Knowledge Centre

A Library for Boards and Non-Executive Directors

This Knowledge Centre brings together every guide we publish on board appointments, board effectiveness and non-executive careers. It is written for three groups: boards and owners making an appointment, chairs and directors who want their board to work better, and executives and serving NEDs building a board career. Each section below links to the most useful guides on a topic, and each guide links on to the services and resources that support it.

The guides draw on the board searches we run for chairs, non-executive directors, committee chairs and trustees across the UK. Searches are run by our senior search team under founder Adrian Lawrence FCA, a Fellow of the ICAEW and former listed-company finance director, and NED Capital is one of the five specialist firms in FD Capital Group. Every guide is free, and we update them when the rules change.

This page is the master index. Our board leadership knowledge centre takes a narrower view, focused on leadership and the work of the board itself. For the latest articles in date order, see the NED Insights and Blog.

How to Use This Knowledge Centre

The sections follow the questions people bring to us. If you are appointing someone, start with the How to Appoint guides, then read the guide to the board role you are filling. If you want to improve how your board works, go to Governance and Board Effectiveness and Board Committees. If your organisation is regulated by the FCA, backed by private equity or a charity, the sector sections cover the rules and expectations that apply. If you are building your own board career, go straight to NED Careers.

Each guide ends with links to related guides, so you can follow a topic as far as you need. Where a guide relies on regulation or official guidance, such as the UK Corporate Governance Code, the Senior Managers and Certification Regime or Charity Commission guidance, we link to the original source so you can check the current text yourself.

How to Appoint: Guides for Boards

Appointing the right board member is one of the most consequential decisions an organisation makes. These step-by-step guides are written for the board, chair or owner doing the appointing.

Appointing each board role. Start with how to appoint a non-executive director, then the guides for specific roles: how to appoint a board chair, how to appoint a senior independent director, how to appoint a charity trustee and how to appoint a board adviser. If this is your organisation’s first independent director, read how to appoint your first NED, and for a new company how to build a board from scratch. For the search itself, the NED recruitment process for chairs walks through each stage.

Appointing for a situation or stage. Boards often recruit because something has changed. See board construction for pre-IPO companies, appointing a NED for a turnaround, building your first board as a scale-up, refreshing an underperforming board, appointing NEDs in the public sector and building a board for a family business.

Board Roles Explained

Each seat around the table carries a different responsibility. These guides explain what each role does and how they relate.

Begin with what a non-executive director is and why boards hire one, and the differences between executive and non-executive directors. For the chair, read what a company chairman does and CEO vs chairman. The senior independent director guide explains the SID. For related roles outside company boards, see NED vs trustee vs advisory board member.

Board Committees

Much of a non-executive director’s work happens in committee. Our overview of board committees and where NEDs add most value is the place to start. Then see what an audit committee actually does, what a remuneration committee does and how a nomination committee chooses new directors. The committee terms of reference guide covers how committees should be set up.

Governance and Board Effectiveness

The governance framework. Read what corporate governance is, how the UK Corporate Governance Code affects NEDs and the guide to directors’ duties under the Companies Act 2006. The UK Corporate Governance Code itself is published by the FRC.

Composition and succession. Our board structure, composition and independence guide, the board skills matrix templates and the board succession planning guide help boards plan who they need and when.

Running the board well. See how to run an effective board meeting, what good board papers look like, the board induction guide and how to run a board evaluation. For what to expect from a review, read how board effectiveness reviews work.

Regulated Boards

Boards of FCA- and PRA-regulated firms carry extra accountability under the Senior Managers and Certification Regime. Start with FCA-regulated board governance and appointing a NED for an FCA-regulated firm. Then see the role guides for the SMF9 chair, SMF10 and SMF11 committee chairs and the SMF14 senior independent director. Recent guides cover the three lines of defence, overseeing Consumer Duty and compliance monitoring.

Private Equity and High-Growth Boards

PE-backed and fast-growing companies run their boards differently. The Private Equity and High-Growth Board Hub and our private equity board governance page are the two starting points. For depth, read how private equity governance works, the role of a PE chair, the role of a PE NED, value creation plans and exit governance. For earlier-stage companies, see high-growth boards before PE.

Charities and Not-for-Profit Boards

Trustee boards have their own rules and expectations. Read what is different about charity and not-for-profit boards and the difference between a trustee and a NED. The Charity Commission’s Essential Trustee (CC3) and the Charity Governance Code set the framework. Our trustee recruitment service supports charities, and the trustee roles page is for candidates.

NED Careers

For executives and serving NEDs building a board portfolio, the NED Career Hub brings the career guides together. Key reads are how to become a non-executive director, what boards look for in first-time NEDs, your NED CV and portfolio, interview preparation, the guide to NED courses in the UK and the due diligence checklist before joining a board. Once appointed, see a NED’s first 100 days, responsibilities and legal duties and D&O insurance.

Fees and pay. The NED salary guide, NED compensation benchmarking and how NED fees are structured cover what non-executive directors are typically paid.

Our Services

When you are ready to appoint, our non-executive director recruitment and board recruitment services cover every board seat, and the sectors and specialisms pages show the boards and expertise we recruit for. We also run independent board evaluations and board succession planning. Candidates can register with us and see our latest board roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Knowledge Centre for?
Boards and owners making appointments, chairs and directors who want their board to work better, and executives and serving NEDs building a board career.

How is this different from the board leadership knowledge centre?
This page is the master index of all our guides. The board leadership knowledge centre focuses more narrowly on leadership and the work of the board itself.

Are the guides free?
Yes. Every guide is free to read, and we update them when regulation or practice changes.

Where should a first-time NED start?
Start with the NED Career Hub and the guide to how to become a non-executive director, then read what boards look for in first-time NEDs before you prepare your board CV.

Do the guides cover regulated and charity boards?
Yes. There are dedicated sections for FCA-regulated firms, private equity-backed companies and charity and not-for-profit boards, each linking to the official guidance that applies.

Can you help with an appointment?
Yes. Call 0203 137 2496 or email recruitment@nedcapital.co.uk to discuss a board appointment, or use the brief form below.