10 reasons why you should pursue a board appointment

With my hand on my heart, I can assure you that demand for Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) and the number of board opportunities never drops. What is changing is an increase in the number of people wanting to become NEDs or develop board careers. 

Why are board roles so popular, and why should you pursue one? I think that there are ten reasons:

1. Income – The average income of private or unlisted NEDs is ~$41K; listed companies ~$65K; Charities (when they do pay) are $22K. Not enormous amounts of money, and sometimes not worth the risk, but for some, enough to build a career on or supplement their existing income with.
2. Business Development – Consulting fees can also often be generated through the relationships formed at the board level. For example, I have never received an income from my small NfP NED roles, but I have ALWAYS gained consulting business through the relationships I gained around the board table.
3. Gravitas – You join a group comprising just 5% of Australians who hold board appointments. 
4. Demonstrate strategic success – Board Appointments evidence strategic experience, which is fundamentally essential for you to be able to demonstrate to drive your executive career.
5. Broaden your skills – A board appointment will develop you and help you articulate your governance experience more effectively; it will also enable you to work more effectively with your own board, the boards of your clients, or individual board members. 
6. Career Development – If you are in management and seeking a promotion, you will most likely be asked about your strategic experience. Board appointments offer this experience. They demonstrate your ability to apply your executive skills and experience strategically. These positions also provide reassurance that you can work effectively with board members… all of which is fuel for your promotion!   
7. Build networks that are leverageable – Even small organisations have significant NEDs on their boards, or sit on boards with other significant NED’s. For example, all of the NEDs on the top four bank boards hold appointments to charity boards. That means that sometimes fairly insignificant board appointments can open networks and connections with individuals you would not otherwise have access to. These relationships are highly leverageable.
8. I want to give back – A very common phrase used by NEDs. Boards offer an opportunity to give back to an industry or cause you are passionate about.
9. Stay relevant – Approaching retirement or considering a slower pace of life. Board roles offer an opportunity for you to maintain your relevance in an industry you have devoted your life to, to continue to contribute (albeit in a different way), and to keep your grey matter moving between rounds of golf, pro-bono work or looking after your grandkids.
10. Stability – NED positions seem to weather the peaks and troughs of any economic cycle, making these roles a safe haven for many. This was also observed during periods of uncertainty, such as the GFC and COVID-19. 

For these and many other reasons, regardless of where you are in your career (starting out, considering retirement, looking to future-proof your career, considering a career change, an experienced executive, or seeking additional income), a board appointment must be part of your professional development. Now more than ever.

However, aspiration alone won’t secure you one. 

Board success comes from knowing 3 things

Board success doesn’t depend on whether you have held a board appointment before. It doesn’t care whether you are a CEO, retired, or just starting your executive career. It doesn’t depend on your current job or skill set. It doesn’t care how ‘connected’ you are… Success doesn’t care about any of these things.

Instead, successful Non-Executive Directors know that personal success comes from being clear about three things: 

1. The organisations they are targeting – They know that being specific perversely means they get access to roles they never would have been able to access by taking a scattergun approach, because it means they stay focused.  
2. Why they should be appointed to the boards of their target organisations – They know that without a convincing board pitch, CV and answer to the first interview question “Why should we appoint you”, they will fail.
3. How they will be appointed – They know that a board appointment will happen in one of four ways. But they also know that two of these routes account for 80%+ of all board appointments. They know where best to spend their time, which rarely involves cold calling, recruiters, writing multiple applications or chasing high-level personal connections.

If you have been trying but not getting this sort of success, it means that you are doing at least one of these three things wrong. When you get these three things right, then, regardless of your level of experience or the scope and scale of your board aspirations, a board appointment within 12 months should be your firm expectation. Far sooner if you do it right. 

Start or supercharge your board career 

Finding board opportunities can be difficult. Getting appointed to them is even more so. However, regardless of whether you are an experienced director or just starting your board career, there are some simple things you can do that will: make you more appointable; separate yourself from your competitors, and help you gain the appointment that you want.

If you haven’t yet attended one of my Board Appointment Events, it is a good first step. You will learn more about the three pillars and the common mistakes that prevent them from gaining a board appointment, as well as how to put together a board appointment plan for 2026… PLUS, after the event, we set up a 30-minute 1:1 call with me to discuss how to implement it! Spaces are limited; you can register here.

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