HRD to NED: How to advance your career

With increasing numbers of senior people professionals sitting on boards as non-executive directors (NEDs), it’s no surprise that many HR leaders have aspirations of building a portfolio career of NED roles. But while chairs are becoming more open to those from HR backgrounds joining boards, getting a NED role remains a competitive and challenging process.

So, what should you consider when deciding whether a NED role is for you? How do you find a suitable role and how can you make an impact from day one? We’ve spoken to board-level headhunters and HR leaders who have landed NED roles and have put together some recommendations to help you set yourself up for success.

While our insights are from the perspectives of UK senior leaders and headhunters, they should be applicable wherever you are based.

Preparing for a role
Finding a role
Beginning a role

Preparing for a role

Key things to consider about becoming a NED

Before you start looking for a role, you should take time to consider why you want to be a NED. Non-executive roles are very different from executive roles and aren’t for everyone. Think about what your motivation is and what you hope to achieve. It is important to consider how much time you are able to commit to, and what experience you could bring to the role.

These tips and questions will help you decide.

If you are building a portfolio, consider the balance you want. For example, NED roles are not flexible, so think about how much flexibility you want in your ‘post-exec’ life.
Be strategic about filling out potential CV gaps early if this is a route you want to take. For example, can you demonstrate international experience? Do you have experience working in, or with, a range of company types?

Gain great experience in a board setting by taking on school governorships, sitting on advisory boards and industry committees, and doing unpaid trustee work. Such roles also give you the opportunity to test whether you enjoy non-executive roles and show recruiters that you have a genuine interest in sitting on boards.
Look for as many opportunities as you can to develop and broaden your skills. Chair meetings and increase your board exposure in your executive role by working with remuneration committees (RemCos) and nomination committees (NomCos).
While HR leadership brings plenty of useful skills to the table (particularly around remuneration, succession planning, understanding human/team dynamics, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and culture), think about positioning your skills ‘beyond HR’ and how you can demonstrate breadth of experience.
Be realistic about time commitment (especially if you’re in an executive role). NED roles require you to digest large board packs and the time commitment is always more than advertised.
Prepare a different CV with different positioning from an executive one. This should tell your ‘story’ about why you want to sit on boards, the experience you have interacting at board and committee level, and the value you can add.

If you’re planning on taking on a NED role alongside an executive one, make sure your CEO is supportive. The time commitment is not small, and you will need to make sure board meetings don’t clash with executive committee meetings. However, an additional role can offer powerful development and help you add more value as a chief people officer (CPO).
Familiarise yourself with directors’ duties and governance requirements through courses run by organisations such as:
- globally, the International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN), which offers training on stewardship and understanding of how investors approach governance issues, as does the Association of Stewardship Professionals (StePs), while members of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI) offers director training
- in the UK, the Institute of Directors (IoD), ICSA (now the Chartered Governance Institute (CGI) or Women on Boards, which offers events and training and lists UK roles available for members
- in Europe, the European Confederation of Directors associations (ecoDa) and its national member associations
- in the Middle East, Hawkamah, which offers a directors development programme
- in Asia, the Asian Corporate Governance Association (ACRA), and the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID).

Headhunter tips

“Take time to understand the role of the board and reflect that being a successful NED requires different ‘muscles’. The switch from hands-on leader and driver of outcomes to providing oversight, challenge, guidance and strategic direction can be a bigger shift of gears than executives anticipate. Consider how to demonstrate your breadth of experience and that you are commercial, curious about business, and have an enterprise-wide, ‘outside-in’ perspective. Demonstrate that you are a sophisticated communicator, and that you are a balanced, thoughtful leader with integrity and have a low-ego approach.”

Chris Smith, Partner, Leathwaite

“Breadth of executive experience is your currency for NED roles and opportunities will be seen as less broad if you’ve had a very linear career. Try and build in as many different experiences as possible, while still making an impact – a healthy mix of diverse sectors, customers, ownership structures and so on. You’ll need demonstrable experience in interfacing with boards, showing commerciality, contributing to strategy and acting as a true business partner to the CEO. Boards only have a limited number of seats, so chairs want to know that any NED can contribute broadly. There are lots of courses available, and doing one shows a positive intent to learn, develop and engage constructively. If you're thinking of doing a non-exec role alongside your exec one, talk to your CEO first to make sure you will have the time and support to do both. It can be hard to predict the time commitment, as things can come out of the blue. Increasingly, people do double up, but get your exec career in good shape first.”

Anna Penfold and Kerynne Metherell, Partners, Russell Reynolds Associates

Finding a role

Key things to consider when searching for your first NED role

Once you’ve made your decision to find a non-executive role, it’s important to set your expectations appropriately. Finding your first role is hard and can be a numbers game, so you need to be patient and resilient. Competition is high and those from HR backgrounds are often not as desirable as those from other areas.

Here are some first steps to consider:

Build your profile and broaden your network. Is your LinkedIn profile up to date and positioning you for non-executive work? Tap into executive search firms with board practices and network extensively with those who already hold board positions and with stakeholders (such as investors and brokers) who might know about available roles.
While networks are crucial, roles are more widely advertised these days (not just on the golf course). You’ll find them via headhunters, LinkedIn and specialist job boards like Nurole (especially for smaller and third sector organisations). UK public appointment openings are posted on gov.uk.

Choose your first role carefully. NED roles can carry more risk than executive ones and, once in, you must stay your term. Think about the values and culture of the organisation and the board; you need to be able to build relationships fast. And do your due diligence. It’s better to have no role than the wrong role.
Check the calendar of board meetings against your availability before applying.
If you are building a portfolio, try to ensure you are not going to have all your terms end or come up for renewal at once.

Headhunter tips

“In applications, reflect on your ‘anchor points’ of experience and skills. Consider what your genuine differentiators are and ask trusted contacts for feedback. Be prepared to demonstrate achievements that speak to this experience, what you’ve learned from it and how you might apply this as a non-executive. Do your homework on a company and industry. Be prepared to offer a perspective on the challenges and opportunities and marry this with your experience, as well as showing you are up to speed with corporate governance and the regulatory environment. Networking and advocacy are critical. Spend time to make connections, build new relationships and leverage established connections. Build relationships with search firms and advisers who are operating at board level. Advocacy and sponsorship can make the difference in landing your first NED role.”

Chris Smith, Partner, Leathwaite

“Networking is so important. Start with your own network, as there will be lots of people you know sitting on boards. When doing a search, it’s helpful for us to have people introduced, who come with context, so cultivate people who can vouch for you and provide a reference. Be able to articulate what you can bring to a board in a few sentences. Look for chairs who are prepared to invest in you. You are picking a chair as much as you are picking a business. That chemistry piece is so important. Ask questions, meet other NEDs, test the dynamic on the board and between the non-execs and execs. Ask your search partners for analyst reports: it’s helpful to know how the company is viewed by the markets. You can’t underestimate the value of due diligence.”

Anna Penfold and Kerynne Metherell, Partners, Russell Reynolds Associates

“We are increasingly asked to target ExCo HRDs from large and complex organisations. The aim is to locate individuals who can genuinely help to create a workforce for the future. Highlighting your understanding of the strategic issues in doing so, for example, generational differences or trends, and how these impact areas like leadership, culture, transformation, diversity and retention strategies all strengthen your candidature. As does demonstrating that you understand the link between staff morale, deep staff engagement and continuous improvement strategies, and how these go together to enhance the service user, customer or patient experience at the front line. With 80–85% of fixed costs directly related to people, there is a need to broaden HR’s impact beyond the (often more transactional) RemCo input. Showing that you understand this strategic imperative in your application, and that you can be central to ‘future-proofing’ the organisation by helping the executive to devise meaningful target operating models is what we look for in a strong NED application.”

Peter Buffoni, Partner, Gatenby Sanderson (specialists in public sector appointments)

Beginning a role

Key ways to deliver impact

The transition from executive to non-executive can be challenging as the roles are so different. It’s important to recognise the difference between the two.

Here is some advice on what to remember – and how to make a good impression – when starting your first NED role.

Remind yourself that you are not there as a pseudo-HRD but as a ‘critical friend’. You move from ‘doing’ and ‘directing’ to coaching, supporting and challenging. Think ‘hands out, noses in’.
From day one, think ‘beyond HR’ and add value on your full suite of accountabilities.
Balance listening and learning with making a valuable contribution. It takes time to understand the business, but you should be adding value from day one.
Seek feedback from the chair, the senior independent director (SID) and other NEDs after your first meeting. Did you ask too many/not enough questions? Were they relevant?
Build relationships and rapport at all levels, from fellow NEDs to executives to PAs and staff further down the business.

If you’re doing a NED role alongside an executive role, be intentional in showing up differently to board meetings as a NED and reflect on how you will be different from your executive committee (ExCo) self.
While many HRDs and CPOs are a natural fit for a RemCo, you can’t go into a committee chairing from a standing start. A RemCo can be particularly demanding and isn’t for every HR leader.
If you suffer from imposter syndrome, remember you were hired on the basis of your experience, after a very robust selection process.

Headhunter tips

“Every board member is a ‘full’ board member from the start. While a board may be attracted to your specific set of skills and experiences (organisation design, transformation, culture, diversity, sustainability), you will take on the full range of duties and accountabilities from day one. In your preparation and your mindset, know that you will be expected to have an informed perspective on topics way beyond that of HR.”

Chris Smith, Partner, Leathwaite

“A NED role is very different from an exec role. It requires a style change. You are not there to do, but to support and advise. Be selective about how you intervene. An HR background is becoming one of the major routes to RemCo – but it’s not for everyone. Think about if you are comfortable being completely responsible for a company’s remuneration. If remuneration was something you always handed to your reward director as a CPO, then put two and two together…”

Anna Penfold and Kerynne Metherell, Partners, Russell Reynolds Associates