Create a transparent NED recruitment process to access diverse, professional NED talent – committed to the non-executive role, their contribution and impact.

The days of ‘the old boys club’ may be receding but there’s still a murkiness to the recruitment of non-executive directors and board members.

With the evolution of modern business, accessing forward thinking and diverse talent should be a priority for boards.

NEDonBoard, Institute for Board Members has visibility of the recruitment needs and processes of different types of organisation. However, too often boards rely on immediate contacts and do not consider accessing the wider talent available to them.

This article is a call to action to our board community, to challenge your own thinking and processes when it comes to recruiting your next non-executive director.

”You can’t just find board members who look and act like you. We see this all the time in problem solving. The more diverse the people you involve in problem solving, the more likely you are to make really good and creative answers to those problems… My tendencies, like every other human, are to go to people I feel most comfortable with; and what I’ve learned over time is – don’t do that. ”

Charles Conn, Chair of Patagonia and Co-Author of The Imperfectionists: Strategic Mindsets for Uncertain Times (NEDonBoard panellist, March 2023)

We take this opportunity to highlight the many skilled, qualified and professional non-executive directors within the NEDonBoard community, whose diverse backgrounds can help create the types of boards needed to effectively steward organisations and innovate to achieve sustainable long-term success.

Remember to:

• Advertise your non-executive vacancy on the NEDonBoard jobs board. Here is the link.
• Consider our enhanced and targeted listings with a wider community outreach. Any questions, please schedule a call.
• Email [email protected] about the professional NED talent pool or for help to draft an attractive non-exec role specification.

Written by Liv Noble, NEDonBoard Chief Engagement Officer