Service 01 · Personal mandate
An independent adult in the room — not another pair of hands. Represent shareholders. Hold the executive to account. Make performance inspectable.
Appoint a NED when a structural event is coming, or when the numbers are no longer safe to take on trust. Succession or retirement. Sale. PE, VC or other investment. Refinance. Acquisition, merger or a serious restructure. Late packs. A weak FD. Cash surprises. HMRC or bank tension. A board that only hears good news. An owner who is still the operating system.
Do not appoint a NED to write the marketing plan, run payroll, or replace the CEO. That is an executive hire or a project. Jayesh will say so.
Strategy. Performance. People. Risk. Measures that drive profitability and sustainable growth. Debate that improves decisions. A diverse enough board that the room is not an echo. The detail stays with the Chief Executive.
Cadence
Usually a couple of days each month after the first quarter. Papers in advance. Challenge on the numbers. Actions that survive the room.
In person within 100 miles of Bolton, or remote. Titles taken: Non-Executive Director, Non-Executive Chair, Board Advisor. Day-to-day executive delivery is not taken.
Enquire about a seatThe first 90 days
Management accounts, bank position, pipeline quality, org chart, shareholder position, and how decisions actually get made. One conversation with the existing adviser so the relationship is not duplicated or cut across.
A short KPI set the board can see between meetings — P&L, cash flow, and two or three operational measures. Agree what is reserved to the board versus the CEO. Flag the risks that would embarrass everyone in diligence.
If the brief is PE-prep, sale or succession, the 90-day output is a board that can stand a buyer’s or investor’s questions — not a strategy slide deck.
Not a shadow CEO. Not a part-time FD. Not a marketing agency. Not a retainer that expands because the founder is lonely. Not a seat where independence is impossible. Cash, P&L integrity and HMRC / bank standing come first. Bad numbers are not buried to keep the room comfortable.