Tell me which promise the board is worried about

The most useful first message tells me what the board is worried about. If it is a core-system replacement, a seasonal peak or dependence on one vendor, say so in a sentence, with the company's ownership, the committee involved and the likely meeting calendar. I can then judge whether my experience is relevant before anyone spends time on a meeting. As an executive officer of Utsugane Confectionery, I need our president's consent for any appointment and a check of relationships with our suppliers, carriers and department-store partners. Please send no customer data, contract terms or confidential plans at this stage. Questions about our sweets, gift orders or deliveries belong with our customer service team, and approaches from systems vendors should go through our purchasing process. I answer chairs and search advisers myself, usually within a week, though more slowly in December.