Lunapads: Co-Leadership in a Social Business

It was late August 2012 and Madeleine Shaw (Shaw) and Suzanne Siemens (Siemens) were reflecting on 12 years of operation at Lunapads International Products Ltd. (Lunapads), a company based out of Vancouver, BC, Canada. The social business co-owned by these two women was providing a solution to the environmental and health concerns of disposable feminine hygiene products. Co-leading a social-impact business with a values-based approach had not been without its challenges. Lunapads had recently experienced a flattening of sales and reduced profitability as their niche market was becoming increasingly crowded with entrants whose products were not as ecofriendly, but were well-known brands. The company was committed to staying true to its mission but recognized their website and product offerings needed upgrading if they were going to be competitive with companies who had much deeper pockets and more extensive marketing budgets. Earlier in the week, Shaw and Siemens had met with the Chair of their recently-formed Advisory Board, Bob Elton (Elton), to discuss Lunapads' current organizational structure. They were steadfast on co-sharing the leadership role but had identified inefficiencies and challenges with this model. They had recently revisited their business strategy and roles in the organization and identified areas that needed to shift. Elton asked them to present their ideas for discussion at the quarterly Advisory Board meeting, coming up in two weeks. Tucked away at their regular corner table, steaming lattes delivered, Shaw turned to Siemens her close confidante, and said with a grin, "It's time to bust out of our comfort zones and make some decisions. Are you up for it?"

• Manufacturing processes
• Leadership styles
• Social entrepreneurship
• Organizational structure and design
• Diversity and inclusion
• Fostering collaboration
• Corporate social responsibility
• Executives
• Organizational values