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Managing Director at The Alternative Board (Bristol North)", "How to become a Non-Executive Director
\'\'David is a solid expert. The overview of the role of a NED was very well presented. Highly recommended. Jean-Philippe Perraud Founder at NEDonBoard", "How to become a Non-Executive Director
This one day course is an excellent overview, providing real advice and very helpful information for those Directors who are interested in developing a non-exec portfolio Julian Dennis, Director Compliance & Sustainability at Wessex Water, Bath, United Kingdom", "How to become a Non-Executive Director
A really useful day for anyone with serious intentions of becoming a NED. The event was well structured with a good balance between the theory of corporate governance and NED responsibilities as well as allowing plenty of time for sharing experiences through group interaction Mike Jones Director OBS Management Consultants Limited", "Having attended one of David's Social Media seminars in the past, can I highly commend anyone still sitting on the bottom rung, watching everyone else climb the social media engagement ladder, to attend, listen and be enlightened by what David will no doubt convey Sam Finlay Experts in Creating Engaging Video & Animated Videos that Explain the Value of What You Do.", "How to become a Non-Executive Director

\'\'This course was excellent and greatly exceeded my expectations. The course format is interactive, with small-group teaching in a seminar/workshop format, led by an experienced Chartered Director who generously shared his personal experience Christine Wilson Non-executive Director, Multi-Academy Trust", "How to become a Non-Executive Director

\'\'An excellent course giving a clear picture of the role, the skills and characteristics required, the range of NED opportunities and the various routes to secure such positions. Particularly helpful focus on shaping your CV for this sector and the key skills required. As a bonus you also meet interesting people and useful contacts. A good career investment which will hopefully deliver quick, positive results. John Hoy Independent Heritage Consultant - Hoy Consultancy; Chief Executive - Castle Howard and Owner, The Hoy 1997 Settlement.", "How to become a Non-Executive Director
The course covered the background to governance comprehensively but more usefully for me was some of the practical issues in becoming a non-executive director, particularly in the SME sector Graham Matthews", "How to become a Non-Executive Director
Having attended this course in the last few months I can confirm its value. Having held NED roles in my favoured area of engineering and manufacturing David opens the mind to the potential of other sectors and using ones transferable skills. Have set a strategy for personnel growth as NED – if I could just stop getting interim assignments Tony Hurley, Interim Manager in Manufacturing Recovery", "How to become a Non-Executive Director
\'\'I attended the 19th July course in Bristol and found it to be very informative. Not only was there a wealth of technical information provided but there were numerous case studies - based on real incidents - which were really thought provoking.I would happily recommend this course to anybody who is considering taking up the challenge of being a Non-Executive Director Andy Farrall Founder Director of Management and Safety Training Ltd", "How to become a Non-Executive Director
I can recommend this course, it is very informative and will confirm research, skill requirements, responsibilities and legal obligations for a successful NED (NXD) role. Good interaction, networking with delegates and time for Q&A. Jim Gaudoin, Director of Bruel & Kjaer VTS Limited", ], numQuotes: 53, fadeDuration: 2, fadeoutDuration: 2, delay: 20, quotesInit: function(){ if (this.numQuotes

Sustainability folk make good NEDs

 NED Training, Opinion  No Responses »
Jan 262017
 

Yes, believe it or not, if you have a reasonably good appreciation of business, corporate governance and sustainability risk, you can offer valuable support to Boards of private companies, charities and others. How?

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Well, you need to have a good appreciation of what Corporate Governance is! You may be familiar with GRI's Governance pages. Or you may be aware, and have used, the governance indicators from the SGI. Alternatively you may know about sustainability as a set of "ESG" issues - environmental, social and governance. This is the language of the financial and investment community and is commonly used on listing rules in stock exchanges.

But I found that the How to become a Non-Executive Director course run by David Doughty at Excellencia is a great way to improve your chances of tailoring your skill set to benefit Boards, and find organisations to approach.

"A six year old could be a good NED, it's about taking a fresh angle, thinking creatively"

The course took place in Bristol one wintry day. We learned about the NED role, Directors' duties and liabilities, NED skills and case studies, and how to secure a role. We also learned that most practicing NEDs don't fully understand the role of a NED (allegedly).

"A non executive director was a bit like a bidet - no one knows what it does, but it adds a bit of class" Michael Grade, former chair, BBC

But business sustainability professionals naturally have a strong moral compass (allegedly), and as long as they understand that they are there to support the success of the company and its Board then they can be of benefit.

NEDs and Directors have the same liabilities but different responsibilities. Independence of NEDs means they can be the fresh pair of eyes and ears to support (i) the way the company meets its commercial objectives and (ii) the effectiveness of the Board.

We learned that Boards often forget that one of the key motivations for Governance is ensuring the availability of human resources (not just financial resources). Sustainability practitioners understand business success from a wider perspective (sometimes called People Planet Profit), and HR quality, safety and metrics are core to their work.

Also, we learned that many Boards may see financial risk as their highest risk, but in fact it's not. Reputation is the biggest risk factor. Sustainability professionals understand how different functions, operations and performance can affect reputation (and market cap) as a result of impacts right across the 'value chain' of a company. You want examples? Give us a call!

Also, we learned that Board composition needs to be diverse. Not just ethnicity and gender. But backgrounds, levels of creativity, thinking out the box, risk perspectives from different quarters are all apparently of use to a Board (they just may not realise it though!).

And we'll not forget the statutory duties of a Board with respect to legislation relating to health & safety, environment, corporate manslaughter, anti-bribery, modern slavery... Sustainability people live and breathe this.

The Companies Act 2006 also is hot on ensuring the success of a company accounts for long-term decisions, supply chain responsibility, environmental impact, community impact and reputation (for example). And the duties it confers are owed to shareholders AND stakeholders. Stakeholder engagement is so core to sustainability approaches that it's good to see this in the Act.

So, there are plenty of good reasons why sustainability folk can help a Board. In Bristol, we all thought that if you don't have the qualifications that companies and recruiters list in NED vacancy notices then perhaps they haven't fully understood what's required of a successful Board themselves! Maybe they have, but it doesn't hurt to ring them up and probe...

And if you read the FT, you may have read that NED is role for which no one is qualified.

"The list of attributes required of a non-executive director is so long, precise and contradictory that there cannot be a single board member in the world who fully fits the bill" FT 2013

So, to recruiters and Boards out there, think you know what you need? We learned that it's worth double checking. We look forward to supporting your Board!

Alex Nichols

Oxford, 2017

About the Author

Alex Nichols

Alex Nichols provides Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility services for a positive business impact

  • 20 years of professional sustainability management consulting experience.
  • Solid international experience in sustainability strategy, reporting, materiality, stakeholder engagement, assurance, training delivery.
  • Clean technology marketing and promotion.
  • Deep working knowledge of the GRI framework and other reporting guidelines and standards.
  • Experienced trainer in certified sustainability management courses
  • Diverse sectors including automotive, construction, mining & metals, paper & pulp, waste, energy, food & beverage, rail, tobacco and manufacturing.
  • Successful industrial, NGO and government projects.
  • Global track record: Europe, Turkey, Brazil, Jordan, Malawi, UAE and Australia