience and bring your full competencies to the table when being part of a board,” she says. 

Health and safety is another area that is vital in governance. “I bring my focus on safety, people, diversity, equity and inclusion, and ethics to a board role – all things that align with my core values,” says Boffa. 

Having a unique perspective as a Kiwi in the US is also an asset at the board table. Boffa can probe deeply on issues and ask lots of questions: “Sometimes the most important one, ‘Why?’

“Fresh eyes allow you to bring in people with different experiences and viewpoints. Diversity of thought, experiences and cultural differences are so important, as they bring a network and resources for the board to consult on different ideas and levels of understanding, and create more meaningful dialogue,” she says. 

Boffa believes diverse boards identify opportunities and challenges differently. This can enable productivity by stimulating new thinking and creating a foundation for new ideas for management, which results in bold innovation and assists with decision-making. She says this feeds back into building and fostering even more diversity.

“It is incredibly important … an effective and successful board is one that creates an environment where both the board and management are stretched to think even more deeply about the issues at hand.”

For Boffa, bringing her unique lens to an international landscape highlights the importance of “understanding key differences” in terms of how companies – and their corporate governance systems – operate in another country. 

“Moving to the US, the big areas of focus for me included the legal, social and cultural environments because understanding and appreciating this is important, as it directly impacts my decision-making,” says Boffa.