UK-Wide NED Search, With Local Insight
NED Capital runs a national practice. Whether you are a growth business in Manchester, a charity board in Cardiff, a fintech scale-up in London, a listed company in Edinburgh or a university spin-out in Cambridge or Oxford, we bring the same retained, research-led approach to every board appointment.
Our coverage reflects active client mandates and long-standing regional relationships, not a list of cities we claim to serve. We place experienced chairs, independent non-executive directors, audit and risk committee specialists and sector-matched board members across the UK. Each city page below covers the regional market, the sectors we are most active in and the board appointments we are most often briefed on there.
Searches are run by our senior search team, each of whom has at least ten years in senior-level recruitment, under founder Adrian Lawrence FCA. We work in line with the UK government’s voluntary code of conduct for executive search firms and assess candidates against the UK Corporate Governance Code where it applies.
Find a NED for Your Location
Select your city or region for location-specific search information, sector context and the kinds of board appointments we handle there.
The UK’s financial and corporate centre. We place chairs, audit and risk committee specialists and sector NEDs for corporates, PE-backed businesses and high-growth scale-ups that want regular in-person board engagement.
A powerhouse for professional services, technology and advanced manufacturing. Manchester clients benefit from a deep regional network of senior executives experienced in part-time, hybrid and portfolio board roles across the North West.
The Midlands hub for industry, logistics and financial services, close to our West Midlands office. We place finance and operational NEDs who understand large-scale transformation and governance in one of the UK’s most active regional economies.
Strong in financial services, legal services and digital. We know the Yorkshire market and the mix of strategic, commercial and finance skills Leeds boards most often need, from independent chairs to NEDs for PE-backed businesses.
Focused on manufacturing, maritime and the creative economy. The NEDs we place here combine sector experience with board stewardship and an understanding of the commercial and governance dynamics of the Liverpool City Region.
A South West cluster for technology, health-tech and creative industries. We place non-executives who can guide scaling businesses through governance and growth challenges, particularly founder-led and investor-backed organisations.
Placements for knowledge-intensive organisations: university spin-outs, deep-tech, life sciences and medtech companies that need board members with IP commercialisation, fundraising and governance experience.
Support for academic spin-outs, early-stage technology and life sciences businesses and the wider Oxford innovation cluster, matching technical founders with independent directors who bring governance credibility and investor networks.
Scottish capital coverage for financial services, energy, renewables and professional services boards, with an understanding of both UK governance standards and the Scottish regulatory environment.
Scotland’s commercial capital, active across financial services, technology, manufacturing and the third sector. We place non-executive leaders who know Glasgow’s business community and can work in private and public sector boards.
NED support for Welsh charities, public bodies and commercial boards, combining governance expertise with local insight and an understanding of the devolved governance landscape in Wales.
For a UK business expanding overseas, or an overseas business that needs UK board experience, we source internationally experienced board members to support cross-border growth and governance.
Not listed? We regularly run searches in other parts of the UK, including the East Midlands, the North East, the South Coast, East Anglia and Northern Ireland. The approach is the same: a clear brief, direct approach to the right directors, and a shortlist assessed for independence, fit and time commitment. Call 0203 137 2496 to talk through a search in your area.
Why Location Matters for NED Appointments
Practical Availability
Even with hybrid governance, proximity matters for site visits, investor meetings and crisis response. A NED who can attend in person at short notice adds more than one who only ever joins remotely.
Local Market Knowledge
Regional economic, regulatory and sector nuances matter, from technology clusters in Manchester and Cambridge to devolved governance in Scotland and Wales and the investor relationships in each city.
Regional Network Value
A NED who lives and works in a region can open doors to customers, funders, advisers and partners. For businesses outside the capital, regional networks are often more commercially useful than London ones.
Sector-Matched Searches
Regional briefs are combined with sector expertise: fintech in London and Manchester, life sciences in Cambridge and Oxford, energy and renewables in Scotland. Shortlisted candidates fit both the geography and the sector.
Flexible Working Models
Many boards now want local attendance for key meetings and remote participation for routine business. We place NEDs used to working this way and advise on attendance expectations at the briefing stage.
Local Bases, National Reach
We have offices at Great Portland Street in London and Watling Court in Cannock, covering the Midlands, and our consultants travel for briefings and candidate meetings across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
How a Regional NED Search Works
The process is the same wherever the board sits, but a few things change with location.
Defining the catchment. At the briefing stage we agree how often the director needs to be on site and how far they can reasonably travel. A board that meets monthly in person needs a different catchment from one that meets quarterly and works remotely in between. Being clear about this early widens the pool without wasting candidates’ time.
Combining local and national candidates. For most regional searches the strongest shortlist mixes directors based in the region with experienced NEDs elsewhere in the UK who are happy to travel for board meetings. Our network, and the pooled C-suite networks of our sister brands across FD Capital Group, give us both.
Sector before postcode. Geography matters, but rarely more than sector knowledge, governance experience and independence. We treat location as one criterion in the brief, not the starting point, unless the role genuinely needs a local presence, as many charity, housing and public body roles do.
Remuneration. NED fees vary less by region than executive salaries, but they still differ between London-listed boards and regional private companies. Our NED salary guide sets out current benchmarks, and our article on how non-executive director fees are typically structured explains the main models.
For the full search method, see our non-executive director recruitment page or our step-by-step guide to the NED recruitment process.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Board appointments in the devolved nations often involve a different regulatory and public sector landscape. Scottish charities are registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) rather than the Charity Commission for England and Wales, and public body appointments follow separate processes run by the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government. We brief candidates on these differences and look for directors who have worked within them. For charity and third sector boards, see our trustee recruitment and charity non-executive recruitment services.
Sectors We Cover Across the UK
Location is usually combined with a sector brief. Some of the sectors we search in most often are financial services, fintech, technology, healthcare and life sciences, manufacturing and engineering, real estate and property, energy and utilities and professional services. You can browse every sector on our sectors page.
We also run searches by board type wherever you are based, including private equity NEDs, non-executive chairs, audit committee chairs and FCA-regulated INEDs.
Adrian Lawrence FCA — Founder, NED Capital
Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales | Chartered Accountant holding an ICAEW practising certificate | Good Business Charter accredited
Adrian Lawrence FCA is a Chartered Accountant and former listed-company Finance Director who has run FD Capital since 2018. He holds a BSc from Queen Mary College, University of London and is a Fellow of the ICAEW with an ICAEW registered practice. He has worked across private, listed, owner-managed and PE-backed organisations, and oversees NED Capital’s senior search team. To discuss your requirement, call 0203 137 2496.
Research: The Evolution of Fractional CFO Leadership in Modern UK Businesses (2026) · The Strategic Role of Fractional and Interim Executives in Supporting Organisational Growth and Transformation (2026, co-authored)
Recent NED Placements
PE-backed technology business — Independent NED
A private equity-backed SaaS business approaching Series B required an independent non-executive director with digital transformation experience and existing relationships in the institutional investor community. NED Capital placed an INED with prior NED experience on two PE portfolio boards, appointed within six weeks of instruction.
Mid-size charity — Finance-qualified Trustee
A national charity with £8m annual income needed a finance-qualified trustee to chair its audit and risk committee. The brief required ICAEW or ACCA qualification and experience of Charity Commission reporting. NED Capital placed a qualified chartered accountant with prior trustee experience within the voluntary sector.
Founder-led professional services firm — First NED appointment
A founder-led consultancy with 45 employees sought its first non-executive director to provide independent strategic oversight and help the founders navigate a planned management buyout. NED Capital sourced a NED with direct MBO experience and sector-relevant commercial background, providing the independent voice the founders needed at this stage.
AIM-listed company — Additional independent director
An AIM-listed business required an additional independent non-executive director to meet QCA Corporate Governance Code requirements following a secondary listing. NED Capital placed a candidate with prior AIM NED experience and a relevant sector background within eight weeks of instruction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does our NED need to live near us?
Not usually. Most boards need in-person attendance for board meetings and occasional site visits, which a director elsewhere in the UK can manage. Local candidates matter more where the role involves frequent on-site work or a strong community connection, as with many charity, housing and public body boards.
Do you charge more for searches outside London?
No. Our fee is based on the role, not the location, and is set out in a fixed fee proposal before the search starts.
Can you recruit for boards outside the UK?
Yes. See our international NED recruitment page, and our virtual NED service for boards that meet mostly online.
Related NED Recruitment Services
Board search for every type of appointment, wherever you are based.
Board Search
Non-Executive Directors
→ NED Recruitment
→ INED Recruitment
→ NED Recruitment Consultants
Most Searched
Key Cities
→ London NED Recruitment
→ Manchester NED Recruitment
→ Birmingham NED Recruitment
Board Leadership
Chairs and Committees
→ Non-Executive Chair Recruitment
→ Audit Committee Chair
→ Trustee Recruitment
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