# Board presentation template > A board presentation reports the quarter to a supervisory or advisory board and asks for decisions. This template has eight slides: the one message, four KPIs, where revenue came from, an EBITDA bridge, the status of each initiative, a risk map and the decisions requested. Every title states its conclusion, so a board member who reads only the titles still gets the story. - Source: https://ai-presentations.com/templates/board-presentation/ - Updated: 21 October 2026 - Language: English - German version: https://ai-presentations.com/de/vorlagen/board-praesentation/ For CEOs, CFOs and chiefs of staff preparing a quarterly board or advisory board meeting. ## Slide by slide ### 1. Title: the meeting and the one message Board members open the pack days before the meeting. A title that already states the outcome frames everything that follows. - Meeting, quarter and date - The one-sentence message: the result plus the decisions you need - Presenter and a confidentiality note ### 2. Executive summary Answer first: what happened, what it means and what you need. Many board members read nothing else in detail. - The headline number and its change - One sentence on what drove it - The decision you will ask for - Where the risks are covered ### 3. Headline KPIs Four numbers the board tracks every quarter, always in the same order, so a change is visible at a glance. - Revenue, margin, cash and one operational KPI - Change against last year or plan - A note on unaudited or restated figures ### 4. Where revenue came from Shows the source of growth before anyone asks, and separates organic growth from acquisitions. - Revenue by region, product or segment - Last year next to this year - A takeaway sentence and a source line ### 5. EBITDA bridge A bridge explains the margin through its drivers, which moves the discussion from totals to causes. - Start and end value - Four to six drivers with signs - Which drivers are structural and which will reverse ### 6. Status of strategic initiatives One line per initiative with one owner. Red and amber come first so the meeting time goes where it is needed. - Initiative, RAG status, next milestone, owner - A short reason next to every red or amber - Nothing on green items beyond the next milestone ### 7. Risk map Puts every material risk on one page, so the board sees which ones need action instead of discussing each in turn. - Likelihood against impact - The two or three risks above tolerance, highlighted - Owners and mitigation in the notes or appendix ### 8. Decisions requested Ends on the ask, numbered, so the minutes can record each decision. - Each decision as a verb plus amount or scope - What the board is only asked to note - The deadline for pre-read questions ## Example deck The example is about Halvorsen Logistics, an invented company. Every figure in it is invented too. 1. Q3 2026: profitable growth and two decisions for the Board. Quarterly report of the Executive Board. Executive Board · 14 October 2026 2. Revenue grew 18% and EBITDA margin reached a record 14.2%. We ask the Board to approve the Rotterdam hub. €48.6m Q3 revenue. Every region grew. Two risks sit above tolerance (page 7); the ERP recovery plan is on page 6. 3. All four headline KPIs improved on last year: Revenue €48.6m (+18% YoY); EBITDA margin 14.2% (+2.5 pp); Net cash €11.8m (+€3.4m); On-time delivery 96.4% (+1.2 pp) 4. Revenue grew in every region; the Nordics led with +27%. Nordics growth is organic: the acquired depots were already in the Q3 2025 base. 5. Margin expansion came mostly from volume and better network utilization. Utilization gains are structural; energy and wage pressure will continue into 2027. 6. Three of five initiatives are on track; two need the Board's attention: Initiative, Status, Next milestone, Owner 7. Two risks sit above our tolerance: ERP delay and driver shortage: Plan; Act now; Accept; Monitor 8. Two decisions and one item to note. Approve €6.5m capex for the Rotterdam hub. Note the ERP recovery plan and the Q2 2027 go-live. Confirm the timetable for the 2027 budget ## Tips - **Write action titles.** Each title is a full sentence with the conclusion: “Margin expansion came mostly from volume”, not “EBITDA”. Read the titles in order and they should tell the whole quarter. - **Design it as a pre-read.** Boards read before they meet. Put the decisions on slide 2 and on the last slide and move detail to an appendix, so the meeting is for questions, not for reading aloud. - **Keep the KPI set fixed.** Use the same four KPIs in the same order every quarter. A KPI that quietly disappears raises more questions than a bad number. - **Lead with what is off track.** Red and amber items first, each with an owner and a date. Boards trust a management team that reports problems before it is asked. - **Label the status of every number.** Mark unaudited figures and restatements, and put a source line under every chart. It saves a round of questions in the meeting. ## Common mistakes - A title like “Financials” that says nothing about the quarter - Twenty KPIs instead of four, so nothing stands out - The decisions hidden in the middle of the deck - Charts without a takeaway or a source - Reading the slides aloud in the meeting ## Brief for the AI A complete brief for the AI. Replace the [placeholders] with your facts. ```text Create an 8-slide board presentation for our quarterly supervisory board meeting. Company: [company name], period: [Q3 2026]. Slide 1: title with the one message of the quarter. Slide 2: executive summary with revenue [€48.6m, +18%], EBITDA margin [14.2%] and the decision we need. Slide 3: four KPIs (revenue, EBITDA margin, net cash, [one operational KPI]) with the change against last year. Slide 4: revenue by [region], last year next to this year. Slide 5: EBITDA bridge from last year to this year with the main drivers. Slide 6: status of our strategic initiatives as a RAG table with owner and next milestone, red and amber first. Slide 7: risk matrix with likelihood and impact, highlighting the risks above tolerance. Slide 8: the decisions we ask for, numbered. Use action titles, a sober consulting style and a source line under every chart. ``` [Open this brief in the editor](https://app.slaide.de/registrieren?prompt=Create+an+8-slide+board+presentation+for+our+quarterly+supervisory+board+meeting.+Company%3A+%5Bcompany+name%5D%2C+period%3A+%5BQ3+2026%5D.+Slide+1%3A+title+with+the+one+message+of+the+quarter.+Slide+2%3A+executive+summary+with+revenue+%5B%E2%82%AC48.6m%2C+%2B18%25%5D%2C+EBITDA+margin+%5B14.2%25%5D+and+the+decision+we+need.+Slide+3%3A+four+KPIs+%28revenue%2C+EBITDA+margin%2C+net+cash%2C+%5Bone+operational+KPI%5D%29+with+the+change+against+last+year.+Slide+4%3A+revenue+by+%5Bregion%5D%2C+last+year+next+to+this+year.+Slide+5%3A+EBITDA+bridge+from+last+year+to+this+year+with+the+main+drivers.+Slide+6%3A+status+of+our+strategic+initiatives+as+a+RAG+table+with+owner+and+next+milestone%2C+red+and+amber+first.+Slide+7%3A+risk+matrix+with+likelihood+and+impact%2C+highlighting+the+risks+above+tolerance.+Slide+8%3A+the+decisions+we+ask+for%2C+numbered.+Use+action+titles%2C+a+sober+consulting+style+and+a+source+line+under+every+chart.&utm_source=ai-presentations.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=template%3Aboard-update&utm_content=markdown) ## Frequently asked questions ### What should a board presentation include? A clear message, the key numbers against plan and last year, the drivers behind them, the status of major initiatives, the material risks and the decisions you need. Eight to twelve main slides are usually enough; detail belongs in an appendix. ### How long should a board deck be? As short as the decisions allow. Many boards work well with eight to twelve main slides plus an appendix. If the deck goes out as a pre-read, every slide has to make sense without a presenter. ### What is the difference between a board deck and a board pack? The board deck is the presentation used in the meeting. The board pack is everything sent in advance: the deck, the financial statements, the minutes of the last meeting and a paper for each agenda item. ### Can I build this in my company's PowerPoint template? Yes. Upload your company's .pptx and the AI builds the eight board slides, from the executive summary to the decisions requested, to match its layouts, fonts and colors. The result is an editable PowerPoint file. ### Are the numbers in this template real? No. Halvorsen Logistics and all its figures are fictional. The arithmetic is consistent: the regions add up to total revenue and the EBITDA bridge adds up, so it works as a model for your own numbers. ## Related pages - [Investor update](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/investor-update/): An investor update template with 9 slides: summary, metrics, ARR bridge, plan against actual, lessons, cash and runway, next-quarter plan and asks. - [Annual report](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/annual-report/): An 8-slide annual report presentation for shareholders and boards: summary, key figures, revenue by segment, cash flow, priorities, outlook and resolutions. - [Project status report](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/project-status-report/): Report overall status, progress KPIs, schedule, workstreams, budget and risks on 8 slides, and ask sponsors for the decisions you need. With an example deck. - [Executive summary](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/executive-summary/): Lead with the recommendation, the one number that matters, the options compared and the decision you need. Template with an 8-slide example. - [Budget presentation](https://ai-presentations.com/templates/budget-presentation/): A budget presentation template with 8 slides: summary, assumptions, income statement, EBITDA bridge, capex, sensitivity and the decisions you need. --- ai-presentations.com is published by Slaide (https://www.slaide.de), a sole proprietorship run by Nathalie Scholl in Heilbronn, Germany. [How this site is written, checked and corrected](https://ai-presentations.com/editorial-policy/).