Invest in the UK's First Purpose-Built Marketplace for Supply Teaching
TeachR is replacing generic job boards in a £521m supply teaching market with a single, transparent platform connecting teachers and agencies. One profile. Every agency. With compliance built in from day one, TeachR is building the infrastructure layer that UK education recruitment has never had — and is raising £250,000 under SEIS to accelerate growth.
Platform-Based Ecosystem for Local Service SMBs & Freelancers
- Building a trusted, local-first marketplace that strengthens in-person services and drives repeat usage.
- Young and dynamic team building technology focused on real-world outcomes.
- Reduces friction in local service discovery and builds structured trust between providers and customers.
- Leveraging intelligent systems and merit-based mechanics to improve discovery, accountability, and long-term growth.
- Part of the Startup-Gurus incubator programme
Execution Intelligence: The Financial Operating System for Private Companies
A private, invitation-only briefing for a small group of experienced angel investors.
Date: Wednesday 17 June • 2 PM - 5 PM
Location:
Smart & Smart Pension
136 George Street
London W1H 5LB
Ornbo is building a new category of financial infrastructure, combining accounting-grade forecasting, predictive intelligence and guard-railed AI execution into a single platform - solving a host of long-standing problems that have limited company performance.
Rather than generic AI or static models, Ornbo creates auditable, investor-grade forecasts across P&L, cashflow, balance sheet and KPIs, and uses them to safely drive execution and decision-making.
Ornbo is preparing paid pilot deployments via strategic financial partners, providing early access to large client networks and forming the basis of a proprietary dataset on private company performance.
Why attend
- Private briefing on Ornbo’s roadmap, strategy, and early platform direction
- Insight into a new class of financial intelligence infrastructure.
- Opportunity to participate in the allocation of its pre-seed SEIS / EIS round.
- Opportunity for closed strategic networking.
This session is designed for active angel and other investors with an interest in fintech, AI, data infrastructure, or private markets. SEIS / EIS availability
Reserve your place here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ornbo-ai-fintech-exclusive-investor-briefing-demo-tickets-1989994193201?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
Building the UK's Dedicated Property Portal for New Build Homes
A property portal and discovery platform focused exclusively on off-plan, new build and newly built homes
Transforming how new homes are discovered by buyers and renters, and how they are marketed across the property industry
Founded by experienced London residential property professionals
Investing NEDs: The Move Everyone’s Talking About - and Very Few Get Right
We’re seeing a growing number of experienced senior leaders exploring investing Non-Executive Director roles as part of their next chapter.
On the surface, it’s an appealing move: the opportunity to stay close to innovation, support founders, and participate in the upside of early-stage businesses.
But the reality is more nuanced.
In this session, Victoria McLean, CEO of Hanover Talent Solutions, will explore what really sits behind investing NED roles, from how senior leaders are approaching this move, to where even highly experienced individuals can misjudge the shift.
This is the part of the conversation both First Flight and Hanover Talent Solutions often have privately with candidates - we’re bringing it into the room.
You’ll learn:
- Why investing NED roles have gained such traction
- What differentiates those who succeed in this space
- The common missteps even highly experienced leaders make
- How founders view and assess potential NEDs and investors
- What the journey from initial conversation to investment typically looks like
- How to position your experience so you’re taken seriously
Victoria will also be joined by Ian Hobday of First Flight and Start-Up Gurus, who will share insight into how these opportunities work in practice, from deal flow through to investment structures.
If you’re considering an investing NED role, or want to better understand what this move really involves, this session will give you a far more grounded and practical perspective.
If this is on your radar, it’s a conversation worth having before you step in. You can register your place here.
On 3 June, First Flight will host an exclusive invitation-only showcase event featuring seven of the UK’s most exciting early-stage startups.
The ventures span a broad range of sectors — some leveraging AI (and refreshingly, some not), with each offering a unique perspective, innovative solution, or disruptive approach within its market.
The event will begin at 6:00pm and is scheduled to conclude at approximately 8:00pm.
It will be held at the prestigious Home House Studio:
Home House Studio
44 Great Cumberland Place
London, W1H 7BS
Drinks and canapés will be served on arrival.
Presentations will commence at 6:30pm, with each startup delivering a five-minute presentation followed by five minutes of curated Q&A.
Following the presentations (approximately 7:40pm onwards), guests will have the opportunity to speak directly with the founders, network with fellow attendees, and meet members of the First Flight team.
To secure your place at this not-to-be-missed evening, please register via the Eventbrite link below.
Please note that tickets are strictly limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1990162852666?aff=oddtdtcreator
AI-Powered Football Talent Discovery & Development
A private, invitation-only briefing for a select group of Investing NEDs, strategic advisors, and active angel investors.
Spotmytalent is building a new category of football infrastructure, an AI-powered platform connecting players, scouts, and clubs through data-driven talent discovery and personalised development.
Since our previous session, the business has continued to make strong progress across platform development, commercial partnerships, and launch preparations. A number of experienced Investing NEDs and strategic advisors are already actively supporting the company, helping accelerate opportunities across football, women’s sport, commercial partnerships, and growth strategy.
As we move towards launch, we are now opening a limited number of additional opportunities for experienced Investing NEDs and strategic advisors who feel they could add value to the journey.
Why attend?
- Private investor briefing on Spotmytalent’s latest progress, roadmap, and growth strategy
- Updates on commercial partnerships, launch initiatives, and ecosystem development
- Opportunity to explore involvement as an Investing NED, advisor, andparticipate in the remaining allocation of the SEIS pre-seed round
- Closed networking with founders, advisors, and invited guests
This session is designed for individuals with experience across sport, technology, investment, media, commercial growth, and scaling early-stage businesses.
Event details
Date: Thursday, 11th June
Time: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location:
PwC
7 More London Place
London SE1 2RT
Agenda:
- 5:00 - 5:30pm Welcome, networking & drinks
- 5:30 - 6:00pm Spotmytalent presentation + Q&A
- 6:00pm onwards Informal networking with the management team
Secure Your Space
Spaces are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Reserve your ticket via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1989662772914?aff=oddtdtcreator
- Live Global Platform | Revenue-Generating | Demonstrable Traction
- First-mover advantage in a $12.1 trillion global industry
- Experienced, sector-led management team with a proven ability to execute
- Join four investing Non Execs already on board
Construo has built and continues scaling, developing and enhancing the world’s first dedicated collaborative network and marketplace for the global construction industry, addressing long-standing fragmentation across knowledge, recruitment, products, services, and supply chains.
The platform is live, revenue-generating, and scaling organically, with strong evidence of product–market fit across multiple international markets. Construo combines a professional network, specialised personal recruitment, a unique peer-driven smartphone recruitment referral engine, and an emerging marketplace into a single, industry-specific ecosystem, something no other existing platform offers at scale.
First Flight has partnered with City CV to deliver a series of training modules designed to strengthen your prospects of securing a NED role. The next webinar focuses on utilising LinkedIn:
Your NED LinkedIn, Your Legacy: Get Noticed by the Right Boards
If your LinkedIn profile isn’t working for you, it’s working against you.
Company Overview
Zinko is building a scalable marketplace and SaaS platform that transforms underutilised hospitality venues into flexible professional work environments. By combining workspace booking, venue optimisation tools and live networking functionality, Zinko creates recurring revenue from existing city infrastructure.
- Cafés with empty weekday capacity
- Professionals seeking affordable workspaces
- Seamless, pass-based booking platform
ShopWiser is an AI driven Supermarket Price Comparison App which compares a consumer’s entire grocery list across every supermarket in the UK, identifying the cheapest retailer for their specific groceries.
The platform enables users to build personalised shopping lists and instantly compare the total cost of their basket across major UK supermarkets, identifying the most cost-effective retailer for their specific needs.
Moonlight Energy Investor Breakfast Briefing
An exclusive, invitation-only breakfast briefing bringing together leading voices in clean energy, mobility, and early-stage investment.
Limited spaces remain.
This private event is designed for experienced angel investors and early-stage VCs with an interest in climate tech, energy infrastructure, and scalable mobility solutions.
POOLBAR GROUP
Pioneering the "Hospitality Inflatables" Category
Executive Summary 2026
PoolBar Group Limited (PoolBar™) is not entering an existing market — we are inventing a new one. We are the creators of the "Hospitality Inflatables" category: a patented, military-grade, high-margin asset class built to aggressively dominate the global resort, cruise, and event sectors. This is a true “Blue Ocean” opportunity. There are no direct competitors. There is only us.
Mata Mate
UK’s First Social Energy Drink
Lower caffeine yerba maté soda built for connection, not crash.
Alcohol consumption is falling while energy drinks are booming — yet no brand owns energy for social occasions.
Mata Mate is building the UK’s first social energy drink: a lower-caffeine yerba maté soda designed for connection, not crash.
The world built tools for “where” we talk. Unbiasly has solved the “how”.
“Like Grammarly, but for your thoughts.”
— Fortune 500 MVP Client & Beta Partner
Miscommunication and unconscious bias are quietly eroding billions in productivity, poisoning cultures, and - as a wave of landmark lawsuits now confirms - exposing companies to existential legal risk. The market has noticed. Regulation is arriving. The window for a category creator is open right now.
Unbiasly has built Nura – a suite of Augmented Intelligence tools that work alongside humans and their existing tools, not instead of them. It requires no transformation programme, no platform migration, no change management budget. It simply makes people better, and organisations safer, from day one.
READ MORE DETAILS
Investing Non-Executive Director
Opportunity Overview
Security is a critical infrastructure in the UK, yet much of the manned guarding sector remains operationally fragmented. Staffing is often reactive, reporting is inconsistent, compliance visibility is limited, and data is largely unstructured. As compliance scrutiny increases and HMRC PAYE enforcement reforms reshape labour economics, legacy operators are being forced to modernise or exit.
Salibo has been built to address these structural weaknesses.
Founded by Nouh Salibo after frontline experience across retail, transport, nightlife and construction environments, the company approaches security as a systems problem rather than a manpower supply issue. With a background in Medical Genetics from Queen Mary University of London, Nouh applied structured thinking to design a platform that delivers real-time responsiveness, professional workforce treatment, and audit-ready operational data from every shift.
Executive Summary
What is Salaree?
Salaree is real-time, compliant payroll technology for the hourly-work and gig economy.
Digital Platform for Parkinson’s & Advanced Neurological Therapy
SERG Technologies is building a clinically validated digital platform designed to improve outcomes and access for people living with Parkinson’s. We begin where the need is most urgent: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) optimisation.
Parkinson’s is the fastest-growing neurological disorder globally. For people with Parkinson’s, symptoms fluctuate constantly, and treatments gradually lose their effectiveness, requiring more invasive alternatives. Today, management relies on annual clinic visits and subjective, trial-and-error adjustments. Clinicians must make critical decisions based on a snapshot assessment and a short appointment, an almost impossible task. The result is care that is reactive, inconsistent, and incredibly difficult to optimise.
INVITATION: Exclusive Investor Presentation
Limited spaces | Final allocation of SEIS round
Football Talent Discovery enabled using AI technology
A private, invitation-only investor presentation for a small group of active angel investors.
COOPER WALLET
Cooper Wallet by Cooper Social Finance Limited is a B2B financial infrastructure for platforms, marketplaces, and regulated businesses that unifies multiple payment gateways, wallet management, and KYC/AML tooling under a single, compliant control plane.
Cooper Wallet provides single point API for B2B Payments, Wallets & Compliance, Centralised payments, wallets, and compliance in one platform built for regulated businesses.
Cooper Social Finance Limited is a technology provider, not a bank or deposit-taking institution. Client funds are safeguarded by authorised payment institutions and are not held directly by the company.
Manor Barn Kitchen
Reimagining the High-End Culinary Experience
Building a Soil-to-Soul Landmark in the Heart of the Cotswolds
The Financial Operating System for Private Companies
A private, invitation-only briefing for a small group of experienced angel investors.
Ornbo is building a new category of financial infrastructure, combining accounting-grade forecasting, predictive intelligence and guard-railed AI execution into a single platform.
Rather than generic AI or static models, Ornbo creates auditable, investor-grade forecasts across P&L, cashflow, balance sheet and KPIs, and uses them to safely drive execution and decision-making.
Ornbo is preparing paid pilot deployments via strategic financial partners, providing early access to large client networks and forming the basis of a proprietary dataset on private company performance.
FIXING BROADBAND AVAILABILITY IN REMOTE REGIONS AFFORDABLY AND SEAMLESSLY WITH MINIMUM CAPITAL OUTLAY
Our client, Orb Connect, is building a community-powered, peer-to-peer connectivity platform designed to solve one of the most persistent global infrastructure problems: affordable, scalable access to broadband.
Despite decades of investment, traditional broadband and mobile network models remain expensive, carbon-intensive, and poorly suited to rural, peri-urban and underserved communities. Over 2.9 billion people globally remain offline, while even connected households in developed markets face rising costs and fragmented services.
Our solution addresses this structural challenge by enabling communities to share connectivity locally, creating a seamless roaming Wi-Fi network that works across homes, streets and towns, without requiring new fibre rollout, towers or licensed spectrum.
Careerbook
Careerbook is an AI-powered workforce management and training coordination platform that enables enterprise organisations to understand, manage and optimise how their staff work, attend training, engage with events and maintain compliance.
PoolBar™-Transforming Poolside Hospitality: The World’s First Inflatable Luxury SwimUp Bar — Unique and Patented!
PoolBar Group Limited (PoolBar™) has created the world’s first patented inflatable luxury swim-up bar — unlocking a new revenue stream for the global hospitality sector.
- Patented inflatable swim-up bar engineered from military grade drop stitch materials
- 15-minute setup transforms underused areas into premium revenue-generating spaces
- Licensing model: £15,000 setup fee + £2,500 monthly recurring revenue per venue
- 360+ qualified leads from IAAPA Barcelona & Orlando exhibitions
- £250k raise (SEIS in process)
Every Journey – Smarter
Our client, PassageWay, offers a SaaS platform for the creation, management and delivery of real-time passenger information (RTPI) digital signs.
VIENGA CREATES UNIQUE MASS MARKET HYDRO TECHNOLOGY PROVIDING ENERGY FROM CURRENTLY UNUSED SOURCES
PATENTED GENERATOR MACHINERY, UNIVERSITY TESTED, CHEAPER THAN ANY COMPETING TECHNOLOGY
OPERATES GLOBALLY IN BOTH DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND THE DEVELOPED WORLD
Vienga is a start-up whose focused vision is to reduce energy poverty. Grid expansion in developed countries is problematic and expensive, whilst non-existent in others. Supplying affordable power is an immediate dilemma everywhere. But the world is not harnessing the full power of water.
Construo: Scaling the World’s First Global Collaborative Platform & Marketplace for the $12.1 Trillion Construction Industry
Live Global Platform | Revenue-Generating | Demonstrable Traction
First-mover advantage in a $12.1 trillion global industry
Experienced, sector-led management team with a proven ability to execute
AI Aware is a deep-tech company that has developed unique and proprietary advanced AI-generated content detection tools. These have been funded by four separate UK Government scientific grants over the past 18 months and are now being launched with 7 initial pilots in the UK. Our initial market focus is high-stakes text verification for legal, education, and publishing, where provenance, authorship, and trust are essential.
Invest in the future of sleep & join Zed Sleep in our ambitious mission to create a better-slept world.
- Zed Sleep is redefining a $20B sleepwear category, stagnant since the 1870s
- Developed with world-leading sleep scientists, design and performance experts and working in partnership with Loughborough University
- Backed by advisors ex-Apple, Team GB and Lululemon plus a former pro footballer
- First product launching this month to 1k+ waiting list plus athlete wearer trial and hospitality conversations in motion
The Family Office Operating System securing wealth forgenerations
Role: Investing Non-Executive Director (3 Positions Available)
Our client, Danti Global Limited, has built the world’s first Family Office Operating System designed specifically for the underserved mid-tier millionaire market. Danti unites a family’s financial assets, structures, documents, advisors, and the wisdom behind their success, enabling clarity, security and generational continuity.
The Jane Austen Society was founded in 1940 by Dorothy Darnell with the purpose of raising funds to preserve the Cottage in the village of Chawton, Hampshire, where Jane Austen lived with her mother and sister Cassandra from 1809 to 1817.
The Society exists to celebrate the nineteenth century British author by: promoting the appreciation and study of the life, work and times of Jane Austen and her family; preserving the manuscripts, letters and memorabilia of Jane Austen and her family; continuing a programme of scholarly publications; and supporting the work of Jane Austen's House, Chawton.
One or more Trustees are required for CEME, the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence. CEME was established in 2023 as a registered charity with the objective of contributing to regeneration of the Thames Gateway region. They are based in Rainham, East London.
An independent Non-Executive, Chair of the Audit is required for CEME, the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence. CEME are a registered charity contributing to the regeneration of the Thames Gateway region, creating prosperity and jobs, their main Campus is based in Rainham, East London.
A Non-Executive Director, with a view to becoming Non-Executive Chairman, is required for an AIM listed leading professional services company, Gateley Group plc, with headquarters in Birmingham, UK.
A Head of Volunteering, with excellent organisational skills is required for our client ShareSoc, a fast growing, highly influential, not-for-profit society created by investors for investors. The role will be home based.
ShareSoc aims to improve the investment experience for individual UK investors and to represent their best interests wherever this is needed, whether its lobbying, addressing wrongs or enabling better investment.
Tenterden Mindfulness Group (TMG) are seeking to recruit a suitably experienced Board Chair as the charity moves into its next stage of development. TMG is a leading provider of Mindfulness training both locally, in Kent and East Sussex, as well as nationally via on-line offerings. They are committed to helping improve physical, social, mental and emotional health through education in the practice of Mindfulness across the age spectrum.
Cleen Sun is an ESG start up in the clean energy sector, based in Northwood, Middlesex.
The business was established to develop a zero emissions clean energy system with a patented, innovative combustor assembly - Cleen Sun - which when fitted to existing process and power applications can increase net energy efficiency by up to 30%.
Cleen Sun is capable of operating across a variety of gaseous feedstocks, which while producing power, is effectively an energy efficiency tool, by virtue of the fact it requires no additional raw fuel to produce electricity. As such, on an incremental generation basis, it is effectively a zero-carbon technology.
Rusthall Lodge a well established care home in Tunbridge Wells are looking to appoint a Commercial Property Trustee.
Becoming a Trustee is a fantastic way to contribute your skills and expertise to a cause that you care about and is a great way to embark on a Non-Exec career. A Trustee role for a charity has the same responsibilities as being a Non-Executive Director for a company. Your role is to provide oversight of the organisation’s performance, ethics, finances and risks.
It is the Trustee’s role to ensure the Charity complies with charity law, that it is well run and in good financial shape. It should be delivering its charitable objectives to the best of its ability.
Tenterden Mindfulness Group (TMG) are seeking to recruit a suitably experienced Treasurer (Trustee) to guide and support financial control and growth as the charity moves into its next stage of development. TMG is a leading provider of Mindfulness training both locally, in Kent and East Sussex, as well as nationally via on-line offerings. They are committed to helping improve physical, social, mental and emotional health through education in the practice of Mindfulness across the age spectrum.
It is well documented that diverse Boards are more likely to have higher bottom-line revenue. A study from Deloitte, shows that inclusive teams outperform non-inclusive teams by 80%.
This is something companies understand in theory – but how do companies approach that in practice?
Rajesh Gupta, Chair of the BAME + Allies network for Argos shares his experiences and views of how to lead diversity and inclusion in a corporate environment.
Remuneration for AIM and Small Cap Companies – what does a good Remuneration policy look like?
Chris Spencer-Phillips, First Flight Non-Executive Directors & Cliff Weight - Sharesoc
Chris Spencer-Phillips is Managing Director of First Flight Non-Executive Directors, and Non-Executive Director at Sharesoc, an organisation dedicated to the support of individual investors (private shareholders as opposed to institutional). Their aim is to make and keep investors better informed, improve investment skills, and protect the value of investments.
Cliff Weight, Non-Executive Director Sharesoc has been a stock market investor since 1984. He now focuses on smaller growth companies. He is a Non-Executive Director of MM&K, a leading independent remuneration consultant, and has 30 years’ experience as a remuneration consultant advising many FTSE 350, Small Cap and AIM companies.
Becoming a Trustee is a fantastic way to contribute your skills and expertise to a cause that you care about and is a great way to embark on a Non Exec career. A Trustee role for a charity has the same responsibilities as being a Non-Executive Director for a company. Your role is to provide oversight of the organisation’s performance, ethics, finances and risks.
It is the Trustees role to ensure the Charity complies with charity law, that it is well run and in good financial shape. It should be delivering its charitable objectives to the best of its ability.
We are currently looking for Trustees to join the Board of Rusthall Car Home, based near Tunbridge Wells Kent....
As per the UK Corporate Governance Code (except for smaller companies), at least half the Board excluding the Chair should comprise Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) who are truly independent. A smaller company should have at least two independent NEDs.
Chris Spencer-Phillips, First Flight's Managing Director gives his view..
Pauline Rigby, Head of Corporate at Forbes Solicitors, gives advice to SMEs on the economic downturm as a result of Covid-19,
'Women have much to offer as Non-Executive Directors - and much to gain', Victoria McLean, founder and CEO of City CV writes for this month's Director magagine..
Company Matters, part of Link Asset Services have launched their first report exploring diversity within the boards of AIM and FTSE small cap companies. First Flight would like to share the results of their recent research (Sept 19).
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"If you're less experienced in any specific area, then plugging that gap with the knowledge and experience of a non-executive director can really pay ...
First Flight's Managing Director talks to The Law Society Gazette about becoming a Non-Executive Director, click 'here' to read the full article
A very interesting read on Startup Boards in Entrepreneur magazine...
First Flight Non-Executive Directors are delighted to have worked with Ideagen plc to appoint Richard Longdon as a Senior Independent Non-Executive Director.
David Hornsby, Ideagen's Executive Chairman, said of the appointment: "We will benefit hugely from his guidance and insight as Ideagen continues to execute its global growth strategy."
If you are considering working as a Trustee for a Charity Board here's a great article from Women on Boards following their recent Charity Boards event
Women on Boards announce the appointment of two independent Non-Executive Directors to their UK board.
First Flight Non-Executive Directors Ltd are pleased to announce the appointment of Gillian Wilmot to the ZOO Digital Board as Chairman with effect from 1st July 2019. Gillian who will also Chair the Remuneration Committee and act as a member of the Audit Committee, replaces Roger Jeynes who stepped down from the Board after serving a nine-year tenure.
Launched in 2016, the government-backed independent Hampton-Alexander Review set FTSE 350 businesses a target of having 33% of all board and senior leadership positions held by women by the end of 2020.
Our Managing Director Chris Spencer-Phillips is interviewed by Tamzin Freeman of Piworld giving his great knowledge and expertise on what a Non-Executive Director brings to a company and by implication what they bring to the Investor.....
We are pleased to announce a pro bono partnership with Academy Ambassadors. Academy Ambassadors provide a free, bespoke recruitment service to multi-academy trusts looking to strengthen their board. Since 2013, the not-for-profit programme funded by the Department for Education, Academy Ambassadors has helped trusts to fill over 950 board roles. Academy Ambassadors recruits high-calibre business candidates with skills in areas such as finance, law, audit, risk, change and growth management.
A great piece on 'How to Cut it as a Non-Exec' from the Chartered Management Institute..
Following a most inspiring and enjoyable two days at Mello London 'Investors' Event, we have had a request to make available our presentation on 'The Importance of the Right Board Directors'..
First Flight are exhibiting at Mello London, a unique Investor Event on 26th & 27th November 2018 held at the Clayton Hotel, Chiswick - please do come and join us.
Whilst most Non Execs know about the FRC and QCA Corporate Governance Codes for public companies, not so many have heard of the Wates Principles for corporate governance in larger private companies.
As AIM specialists we are delighted to announce that Dr Jan Groen has joined our client ANGLE plc, a world-leading liquid biopsy company, as Non-Executive Director effective 1 November 2018.
We are delighted to announce that Sophie Tomkins has joined our client Proactis Holdings plc, the global spend management and B2B eCommerce solution provider, as Senior Independent Non-Executive Director with immediate effect.
First Flight has had a number of clients in the regulated Financial Services sector and we are delighted that Robert Watsham has joined the First Flight team to address the growing need for Non Executive Directors within the Financial Services community.
In the summer, when some Non-Executive Directors might have been in holiday mode, the Financial Reporting Council published its latest version of the official UK corporate governance code.
First Flight and ShareSoc have long called for the Governance of AIM Companies to be improved following various frauds such as Globo, Quindell and a number of Chinese companies who have cost investors a great deal of money.
‘Overboarding’ – when Non-Executive Directors and Chairmen take on too many roles – is in the news because of recent shareholder rebellions at British American Tobacco, SSP and Meggitt where Marion Helmes, Vagn Sørensen and Sir Nigel Rudd respectively all faced opposition to their re-election. And in general, we at First Flight Non-Executive Directors side with the concerned shareholders. When recruiting a new NED or Chair, one of the first questions our search consultants ask candidates with current Non-Executive roles is how much time do their existing commitments take up, and how much headroom do they really have free if the unexpected happens?
In April 2018 The UK's Financial Conduct Authority confirmed the steps it wanted UK asset management to take to increase the competitiveness of their products (see FCA PS18/8 for the full report). Among the new rules is a requirement for authorised fund managers to appoint a minimum of two independent directors to their boards – but what does the FCA really mean by independent?
What makes a good Chair of a company? Its an interesting question and one we have tried to answer ourselves in the past, at least from the perspective of recruiting Company Chairmen. (NB: we use the word ‘Chairman’ because that is the title most of our clients use, regardless of whether a man or a woman holds the office, and it’s not meant to imply any gender-bias.)
With the many pressures and challenges facing housing boards currently - what makes a great housing association board? What are the skills and knowledge required around the boardroom table in order to be effective?
Following the NHF conference earlier this year, Gill Payne is Executive Director of Public Impact speaks about managing diversity, technical challenges, social and political predictions and bringing in young talent.
As a search firm specialising in NED recruitment, First Flight Non-Executive Directors has teamed up with the accountancy firm Hacker Young, law firm Wedlake Bell and company secretarial services provider Bridgehouse Company Secretaires to form a Governance Group which runs quarterly 'Bite Sized' seminars for Chairmen, Non-Execs, Executive Directors and Co Secs.
An Interesting article from the IoD on why SMEs should not ignore governance. As many of First Flight’s NED recruitment searches are for SME clients, it’s an opinion we agree with, although improving their governance is just one of the reasons why SMEs recruit Non Execs: expertise, experience, commercial acumen, management know-how, broadening the skill-base, risk awareness, professional reputation, and help with making them more investable, are just some of the others.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority engaged First Flight Non-Executive Directors to conduct and independant review to the approach and appointment of one of their members as a Non-Executive Director Board member for their commercial fire safety business Red One.
Financial Conduct Authority publishes final report into asset management sector, recommending that at least two independent Non-Executive Directors are appointed to all AFM (Authorised Fund Manager) boards.
Boards in the UK and across the globe are experiencing increased pressure driven by high profile corporate scandals, investor dissatisfaction, questioning of Director Remuneration, a lack of contribution from many Non-Exexcutive Directors and financial regulation.
Ciscos last problem page explored what a Board of Directors can do for your start-up and how to build one.
Today we will look at why you might consider extending your Boards membership to include Non- Executive members who don't hold a full time role within the company.
HSBC Plc (HSBC) has chosen an outsider to be its Chairman for the first time.
Mark Tucker has has been named the bank's new group chairman and director. He will take up the position on September 1st. following his stewardship of AIA Group.
In EY's new report, Demystifying family boards: strong governance builds a legacy for generations who cannot read the annual report of a major public company without finding somewhere in come, they discuss how families need to decide on the right governing body for the size and stage of their business, as well as help their members understan their role within the business.
You cannot read the annual report of a major public company without finding somewhere in the musings of the chairman or chief executive a paragraph on the talents, diligence and resourcefulness of the employees, “who are without doubt the company’s most important asset”.
Recruitment firm Ferguson Partners released a report showing that the real estate investment trust (REIT) industry is lagging behind others in improving gender diversity on boards in both the United Kingdom and United States.
It is good to hear our Prime Minister endorsing the need for Non Execs to not be drawn from the same, narrow social and professional circles.
t will be held at The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, Euston Road, London, NW1
Non-Executive Director (Non Exec) is required for the Manufacturing Technology Centre Ltd (MTC).
Our next Non Exec Workshop will be held on 17th March 2016, It will be held at The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, Euston Road, London, NW1
Boards are spending more time in answering the crucial question of what skills and qualities they need to enable their company to be successful; some analysis such as a Board Evaluation (either internal or external) should be carried out to ascertain the required composition of the Board.
