Be part of something special

Our advisory boards are a unique support offering for the leaders of small and medium-sized businesses taking part in 'The Productivity Programme’. Small groups of volunteers are put together to form a confidential, impartial advisory board that supports and encourages the thinking of business owners taking part. Past participants have found, time and time again, that becoming part of a board helps them build out their leadership, influencing and overall business skillsets.

Each board will discuss goals and challenges that the business leader brings to them, providing constructive questions to unlock thinking and making suggestions for avenues to explore. Goals or challenges will be unique to each business, but could involve things such as:

1. Ensuring clarity on strategic direction

2. Working through the implications of new plans,
   ideas or improvements

3. Helping the business leader execute plans for
   sustainable growth

4. Suggesting structures to improve accountability

The advisory board provides ideas and input, but does not have any legal obligations or responsibilities.

Enhance your non-executive style board skills

We’ll match you with three other experienced leaders, each with different specialisms and backgrounds. Together you'll form an advisory board and work together to help a business leader solve some real life challenges.

Build experience in chairing a board

We ask board members to take turns to chair board meetings – giving you the opportunity to experience other people’s style of chairing as well as chairing yourself.

Hone your mentoring skills

In addition to the skills developed in your role as a board member, some volunteers may be nominated to work with the business leaders in hour-long 1:1 sessions.

Leave us to sort the admin

We'll match businesses to boards, ensuring there are no conflicts of interest. We then assign a board administrator who will handle all the administrative tasks for you.

As little as six hours in six months

Each small business that takes part in the programme benefits from four 90 minute online meetings with their assigned board, over a six month period. Once that initial business has completed the programme, the majority of our board members stay with us and get involved with a new business.

Be open to new challenges

The businesses on our programme come from all different sectors, sizes and stages. You may not know anything about a particular kind of business, but leadership expertise is highly transferable.

Maintain confidentiality

Confidentiality is critical as business leaders will share information that helps you understand their business. As board members you may choose to do the same.

Optional mentoring

If you express interest in being a mentor, you may also provide two separate 60-minute online mentoring sessions in months when there is no other meeting scheduled.

A huge range of people, all with a minimum of 5 years senior leadership experience.

Our volunteers come from leading corporates, successful small businesses, the third sector, local government, retirees and beyond.

The most common motivations are helping others, developing skills, enhancing CVs and taking on an interesting challenge, but everyone is different.

You’ll work with businesses from all sectors, sizes and stages with a minimum of 3 employees​.

The small business leader who participates in ‘The Productivity Programme’ must be the main decision maker in their business, but other leadership team members can be invited to board meetings too​.

Leading a business is lonely, and it’s hard to know if you are making the right calls.  Inviting insight and challenge from others can help you build up your own skills and confidence in decisions.

Meetings are scheduled at regular times and well in advance. We know life happens, so just let us know if you can’t attend.  If you are likely to miss more than one meeting, we will look to move you to a different board at a more suitable time. ​

If you are UK based and have 5+ years of senior leadership experience this is for you.

You will attend an online onboarding call with other volunteers. We will talk through how the programme works and what’s expected of you in more detail, answering any questions you have

Register your interest on this page.