Non-Executive Directors

Are you considering taking on a Non-Executive Director (NED) but not sure if it’s right for you? Business West is currently offering grants to West of England businesses of up to £5,000 to help cover the initial cost.

Why should I hire a Non-Executive Director?

NEDs can be invaluable for scaling companies, providing experience based advice and expertise to keep ambitious leaders and management teams on a strong growth path. They are usually appointed for the skills and experience they can offer a business. 

For a business to be ready to scale-up, it needs to be well managed, have accurate financial information, cashflow projections and crucially time to plan the next stage of growth. 

Some businesses may not have the skills or experience to put this in to practice. This is where a Non-Executive Director can add value and act as a sounding board for you and your management team.

What should I expect from a Non-Executive Director?

  • Have experience and skills that the company is lacking,such as marketing, product knowledge or market access
  • Understand your business and business model and the environment it operates in
  • Help ensure strong company processes are put in place in order to manage fast growth
  • Support effective policy making and planning exercises
  • Provide professional guidance to the executive directors and act in the interest of the company stakeholders
  • Help identify bottlenecks before they arise
  • Be an objective, critical friend to the company, whilst leaving control in the hands of the key decision makers

What are the benefits of hiring a Non-Executive Director?

  • A NED can fill a gap in a small business owner’s experience, or can add industry knowledge of a specific sector that the business is targeting
  • They can offer an outsider's critical perspective to your business and can suggest fresh ideas
  • A NED can often offer an address book of great professional contacts who can help your business grow
  • They can provide an objective view of any business issues and concerns

How can I find out more?

We are offering fully funded one-to-one sessions with a Scale-up Business Adviser who can discuss whether or not a Non-Executive Director is right for you.

  • Ready to accelerate your business growth?

    We are offering fully funded one-to-one sessions with a Scale-up Business Adviser who can discuss whether or not a Non-Executive Director is right for you.

  • Grant funding to increase management capacity during COVID-19

    We're awarding grant payments of £1,000 - £5,000 to ambitious West of England businesses looking to invest in business coaching.