Ask Timpo: becoming a non-executive

by John Timpson - Thursday, 6th September 2007 -

I can understand your wish to stay active and search for a new fulfilling role, but think twice before you help other people tick the governance box and become a meeting junkie.

There are many non-executive roles out there, particularly if you are happy to make your contribution to a government agency. You could start your search by typing the word “quango” into Google.

It will display a whole range of opportunities. For example, there is the chance to apply for a role at the Better Regulation Commission and “work with a range of stakeholders to contribute timely and considered advice to the government on a range of regulatory issues”.

Unfortunately, that job is unpaid, but you could pick up £250 per meeting as chairman of the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council, or a more healthy £7,500 a year as a non-executive member of a primary care trust. I wonder, however, whether this is the sort of thing you are looking for.

A cushy job is unlikely to banish the boredom and I suspect a nonexecutive role will fail to provide the adrenalin that made your business career so exciting. Assuming your son would not welcome your return, why not bring your world back to life by starting up or buying another business?