Written by Helen Pitcher OBE, for INSEAD Knowledge Career Blog

Changing careers at mid-life is an option for more and more executives. Some choose early retirement, others are nudged towards the door, and others decide that doing something that they love is more meaningful and they can afford to get off the corporate track.

Becoming a NED is often considered the next logical professional step after an executive role. NEDs gain new skills, enlarge their networks and better understand other industries. But the competition is tough and it can be difficult to land that first NED position.

Criticaleye, the community of leaders created to provide a safe and trusted environment for leaders to collaborate and share knowledge, have published research by Tyzack Partners and Advanced Boardroom Excellence. 

By Adam Brown for IR Magazine, 19 June 2015

Upcoming regulations will force higher fees and lower quality of non-executive director candidates, Tyzack Partners says.

Upcoming UK regulations meant to hold non-executive directors responsible for breaches of good governance may have a ‘dramatic and damaging’ effect on board diversity, according to a report by executive search firm Tyzack Partners and board effectiveness consultancy Advanced Boardroom Excellence.

By Jenny Roper for HR Magazine, 18 Jun 2015

Boards are increasingly pushing non-executive directors (NEDs) into an executive level of responsibility, leaving them to exact a careful balance between impartiality and increased closeness to the business, a report from board effectiveness consultancy Advanced Boardroom Excellence has found.

Walking the Tightrope of Board Responsibility found that what is expected of NEDs now far outstrips NED remuneration, and a heightened environment of board governance regulation is exerting more pressure on NEDs to scrutinise, for example, company remuneration policies more closely.