Why Qualified NEDs Aren't Getting Board Roles They Deserve

Someone asks what you do. You've got decades of commercial experience, a fresh NED qualification, proven track record at board level.

And somehow, your answer sounds vague.

Or worse—they nod politely and change the subject. No follow-up questions. No "tell me more." Just that expression that says they're not entirely sure what a non-executive director actually does.

Here's what I've learned after 25+ years working on strategic communication for brands like L'Oréal, Colgate, Volkswagen, and Ryanair: When smart, experienced people can't articulate what they do clearly, it's not because they lack capability. It's because their messaging is confused.

And confused messaging creates one of two problems for NEDs: Either nobody approaches you for board roles. Or the wrong organisations approach you for the wrong type of roles.

Both problems stem from the same issue—people can't see what you actually offer.

Why Your Track Record Sits There Silent

Board opportunities go to other people. Not because you're not qualified—because your positioning doesn't make it crystal clear what type of NED you actually are.

You've got the experience. You understand governance, you've delivered commercial results, you know how boards function. But when someone's looking for a challenger, they don't think of you. When an organisation needs commercial expertise, your name doesn't come up.

Are you governance-focused? The challenger who asks difficult questions? The mediator who builds consensus? Deep sector expertise or broad commercial perspective?

If that answer isn't immediately obvious, you've got a positioning problem. And positioning problems show up as business problems—the wrong opportunities or no opportunities at all.

Your track record only speaks for itself if people know how to interpret it. Most don't. You need to connect the dots for them.

The Networking Trap That Wastes Your Time

I worked with one NED who was spending hours every week in formal networking meetings and felt incredibly busy, but wasn't getting the roles he wanted.

We traced back where his previous board positions came from. Every single one: existing contacts who'd referred him. Not one from the networking groups consuming his calendar.

We systematically mapped where his best opportunities had actually originated. Ditched the formal meetings. Within weeks, the right conversations started happening—with the people who'd already delivered results for him in the past.

Networking isn't about being visible to everyone. It's about being visible to the people who actually refer board opportunities at the level you operate.

That's rarely the local business networking group where companies have 10-50 employees and have never considered a non-executive director. That's your existing contacts—the people who've already seen you operate at board level and know exactly what you bring.

The contacts who referred you for previous roles. The board members you've worked alongside. The sector specialists who understand the value of what you offer.

Network maintenance doesn't have to consume your life. It's reaching out for coffee. It's updating people on what you're doing. It's staying visible to the connections that have actually delivered results.

But it does require being systematic about it rather than hoping someone will remember you exist when an opportunity arises.

Are You Building Your Business or Someone Else's?

Before you say yes to any board opportunity—paid or pro bono—ask yourself: Is this building my business or someone else's?

Will this role connect you to other opportunities? Will the organisation talk about your contribution? Does this position you for the work you want? Or will you spend months contributing behind closed doors?

Not about money. About positioning.

Here's what I learned building my own business after leaving the corporate world where work came to me: You can't say yes to everything just because you have capacity. Because if you fill your calendar with opportunities that don't lead anywhere, you won't have capacity when the right roles surface.

At NED level, you should never give time away for free unless you have genuine capacity for pro bono work, you're passionate about the cause, and it connects you to something else.

And you absolutely should not try to convince organisations that don't use NEDs to consider it by offering reduced fees. They haven't made the leap to valuing the service yet. They won't suddenly value you just because you're cheaper.

Every board role you take should lead somewhere. Should position you for something. Should build visibility with the audiences that matter for the type of work you want.

If it doesn't, you're growing someone else's business while yours stays static.

Why Boards Remember Some NEDs and Forget Others

Most NEDs try to appeal to everyone and end up clear to no one.

You can be governance-focused, bringing deep expertise in compliance and risk. You can be the challenger who asks the uncomfortable questions executives need to hear. You can be the commercial strategist who's scaled businesses through specific growth phases. You can be the sector specialist with unmatched industry knowledge.

You cannot be all of these things to all organisations.

When a board is looking for a challenger, they need someone who'll push back on strategy. When they're looking for governance expertise, they need someone who understands compliance inside out.

Trying to position yourself as "flexible" or "broad-ranging" just makes you forgettable. Boards remember specialists. They remember the NED who's clearly the governance expert or clearly the challenger or clearly the commercial growth specialist.

Strong positioning isn't about limiting your capability. It's about making your primary value immediately obvious so people know exactly when to think of you.

That means spending time getting your messaging right. Not dabbling with it between other priorities. Actually investing the time to ensure your LinkedIn profile, your website, your networking conversations all communicate the same clear message about what type of NED you are and what problems you solve.

Your LinkedIn profile should make it clear. Your conversations at conferences should make it clear. When someone asks what you do, your answer should make it unmistakable what type of NED you are.

The NEDs who get approached for the best roles aren't just the most qualified. They're the most clearly positioned.

They've done the work to ensure that when someone thinks "We need a challenger on this board" or "We need governance expertise" or "We need someone who understands scaling in this sector," their name comes to mind immediately.

That doesn't happen by accident. And it doesn't happen just because you completed a qualification. It happens because you've been systematic about positioning yourself clearly and maintaining visibility with the people who actually refer board opportunities at your level.

What's Actually Stopping You

Your expertise is real. Your track record is solid. You know how boards work because you've operated at that level for years.

But if people keep asking "what exactly do you do?" and you can't answer clearly, that's not an elevator pitch problem. That's a positioning problem.

And if the phone isn't ringing with the right board opportunities, the issue isn't your qualifications. It's whether your positioning makes your expertise impossible to miss.

The question isn't whether you're ready for board roles. The question is whether the people making board decisions know what type of NED you are and when to think of you.

That clarity doesn't emerge naturally from experience. It requires the same strategic thinking you bring to board-level decisions—applied to your own visibility.

After 25+ years developing strategic communication for L'Oréal, Colgate, Volkswagen, and Ryanair, I learned how to make value propositions unmistakable. Then I built my own business and learned what it takes to attract the right opportunities when you're no longer in a corporate structure where work comes to you. My Strategic Visibility for Ambitious Leaders service helps established NEDs position themselves for board roles their experience warrants. This isn't about transformation—it's about making your existing expertise and track record impossible to miss. Book a strategic consultation to discuss how clear positioning can change which opportunities come your way.

Photo Credit: Elaine Walsh-McGrath