Thinking about a Non-Executive Director for your agency?
Founders usually start thinking about a Non-Executive Director when the decisions start to feel heavier.
The business is working. There’s momentum. But the consequences of getting things wrong are higher, the trade-offs less obvious, and there’s no longer anyone in the room whose only job is to think clearly about the business as a whole.
“We probably need a NED” is often a proxy for something more specific: the need for experienced judgement, independent challenge, and space to think clearly about direction.
What founders are often really looking for
In founder-led agencies, the role of a Non-Executive Director is rarely about governance for its own sake. More often, it’s about:
- having an experienced external perspective that isn’t emotionally or operationally invested in any one outcome
- pressure-testing strategic decisions before they become expensive
- challenging assumptions that have quietly become “how we do things”
- reducing the sense of carrying the business alone
This is particularly true where the founder is still closely involved in clients, delivery, and leadership decisions – and where the cost of distraction or indecision is high.
How board-level involvement usually works with me
In some cases, my involvement does take the form of a formal Non-Executive Director role, with regular board meetings, papers, and a defined governance structure. In others, it looks more like advisory board participation or founder-level board conversations — serious, structured discussions focused on direction, priorities, and long-term consequences rather than compliance.
The label matters less than the substance.
What’s consistent is the nature of the contribution: independent judgement, informed challenge, and a steady external voice that helps decisions survive contact with reality.
I bring close to three decades of agency leadership experience, including building and exiting my own agency, but the value is not in having the “right answers”. It’s in asking the right questions at the right moment – and staying with the implications once a decision is made.
Where this overlaps with my wider advisory work
In practice, board-level involvement doesn’t sit neatly apart from the rest of the work. Many founders who initially come looking for a Non-Executive Director end up in a broader advisory relationship, because the issues they’re grappling with aren’t confined to board meetings. Others begin with ongoing thinking support and later formalise that relationship at board level.
I don’t offer predefined packages or rigid role boundaries. We start with a conversation, understand what’s actually going on, and shape the involvement around what the business needs – not around a job title.
When a NED role is likely to be useful
Board-level involvement is often most valuable when:
- strategic decisions feel high-stakes and hard to reverse
- the founder wants experienced challenge without expanding the leadership team
- governance needs to mature alongside growth
- the business is preparing for investment, transition, or exit
- there is a desire for accountability that isn’t tied to day-to-day management
- when the cost of getting key decisions wrong is meaningfully high
If what’s really needed is short-term execution help or tactical delivery, a formal NED role is usually the wrong tool – and I’ll say so. Let’s start a conversation to find out.
“Mat is smart, kind and has serious agency experience. His innate ability to distil complex situations into actionable steps has significantly improved our sales processes. Regular check-ins keep us supported and accountable in equal measure. It’s nice having someone in our corner that speaks the same language.”
-Polly Buckland, The Typeface Group
A sensible next step
If you’re thinking about a Non-Executive Director because the business feels harder to steer than it should, the next step isn’t an appointment process. It’s a conversation.
That conversation might lead to a board-level role, a different form of advisory support, or nowhere at all. Any of those outcomes is fine. The aim is clarity, not commitment.
To start, just get in touch.