The next meeting of the Non-Executive Director Member Interest Group takes place at Staple Inn Hall on 3 November and is entitled Matching the profile of a suitable non-executive director
The line-up for the meeting on the 3 November is particularly strong. Our chair for the evening is Sarah Bates. Sarah chairs the Board of FTSE 100 company, St. James's Place, as well as holding a number of other NED positions. Joining Sarah on the panel we have Malik Karim, founder and CEO of Fenchurch Advisory Services, William Micklethwait, director at specialist NED recruiters, First Flight and Sophie O'Connor NED and chair of Audit at both RMIS and BYN Mellon (International). Our final panellist is Alison Smith. Alison is chief corporate correspondent for the Financial Times, having worked for the FT for more than 20 years.
If you're looking for your first non-executive position and don't know where to start, this could also be a very good first step along the way. As well as coming to the meeting, you should consider joining our LinkedIn group and use this, and the meeting, to network with other actuaries who are either existing NEDs or aspiring NEDs.
The meeting at Staple Inn Hall will focus on the experiences of recently recruited NEDs together with a view from the boardroom. Importantly, we will also cover what's expected of an NED in this day and age from a regulatory perspective, as well as from a shareholder and consumer perspective.
Boards are increasingly in the spotlight these days and a non-executive role - particularly one which carries the responsibility of the actuarial qualification - can be a very rewarding and challenging position. The experience of adhering to high professional standards makes actuaries good candidates for NED roles, as well as the obvious actuarial and mathematical skills and their broader business background. However, being an NED also requires other skills that are not always associated with the actuarial profession such as communication, breadth and understanding of non-actuarial topics, and the ability to add value outside of the actuarial profession to other businesses.
Most NED positions are filled by specialist recruitment companies and by recommendation, so networking and knowing people is clearly very important. However, it is also important that you can show you have thought through what's required of the NED role. These meetings are designed to help inform you and to allow you the opportunity to ask questions directly of people who have already made the transition or who have had experience of hiring non-executive directors.
If anyone would like any more information about the meeting, please visit http://bit.ly/1rSiWQh. Please book early as these events have been full in the past and we're hopeful for another good turnout again on 3 November, start time is 17.00 for coffee with the meeting starting at 17.30 with a finish at 19.30 for a chance to network over a glass of wine.
