I would thoroughly recommend this course. It gave me an excellent overview of the role of a NED and a clear steer on how best to look for and be successful in becoming a NED. All my pre course questions were answered. The examples the tutor gave were interesting and stimulated good debate. The small size of the group allowed questions and good dialogue. Look no further for a course on this subject
As an introduction to the world of NED's this course is well structured to give an honest and practical insight in to how to identify and prepare for a move in this direction. Money well spent!
David Doughty’s obvious experience and credibility, the course material and structure and the quality of attendees meant that the course was worth every penny. I now have a full appreciation of the many balls to be juggled in order to become a successful Non-Executive Director
This course was excellent and greatly exceeded my expectations. The course format is interactive, with small-group teaching in a seminar/workshop format, led by an experienced Chartered Director who generously shared his personal experience
I had the pleasure of attending '
I found the 
Knowledgeable presenter Good solid coverage of core financial concepts - P&L, balance sheet, ratios
is an essential introduction for those who seriously wish to pursue Non Executive Director Roles. The course, led by David Doughty an experienced and knowledgeable NED, is focused on the key information required to achieve your first position. It includes a discussion of the Non Executive Director Role, duties and liabilities, the relevant skill set and valid approaches to securing a NED position. The day includes case study work as well as interactive discussions of the course material. I thoroughly recommend this course which is good value for money.
The course was a really thorough grounding in what it means to be a non-exec director and how you can apply your knowledge and skills to the role to good effect. The combination of useful information about corporate governance and directors' liabilities, a very experienced and insightful course lead in the form of David Doughty, and practical exercises about how to address particular situations that NEDs can expect to face made for a very interesting session, but also one which was directly applicable to my new role.
Philip had an excellent wealth of experience & practical knowledge of a wide number of industries and was really warm & welcoming- An asset to the course!
A great introduction to the world of NEDs; well-structured and expertly delivered.
Well worth the time! Duncan has packed a lot of information into the course, which reminded me of all the things I should be thinking about, and doing something about in my own business, and also sent me away with some action items. Highly recommended!
I recently attended the Excellencia one-day course on 
Having attended one of David's 
Helpful and fulsome in opening up the channel of Non-Executive Director as a career path. I know considerably more about what is required and expected now and, of real practical benefit, how to go about seeking and finding a rewarding role as an NED. Highly recommended.
I attended this course shortly after starting my first Non-Executive Director role and found David’s expertise and insight to be invaluable. The course also covers practical things such as how to go about finding Non-Executive Director roles – and so last week (6 months after I attended the course) I started my second NED role, and have an interview for a third one next week. I can highly recommend attending this course for current or aspiring NEDs.
The material, the course leader’s insights, and the opportunity to share thoughts and feelings with similarly inclined business people, made for a really valuable day. I came away with some clear actions.
Well structured and informative course with plenty of time/room for group discussions. Ideal for anyone looking at NED roles.
Having attended 
I really enjoyed the last meeting. The seminar in particular was the best 
Having attended this course in the last few months I can confirm its value. Having held NED roles in my favoured area of engineering and manufacturing David opens the mind to the potential of other sectors and using ones transferable skills. Have set a strategy for personnel growth as NED – if I could just stop getting interim assignments
Thank you for the interesting session on 
I found the day stimulating and informative. It confirmed many of the areas I was aware of working with a Board as a Company Secretary and refreshed my knowledge on some of the legal aspects of the role
I recently attended David's one day introduction 
Yes, believe it or not, if you have a reasonably good appreciation of business, corporate governance and sustainability risk, you can offer valuable support to Boards of private companies, charities and others. How?
Well, you need to have a good appreciation of what Corporate Governance is! You may be familiar with GRI's Governance pages. Or you may be aware, and have used, the governance indicators from the SGI. Alternatively you may know about sustainability as a set of "ESG" issues - environmental, social and governance. This is the language of the financial and investment community and is commonly used on listing rules in stock exchanges.
But I found that the How to become a Non-Executive Director course run by David Doughty at Excellencia is a great way to improve your chances of tailoring your skill set to benefit Boards, and find organisations to approach.
"A six year old could be a good NED, it's about taking a fresh angle, thinking creatively"
The course took place in Bristol one wintry day. We learned about the NED role, Directors' duties and liabilities, NED skills and case studies, and how to secure a role. We also learned that most practicing NEDs don't fully understand the role of a NED (allegedly).
"A non executive director was a bit like a bidet - no one knows what it does, but it adds a bit of class" Michael Grade, former chair, BBC
But business sustainability professionals naturally have a strong moral compass (allegedly), and as long as they understand that they are there to support the success of the company and its Board then they can be of benefit.
NEDs and Directors have the same liabilities but different responsibilities. Independence of NEDs means they can be the fresh pair of eyes and ears to support (i) the way the company meets its commercial objectives and (ii) the effectiveness of the Board.
We learned that Boards often forget that one of the key motivations for Governance is ensuring the availability of human resources (not just financial resources). Sustainability practitioners understand business success from a wider perspective (sometimes called People Planet Profit), and HR quality, safety and metrics are core to their work.
Also, we learned that many Boards may see financial risk as their highest risk, but in fact it's not. Reputation is the biggest risk factor. Sustainability professionals understand how different functions, operations and performance can affect reputation (and market cap) as a result of impacts right across the 'value chain' of a company. You want examples? Give us a call!
Also, we learned that Board composition needs to be diverse. Not just ethnicity and gender. But backgrounds, levels of creativity, thinking out the box, risk perspectives from different quarters are all apparently of use to a Board (they just may not realise it though!).
And we'll not forget the statutory duties of a Board with respect to legislation relating to health & safety, environment, corporate manslaughter, anti-bribery, modern slavery... Sustainability people live and breathe this.
The Companies Act 2006 also is hot on ensuring the success of a company accounts for long-term decisions, supply chain responsibility, environmental impact, community impact and reputation (for example). And the duties it confers are owed to shareholders AND stakeholders. Stakeholder engagement is so core to sustainability approaches that it's good to see this in the Act.
So, there are plenty of good reasons why sustainability folk can help a Board. In Bristol, we all thought that if you don't have the qualifications that companies and recruiters list in NED vacancy notices then perhaps they haven't fully understood what's required of a successful Board themselves! Maybe they have, but it doesn't hurt to ring them up and probe...
And if you read the FT, you may have read that NED is role for which no one is qualified.
"The list of attributes required of a non-executive director is so long, precise and contradictory that there cannot be a single board member in the world who fully fits the bill" FT 2013
So, to recruiters and Boards out there, think you know what you need? We learned that it's worth double checking. We look forward to supporting your Board!
Alex Nichols
Oxford, 2017
About the Author
Alex Nichols provides Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility services for a positive business impact
- 20 years of professional sustainability management consulting experience.
- Solid international experience in sustainability strategy, reporting, materiality, stakeholder engagement, assurance, training delivery.
- Clean technology marketing and promotion.
- Deep working knowledge of the GRI framework and other reporting guidelines and standards.
- Experienced trainer in certified sustainability management courses
- Diverse sectors including automotive, construction, mining & metals, paper & pulp, waste, energy, food & beverage, rail, tobacco and manufacturing.
- Successful industrial, NGO and government projects.
- Global track record: Europe, Turkey, Brazil, Jordan, Malawi, UAE and Australia
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