NED Role in Focus: Private Equity and Venture Capital

How to become and succeed as a non-executive director in PE- and VC-backed businesses.

• Expanding your board portfolio into private equity or venture capital-backed businesses?
• Or preparing for your first non-executive director role with ambitions to serve on the board of an investor-backed business?

➡️ Join us for this focused webinar exploring the opportunities, challenges and realities of NEDship in PE and VC-backed businesses.

✅ Hear directly from experienced NEDonBoard members as they share their journeys into board roles across PE and VC-backed organisations. Gain insight into the distinctive governance dynamics, investor expectations and strategic priorities that shape these businesses, and how the NED role can vary depending on the organisation’s size, stage of growth, ownership structure and route to exit.

• The session will explore how NEDs can add value while navigating the relationship between founders, management teams and investors; supporting rapid and sustainable growth; providing constructive challenge; and maintaining effective governance in a fast-paced environment.
• It will also consider the transferable skills and experience that PE and VC-backed boards value, helping you assess how your existing expertise could support an investor-backed business.

Whether you are seeking your first board appointment or looking to broaden your portfolio, this webinar will provide practical insights into securing and succeeding in NED roles within PE and VC-backed businesses.

Timings GMT:

• 12:00 – Welcome
• 12:02 – Panel
• 12:40 – Audience Q&A
• 12:50 – Concluding comments
• [13:00 – Optional online networking]

About the Speakers:

• Emma Kenny – Emma is an experienced NED for established, regulated businesses and growth-stage/scale-up companies, including as Chair or Member of Nomination, Remuneration, Treasury & Finance, Audit & Risk and Customer Committees. Her current portfolio includes Orbit, a large Housing Association; Sandbox VR, a multi-site virtual reality entertainment business; and Rematch, an immersive sports entertainment business. She is also a member of Innovate UK Loans credit committee, where she scrutinises business plans and loan applications from Innovative UK-based technology businesses. She has advised and coached around 30 early-stage businesses, helping many of them to raise significant amounts of equity investment.
• Michael Ward – Michael is an experienced Non-Executive Director and Special Advisor to the Board, bringing over 30 years of senior investment banking and leadership expertise to companies across the UK and Continental Europe. Michael particularly enjoys supporting technology start-ups with strong VC or PE backing, as well as guiding mature companies through turnaround and transformation. 
• Sarah Clark – Sarah has extensive executive experience in a variety of industries including travel, retail, financial services, FinTech and e-commerce across Europe, the USA, the Middle East, and Africa. She is currently Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Investment Committee at Gresham House Income & Growth 2 VCT plc, which is listed on the LSE, a member of the Supervisory Board of VeloBank S.A., a challenger bank in Poland, and a Non-Executive Director of Public Digital Limited, a global consultancy. 
• Tim Robb – Tim joined Eric Salmon & Partners in 2022 as a Consultant in the Global Board and Governance Advisory Practice across sectors, and in the Consumer vertical. He has advised clients on the appointment of exceptional Chairs, Non-Executive Directors, and C-suite executives across the European mid-market, for listed, privately-held and private-equity-backed companies.

To Attend: 

To attend, you will need to select the relevant ticket option and complete the event registration form.

Dial-in details will be distributed the day before the event.