"Our analysis shows there has been an explosion of NED vacancies in the public sector, particularly in healthcare, but many professionals may not see themselves as a suitable fit for such roles "
Oliver Tarpey
The Healthcare sector is in need of experienced leaders and executives, from a range of backgrounds, to fill a surge of Non-Executive Director (NED) positions across the UK, according to new findings.
The Insights, developed by elite business network, In Touch, illustrate the current trends in vacancies and salaries for non-executive director positions in the UK.
The available roles require expertise spanning a broad range of specialisms including marketing, finance, and governance, with London and Yorkshire and the Humber displaying the highest demand for experienced leaders within the UK’s healthcare sector.
The charity and education sectors come in second and third place respectively, with
management and then sport, leisure and travel making up the top five most in-demand NED sectors.
Combined with detailed insights from its own annual NED salary survey, In Touch’s analysis has revealed a stark gap in the supply of experienced leaders needed to fill high-paying positions in many of the top sectors.
“Our analysis shows there has been an explosion of NED vacancies in the public sector, particularly in healthcare, but many professionals may not see themselves as a suitable fit for such roles,” said Oliver Tarpey of In Touch, a leading network for board-level professionals, who developed the insights.
“In large organisations such as the NHS, the vast array of specialities and experience that NEDs can bring are invaluable. Professionals need to be proactive by gaining access to training and support to ensure their skills are deemed valuable to boards across multiple industries.
“This is particularly true in the fields of health, charity, education, management and sport, and we know there are tens of thousands of people – experienced leaders and ambitious executives – who could contribute a wealth of knowledge to develop these sectors further by becoming a non-executive director.
“Business leaders with experience across any sector can become NEDs, and whether it’s for personal development, a sense of giving back or simply supplementing their earnings, there are good reasons to explore the extensive opportunities that are currently available.”
In terms of salaries NEDs can earn, Healthcare and Pharma remuneration can rise to more than £70,000 per year. In London, the average salary for NEDs in healthcare is £29,799, with an average UK-wide of £12,224 per role.
Of the five sectors where non-executive directors were most in demand, In Touch can reveal the average salaries for 2019 were:
- Healthcare and Pharma £12,224
- Charity/not-for-profit, £13,802
- Education £6,913
- General Management £13,758
- Sport, Leisure and Travel £4,953
“Many people have thought about becoming a NED, but never really explored how to go about it,” Tarpey added. “In Touch is the market leader for the development and coaching of board-level professionals, so we’re determined to help more leaders and executives find a role in order to fill the growing numbers of NED vacancies we’re seeing in the UK right now.”
A recent In Touch survey showed that the main time commitment for a NED in the UK is between 11 and 15 days per annum (25 per cent of respondents), meaning many executives can hold multiple NED roles.
Through their award-winning platform, In Touch provides members with tools to further enhance their career development. This includes executive coaching, training, CV writing and webinars as well as providing members with a range of networking opportunities.
