The Problem with Token NED Appointments
By Adrian Lawrence FCA, founder of NED Capital · Part of the Board Governance Hub In short: A token non-executive appointment is one made chiefly for how it looks — to tick a box, satisfy external pressure or project an image — rather than because …
Why Some Companies Function Better Without NEDs
By Adrian Lawrence FCA, founder of NED Capital · Part of the Board Governance Hub In short: Yes — some companies genuinely do function better without a non-executive director, and as a firm that places NEDs we think it is worth being honest about when. …
Top 5 Books Every Aspiring NED Should Read
By Adrian Lawrence FCA, founder of NED Capital · Part of the Board Governance Hub In short: Five genuinely useful reads for anyone preparing for a non-executive role: Gerry Brown’s The Independent Director for what the job is actually like; Brian Coyle’s The Non-Executive Directors’ …
What NEDs Need to Know About Valuations and Investor Expectations
By Adrian Lawrence FCA, founder of NED Capital · Part of the Board Governance Hub In short: A non-executive director does not need to be a valuation expert, but they do need to understand two things well enough to exercise real oversight: how the company’s …
How to Manage Disagreements Between NEDs and Executives
By Adrian Lawrence FCA, founder of NED Capital · Part of the Board Governance Hub In short: The first thing to understand about disagreement between a non-executive director and an executive is that it is not a problem to be eliminated — it is the …
The Growing Need for Tech-Savvy NEDs in Non-Tech Companies
By Adrian Lawrence FCA, founder of NED Capital · Part of the Board Governance Hub In short: Technology is no longer the concern only of technology companies. A manufacturer, a retailer, a professional-services firm or a charity now has technology woven through its operations, its …
The Role of NEDs in Overseeing AI-Powered Businesses
By Adrian Lawrence FCA, founder of NED Capital · Part of the Board Governance Hub In short: When a business increasingly runs on artificial intelligence, the board faces a genuinely new oversight problem: it must govern the risks of technology it cannot itself build or …
Why Emotional Intelligence Is a Competitive Advantage for NEDs
By Adrian Lawrence FCA, founder of NED Capital · Part of the Board Governance Hub In short: A non-executive director has no executive authority — they cannot instruct, cannot command, and hold no operational levers. Their entire contribution depends on influence: on being able to …
How the Role of Non-Executive Directors Differs Across the UK, US, and EU
By Adrian Lawrence FCA, founder of NED Capital · Part of the Board Governance Hub In short: The core purpose of a non-executive director — independent oversight of management — is the same in the UK, US and EU, but the structures differ. The UK …
How to Use LinkedIn Effectively to Win NED Roles
By Adrian Lawrence FCA, founder of NED Capital · Part of the Board Governance Hub In short: Most non-executive director roles are filled through networks and search firms, not job adverts — so the real value of LinkedIn for a board aspirant is not applying …
Accredited member of GBC.
Carbon offset via Tree Nation
