Executive networks and communities bring senior leaders together for peer support, shared learning and connection. They include CEO and executive peer groups, chair and NED forums, women-only leadership networks, functional communities for roles such as CFO, CHRO and CMO, mastermind groups and invitation-only membership organisations.
Compare executive networks, peer advisory groups and leadership communities across the UK by who can join, seniority, type of network, how to join, membership cost and independent ratings.
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Boardwave is a free, partner-funded peer community for European technology founders and chief executives, registered in Canterbury and set up in 2022.
It is open to founders, chief executive officers (CEOs), chairs and non-executive directors (NEDs) of European technology, software-as-a-service (SaaS), artificial intelligence (AI) and software-enabled businesses scaling towards and past €100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). Full Membership, for companies with about €1 million to over €100 million ARR, includes small moderated peer groups called Breakouts, dinners and one-to-one executive mentoring from leaders a stage ahead. Digital Membership, for earlier-stage companies with up to €1 million ARR, covers masterclasses, peer mentoring and the online platform. Applications are reviewed one by one, and bootstrapped, venture-backed and private equity-owned companies can all apply.
Membership costs nothing, because partner firms such as investors and advisers fund the community. Events range from small dinners to an annual conference, Boardwave Live, and the online directory lists more than 2,000 vetted members. The company, Boardwave Ltd (number 14105403), was co-founded by Kath Easthope, its chief executive, and Phill Robinson, its chair. It states that it has donated more than £350,000 to Cure Parkinson's.
Application and vettingCEOs and foundersBoard and chairs
Chapter Zero is a not-for-profit forum for non-executive directors and chairs on climate governance, founded in 2019 and based in Canterbury, Kent.
Members are non-executive directors (NEDs), senior independent directors and chairs on listed, private, government and non-profit boards, with an associate tier for people who do not hold a current NED role. It runs roundtables, workshops, webinars and conferences, online or in person, and publishes briefings, a monthly bulletin, a Knowledge Hub and toolkits including a Transition Planning Toolkit and a Board Toolkit. In return for free membership, members are asked to take part in events and an annual survey.
Membership is free. Chapter Zero Limited is a company limited by guarantee, funded by philanthropic organisations including the Children's Investment Fund Foundation and the IKEA Foundation. It was developed with support from the Hughes Hall Centre for Climate Engagement at the University of Cambridge, and belongs to Chapter Zero Alliance, a network of 34 chapters in more than 70 countries. It states it has more than 3,700 members, and that 73% of companies in the FTSE 350 share index have at least one member on their board.
The Association of Chairs is a London-based membership charity for chairs and boards of charities and non-profit organisations, incorporated in 2012.
It serves chairs, co-chairs, vice-chairs, aspiring chairs and trustees of non-profits of any size, and states that it has over 1,700 members. Membership gives access to member-only resources, chair support and mentoring, free events and webinars, Chairing Essentials or Board Essentials training, an online community and regional and sector groups. Events and training run online and in person. It also runs Chairs in Need, a support service, and publishes a free guide, A Chair's Compass, written by co-founders Ros Oakley and Ruth Lesirge.
For 2025 to 2026, individual membership costs £70 a year where the organisation's income is under £5 million and £140 above that. Board membership covers the whole board and costs £175 to £495 a year depending on income, with 15% off a three-year sign-up and a limited number of bursaries. It gives its charity number as 1154293 and is a company limited by guarantee. Liz Lowther became chief executive in June 2025.
Henley Business School is the business school of the University of Reading, founded in 1945, with campuses in Reading and Henley-on-Thames.
Its executive education is aimed at managers, senior leaders and board-level executives. It is offered as open programmes, custom programmes for organisations, apprenticeships at Levels 6 and 7, and Executive MBA and master's degrees. Coaching courses are run through the Henley Centre for Coaching. The Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching lasts nine months part-time, with three full-day workshops held at the Greenlands campus or live online, and asks for at least five years' management experience. Further certificates cover advanced coaching practice, team and systemic coaching and coaching supervision. The MSc in Coaching for Behavioural Change takes at least 30 months part-time.
The Professional Certificate costs £7,250 and the MSc £25,800, both exempt from VAT, or £18,550 for the MSc if the certificate has already been completed. The certificate is accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) at Level 1, the Association for Coaching (AC) and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) at Senior Practitioner level. The school states that it holds accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). It reports more than 7,000 students and 107,000 alumni. Henley Management College merged with the University of Reading in 2008.
Professional credentials
ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), EMCC EIA Senior Practitioner
YPO, formerly the Young Presidents' Organization, is a global membership community for chief executives, founded in 1950 and based in Irving, Texas.
Applicants must be under 45 and the top operational leader of a company or division, with final decision-making authority and full profit and loss accountability. Companies must also meet size thresholds, such as at least 50 full-time employees and, for sales, service and manufacturing businesses, annual revenue of 16 million US dollars or more. Members join a local chapter and a small confidential peer group called a forum. They can also join virtual interest-based networks and attend local, regional, global and virtual learning events, with academic partners including Harvard, Stanford, London Business School and the Aspen Institute.
Joining costs a one-time initiation fee of 4,790 US dollars plus annual dues of 4,790 US dollars, which rise each year at least in line with the Consumer Price Index. Local chapter dues are charged on top. YPO states that it has more than 38,000 members in 150 countries. It is a peer membership organisation rather than a training or coaching provider.
Membership criteria applyCEOs and founders
Executive networking groupsCEO & C-suite forumsMasterminds & peer advisory groups
Irving, Texas, United StatesNo Google or Trustpilot reviews
Criticaleye is a London-based peer-to-peer community for board-level leaders, whose UK company, Criticaleye (Europe) Ltd, was incorporated in 2002.
Its members are chief executives, chief financial officers, chief people officers, chairs and non-executive directors (NEDs). Executive Membership gives a senior executive access to the peer network, board mentors and a personal relationship manager. Corporate Membership covers five or more executives from one organisation for at least two years. NED Membership is for chairs, NEDs and senior independent directors, with confidential roundtables and events on governance, risk oversight and boardroom dynamics. The Chair Ready Programme is a 12-month pathway for experienced NEDs and first-time chairs, run through virtual masterclasses and roundtables, and ends with certification. Other formats include pop-up boards, retreats and forums.
Membership prices are not published. The website lists more than 110 board mentors, all of whom have led organisations and now work at board level. A second company, Criticaleye (Asia) Ltd, runs an office in Hong Kong and an Asia leaders membership. The chief executive is Matthew Blagg. Logos on the website include Drax Group, Legal & General, NatWest Group, NATS and Rolls-Royce, though it does not say which are members.
CEO & C-suite forumsMasterminds & peer advisory groupsInternational executive networks
EO London is the London chapter of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), a global peer network for business owners that has operated since 1987.
Full membership is open to owners, founders or majority shareholders of a business with at least US$1 million in revenue in its latest financial year, and to venture-backed companies with set funding levels and at least 10 employees. Members join a Forum, a confidential group of 6 to 10 members that meets monthly and is led by a trained peer moderator. They can also attend local, regional and global events, webinars and executive education. A separate Accelerator programme is for owners of businesses with revenue of US$250,000 to US$1 million, who meet monthly in small accountability groups and attend quarterly Scaling Up workshops.
Accelerator members pay £1,050 in local dues and US$1,750 in global dues each year. Fees for full membership are not published. EO states it has more than 19,000 members in 221 chapters across 60 countries. It is a membership network, not a coaching or consulting provider.
Application and vettingCEOs and founders
Executive networking groupsCEO & C-suite forumsMasterminds & peer advisory groups
Women of the Future Network is an invitation-only network for high-achieving women in the UK, set up in 2007 as part of the Women of the Future Programme.
Members are drawn from the shortlists and champions of the Women of the Future Awards and the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, and from other programme initiatives that support younger women. The network runs a series of events each year where members share experiences and build business relationships, including business lunches, drinks receptions and morning networking sessions. Hosts have included KPMG and Rio Tinto, and some events are held online. Members work in fields such as science, technology, health, media, finance and design, and range from early-career specialists to chief executives.
Membership fees are not published, and people can register their interest through a form on the website. The network says it has more than 1,000 members. It has also launched in Asia Pacific, where events have included receptions at the British High Commission in Singapore. The wider programme is led by its founder, Pinky Lilani, a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and Deputy Lieutenant (DL), who set up the Women of the Future Awards in 2006.
Women onlyNomination or invitation onlyAll career stages
Wavelength is a leadership development company registered in Buckinghamshire, which has taken senior leaders on overseas study tours since 2008.
Its programmes are built around visits to other organisations and conversations with the people who run them. Global Tours are week-long trips for chief executives and executive committee members, with named tours including Inside Silicon Valley, Inside Digital China and The Future of Business, UK. Connect is a nine-month programme for executive committee members and the two levels below. The 2026 cohort of 70 leaders has two three-day rural retreats, a two-day final event, visits to host organisations, online peer group sessions and optional one-to-one executive coaching. Inspire is a subscription of six live online sessions of 90 minutes each, running from March to September for wider leadership groups. It also runs a speaker bureau called SpeakersHub and designs programmes for individual leadership teams.
Prices are not published, and Connect places are arranged directly with the company rather than booked online. Companies House lists the company as Wavelength Companies Limited (number 06451333), incorporated in December 2007. Clients named on its website include Tesco, Royal Bank of Scotland, Aldermore Bank, All Saints and the National Health Service (NHS). Its website says more than 500 leaders subscribe to Inspire across Europe, North America and the Middle East.
City Women Network (CWN) is a London-based membership network for women in business and the professions, founded in the City of London in 1978.
It began among women in banking and law and now has individual and corporate members from a range of sectors, including employees, self-employed entrepreneurs and women moving on from corporate careers. Members go to career development, wellbeing, networking and social events, can watch recordings of past events, and get a members-only area and LinkedIn group. They also see external board and trust roles. Members can volunteer as mentors or coaches on its mentoring and coaching programme, which typically asks for about an hour a month over six months.
Individual membership costs £195 a year or £22 a month. Corporate membership covers up to 20 people at a price that is not published, and includes free entry to most CWN events, the option to host events, places on the mentoring and coaching programme and up to two places on its Rising Star Programme. The website lists an 11-member board, and the network supports a charity partner, Woman's Trust.
Women onlyOpen to joinAll career stages
Executive networking groups
London, United KingdomNo Google or Trustpilot reviews
Women in PR (WPR) is a UK membership network for senior and middle-management women working in public relations, with most events held in London.
Full and digital membership are open to public relations practitioners with five or more years' experience, or those working at middle-management or director level. Full membership is meant for people who can get to events in London and includes free entry to standard in-person events and all online events. Digital membership is for those further away and covers online events and one in-person event in their region. Members can apply for a 12-month mentoring programme run with PRWeek UK, which pairs mentees with women in very senior UK PR roles for at least six sessions. Employers can buy group memberships at a 10% discount.
Full membership costs £100 a year or £10 a month, and digital membership £50 a year or £5 a month. Members are all female or female-identifying, although men are welcome at events. WPR also keeps a directory of women speakers, campaigns on issues affecting women in the industry and gives members links to Global Women in PR. It is run by an elected committee of 20, led by its president, Ginny Paton.
Women onlyMembership criteria applySenior leadersEmerging and mid-level leaders
Women in Film & TV (UK), known as WFTV, is a London-based not-for-profit membership body for women in film, television and digital media, formed in 1989.
Any woman working in any role in the media industries can join, either as a personal member or through corporate membership, which covers all women at the member company. Members get a weekly programme of online and in-person events, more than 270 online webinars, a weekly newsletter and discounted tickets to the WFTV Awards, held each December. The Four Nations Mentoring Scheme gives mid-career women six months of mentoring with senior industry figures, with seminars in London, Manchester, Leeds, Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow. The Fast Track to Fearless Leadership Programme takes 12 senior leaders a year for six group coaching days and three individual coaching sessions, and is free.
Personal membership costs £120 a year or £10 a month, including value added tax (VAT). Corporate membership is priced by company size. WFTV is part of Women in Film & Television International, a network of more than 12,000 women. It is led by chief executive Katie Bailiff, and its legal entity, Women in Film & Television (UK) Limited, was incorporated in 1990 as a company limited by guarantee.
Women onlyMembership criteria applyAll career stages
Industry associations & private clubsInternational executive networks
London, United KingdomNo Google or Trustpilot reviews
