Non-Executive Director
A steady wingman around the board table.
Having founded, run and sold my own businesses, I know how lonely the top job can be – and how much a good Non-Executive Director can change the temperature in the room.
I take on a small number of Non-Executive Director roles each year with founder-led and privately-owned businesses. The remit varies – but the intent doesn't: to bring honest challenge, considered counsel and hard-won operating experience to the boardroom.
What I bring to the table
Operator's instinct. Board-level discipline.
Growth perspective
An outside voice on strategy, market and commercial choices – informed by two decades of building consultancies and agencies.
Exit-ready thinking
Even when a sale isn't on the horizon, I help boards make decisions that keep future optionality intact.
Founder support
A private sounding board for the CEO between meetings – the conversations that don't belong in the boardroom minutes.
Governance you can trust
Bringing structure, cadence and honest challenge to board meetings without weighing them down in process.
Team & culture
Helping leadership teams have the conversations they've been avoiding – about people, roles and the culture they're building.
Network
Access to advisors, operators and investors picked up over twenty years of doing the work.
How the role tends to work
Regular, involved, low-drama.
A typical arrangement includes monthly or bi-monthly board meetings, a standing call with the CEO between them, and easy access when something suddenly matters. I aim to be reachable without being in the way.
Terms, tenure and fees are agreed up front and are always fit for the size and stage of the business. If it's not right for you – or you're not right for me – we'll both know quickly and part on good terms.
“Simon is very good at challenging the status quo – always with the organisation’s mission in mind and also with a friendly (and sometimes frankly hilarious) style.”
Looking for a NED?
I only take on a handful of roles at any time. Get in touch to see whether we're a fit.