The value of networking

Securing your first NED role is difficult but transformational in progressing the non-executive phase of your career.

As one experienced NED told us:

Getting your first NED role is nearly impossible….getting your second is inevitable!

At NED Career Services we asked experienced non-executives to share their general advice and/or the specifics of how they secured their first role.

We asked them to focus on how they uncovered the opportunity and a pattern repeats. One of their existing contacts provided either, a direct recommendation to the opportunity, or an onward referral which led to accessing the opportunity. 

Therefore it is imperative to network. You must inform all your contacts of your non-executive ambitions.

Our transition service prepares you to be networking ready.

To read the detail of the “My first NED role” stories and associated advice see below.

Your network is the people who want to help you, and you want to help them, and that’s really powerful.

Reid Hoffman, co-founder LinkedIn

People respond well to those that are sure of what they want.

Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief Vogue

My first NED role

Duncan Crocker, Portfolio Chair / NED

I had been planning an iNED career for a while but didn’t know where to start. I learned early on that perhaps 85/90% of the iNED roles I would enjoy and be strong at will never be advertised. So Networking…
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Julian Nicholls, Portfolio Chair / NED

I began by mixing non-executive and part time executive chair roles. The first non-executive/advisory role came through a contact with whom I had worked on a turnaround for 3i, who then recommended me to another PE house.
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Rick Wills, Portfolio Chair / NED

My first NED roles came via 3i. They appoint external (to 3i) NEDs to represent their interests and I knew their senior Director who looked after this side of their business. When I decided to go plural I informed the…
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Steve Curl, Private Equity Chair

I used the BVCA Directory to identify PE houses that had an interest in investing in technology centric businesses. I shared my CV with about 40 via email, targeting the PE individual who looked most appropriate. I followed up with…
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Mike Blenkinsop, Portfolio Chair / NED

During my executive career an ex-colleague introduced me to the owner of a local engineering company. My ex-colleague had started working there and invited both his boss and myself to Villa Park to watch Sunderland (my team) play (beat!) Aston…
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Sean Christie, Portfolio Chair / NED

My first NED role came about because a local company was looking to float and needed to find a number of commercial NEDs ahead of this. They were particularly interested in recruiting from Plc’s based in the region and I…
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Mark Harrison, Portfolio Chair / NED

My story is I explored lots of avenues and spoke to lots of people. In the end the first NED role came from LinkedIn jobs bulletin board – a source that I hadn’t expected, but you never know where opportunities…
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Reg Gott, Portfolio Chair / NED

I joined FKI plc as MD of a small engineering business within one of its divisions. Over the next 6 years I progressed to Divisional MD then to Group MD and was then invited to join the Board as an…
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