There's no single rule, and no fixed skill set that guarantees a seat. What boards actually look for is judgement and strategic thinking built up over a senior leadership career, along with a working understanding of corporate governance and board dynamics, rather than a specific title or number of years in the role. Aspiring NEDs often assume they need a finance background specifically, but boards actually look for a genuine mix of expertise.

Not necessarily. Most first non-executive director appointments go to people with deep executive experience but no formal board track record yet, what matters most is the value you bring as a board member, not a prior title. That's exactly what our guaranteed placement is built to solve. Connectd gives you the real board experience and case studies you need before you apply for paid roles, and a first role to point to when you're ready to apply for ned positions elsewhere.

An executive director runs the business day to day, with direct responsibility for operational decisions. A non-executive director sits outside daily operations entirely, providing independent oversight, strategic advice, and constructive challenge at board level, without being involved in running things. Both a NED and an executive director carry the same legal duties under the Companies Act 2006, but the day-to-day involvement is fundamentally different.

A board advisor offers guidance and mentoring without formal fiduciary responsibility, and without an official board seat. A non-executive director, or NED, holds an actual board seat, with the same legal duties and accountability as an executive director under the Companies Act 2006. Many people build advisory experience first, then move into a formal NED role once they've developed the right board-level track record.

Yes. Most of our members hold a full-time position while completing the programme, alongside other commitments like family and existing board roles. The time commitment for a NED role is genuinely manageable if you invest time consistently, and many members plan their board-level transition for whenever they're ready to step back from full-time employment.

Very. Many NED opportunities come through introductions rather than open advertisements. That's exactly why mentorship matters, your mentor can help you gain access to their own network, not just teach you the theory. Many organisations still fill board seats through personal recommendation rather than a formal search, so who you know matters as much as what you know.

Pay varies a great deal by company size, sector, and stage, there's no single figure that applies across the board. Many first NED roles are pro bono, while paid first appointments in private companies typically start at around £10,000 to £15,000 a year. The average private company NED fee is around £15,000, and FTSE 150 NEDs average £80,888 (Spencer Stuart, 2025).Our NED salary guide and salary calculator break this down further.

You'll earn CPD-accredited points on completion, recognised across the governance and professional development space, plus a real placement track record and case studies you can point to in interviews and applications. It's a rewarding way to build credibility with future boards.

Our focus is startups and scaleups, not public sector boards specifically. The judgement and governance skills you build through the programme transfer well if you later move into a public sector role, but our placements and network are built around the growth-company world.

Every member who completes the Academy for their chosen pathway gets a guaranteed pro bono placement with a real, high-growth company. That gives you the practical, hands-on experience needed to move toward paid roles, and gains you access to a network built specifically around high performing boards. We assess candidates individually, since the right fit matters more than a generic checklist. What you bring on day one and how you're likely to contribute as the business grows are equally important, whether it's for-profit or mission-led.