Most, if not all companies, benefit from having strong Non-Executive Directors on their boards. The questions, as a business owner, that you need to ask include:

• Have I any significant gaps in expertise I can’t cover?
• Am I getting the best advice on how to handle different business scenarios?
• Do I need a mentor?
• Would the business benefit from someone with a significant relevant contact base?
• Are there complementary skills a Non-Executive Director can add to my existing board?
• Could I do with help on planning business strategy?
• Am I getting independent advice and assessment from my board/management team?

Non-Executive Directors can add value to your business in a number of different ways. These include adding specific sectoral expertise, sharing their business acumen, introducing your business to a network of relevant contacts and acting as an INDEPENDENT sounding board on issues affecting your company.

A strong Non-Executive Director can add significant value to your business at a relatively low cost. By doing a thorough assessment of your business needs and drawing up a specification of the ideal candidate required, you can target the right individual required.

It is highly recommended that when you recruit Non-Executive Directors, the first thing you do is to prepare an induction plan where they can meet as many of the key players in the business as possible and get up to speed on all pertinent issues affecting the business.

You should verify your chosen candidates “bona-fides” independently and take references in person before appointing anyone to the role of Non-Executive Director. A clear understanding of what you want and what the Non-Executive Director has to offer your company must also be established, in writing, before any appointment.

You can check out whether a director has been disqualified on the Companies Registration website