NED services help people move into and succeed in non-executive director and board roles. This covers NED and board-readiness training, NED coaching and mentoring, CV and profile support, board search and matching, and professional networks for aspiring and sitting non-executive directors, chairs and trustees.
Compare NED training providers, board search firms and non-executive networks across the UK by what you need, who it is for, type of board, price and independent ratings.
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In Professional Development (INPD) is a management and leadership training provider based in Appley Bridge, Greater Manchester, founded in 2018.
It runs open and in-house programmes for directors, senior leaders and managers, most lasting 2 to 5 days, delivered online, in London or Manchester, or at the client's site. Many lead to Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 5 or Level 7 awards and certificates, including a Level 7 Certificate in Leadership Coaching and Mentoring, assessed by written assignments. After its 5-day Executive Mini MBA Accelerator or Directors Development Programme Accelerator, learners can take a postgraduate certificate (PG Cert) validated by the University of Chester. It also offers one-to-one and team executive coaching, typically 6 to 12 sessions of 60 to 90 minutes over 3 to 6 months, from a pool it says has more than 150 coaches.
Individual places are listed from £1,400 plus value added tax (VAT) for the 2-day Finance for Non-Finance Managers course to £3,250 plus VAT for the Directors Development Programme Accelerator. In-house group delivery is listed from £2,750 plus VAT per day, and coaching prices are not published. It states that it became a CMI approved centre in June 2019. The company, In-Professional Development Ltd (number 10777587), was incorporated in May 2017, and its website names clients including Siemens Energy, the National Health Service (NHS), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Toyota and KPMG.
Training provider
NED training & developmentFor aspiring NEDsFor experienced NEDs
Appley Bridge, Wigan, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom 4.7 (891)
VirtualNonExecs is a UK membership network for non-executive directors (NEDs), chairs and board advisors, founded by Ian Wright in 2019.
It connects members with companies, private equity and venture capital investors, family offices and founders looking for board members. Subscribing for access to posted board roles is free, and a paid Networker Pro upgrade adds a profile review, fee benchmarks and weekly board introductions. Organisations can use its HiringZone search service, which shortlists chairs, NEDs and fractional advisors from the network for a fixed fee agreed up front, and aims to produce a first shortlist in under five days. DealZone shares off-market capital raises and business sales with members. With Cranfield School of Management it offers the Non-Executive Directors Essentials Programme, an online, self-paced course of 8 modules and 24 short lessons covering governance and directors' duties, board finance, board effectiveness, the role of the chair, artificial intelligence (AI) and sustainability. It is stage one of the Cranfield NED pathway, awards a verified Cranfield digital badge on completion, starts on enrolment with no fixed dates, and access does not expire.
Membership prices and HiringZone fees are not published on its public pages. The Non-Executive Directors Essentials Programme costs £1,999 plus value added tax (VAT), or £1,499 plus VAT for Networker Pro members, and is provided by Cranfield Management Development Ltd, a subsidiary of Cranfield University. It states it has more than 30,000 members. Leonard Curtis, a professional services group, announced in November 2024 that it had acquired a majority stake. The company, Virtualnonexecs Limited, was incorporated in 2017 and took its current name in July 2019. Ian Wright is founder and chief executive, and Gary Cain is managing director.
Membership network or professional body
NED role matchingBoard search / headhunterNED training & development
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.
Membership network or professional body
NED training & developmentPeer network / communityGovernance & ESG focus
MRA Executive Coaching is an executive coaching, coach training and coaching supervision firm based in Cranleigh, Surrey, founded in 2011.
Its board and non-executive director (NED) work covers board effectiveness reviews, executive and family board coaching, and the Advanced Non-Executive Director Professional Accreditation for senior executives and aspiring NEDs. That programme begins with three one-to-one coaching sessions and a Hogan psychometric assessment, followed by a coaching qualification, NED Coaching with Confidence, taught over five full-day modules. The firm also offers one-to-one and senior team coaching, leadership training, career transition coaching and a Level 5 coaching qualification. That qualification runs over 16 weeks, face to face or online, and is accredited by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) Global.
Prices are not published. MRA has been a certified B Corporation since April 2023 and displays the logo of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). The company is Matthew Radley & Associates Limited, led by its chief executive, Matthew Radley, and it runs an annual £10,000 Social Impact Fund.
Training provider
NED training & developmentGovernance & ESG focusFor aspiring NEDs
Cranleigh, Surrey, United KingdomNo Google or Trustpilot reviews
Starbuck & Associates is a Lincolnshire-based coaching and leadership development firm, winner of the National Coaching Awards Coaching Business of the Year 2025 and a certified B Corp.
Their team of ICF Master Certified Coaches (MCCs), placing them in the top 4% of coaches globally, delivers CEO and executive coaching, team coaching, NED coaching, and accelerating women in leadership programmes.
ICF accredited coach training is delivered under The Coaching Craft brand, with ACC (ICF Level 1) and PCC (ICF Level 2) routes and an MCC route on a waiting list. ELCAS funding is available for service leavers.
Rated Excellent on Trustpilot, with ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certification.
NED training & developmentFor aspiring NEDsBoard readiness training
Cranfield School of Management is the business school of Cranfield University, based at Cranfield in Bedfordshire and formally established in 1967.
Its executive development arm runs open programmes, custom programmes for organisations, online short courses, apprenticeships and business simulations. Open programmes are grouped for levels from individual contributors and line managers through to directors, the C-suite and boards. The Breakthrough Leadership Programme, for senior managers moving into director roles, combines virtual learning, two five-day residential modules on campus and review sessions at 6 and 12 months, with a coach throughout. For current and aspiring non-executive directors (NEDs) it runs the Non-Executive Directors' Programme, a three-day residential course at Cranfield campus, and the Non-Executive Directors Essentials Programme, an online, self-paced course of 8 modules developed with VirtualNonExecs and booked through it as stage one of the Cranfield NED pathway. Named clients include Jaguar Land Rover, BAE Systems, Shell, L'Oréal and UNICEF.
Fees are published for each programme, for example £17,950 plus value added tax (VAT) for the Breakthrough Leadership Programme, including accommodation, £3,950 plus VAT for the Non-Executive Directors' Programme, including accommodation, and £1,999 plus VAT for the Non-Executive Directors Essentials Programme. The school states it is accredited by AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), the Association of MBAs (AMBA) and the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). In the Financial Times 2026 executive education rankings it placed 29th globally for open programmes and 21st for custom programmes.
Training provider
NED training & developmentFor aspiring NEDsFor experienced NEDs
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.
Membership network or professional body
NED training & developmentPeer network / communityTrustee / charity focus
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
NEDonBoard, now operating as the Institute of Board Members, is a UK professional body for non-executive directors and board members. It offers the NED Accelerator programme and other board-readiness training, a job board, CPD and a community for directors at every career stage, from aspiring NEDs to serving board members.
Membership network or professional body
NED role matchingBoard search / headhunterNED training & development
The Institute of Directors (IoD) is the UK's professional body for company directors, founded in 1903 and operating under a Royal Charter. It provides director training and qualifications (including the Chartered Director designation), governance guidance, policy representation, and member services, and its NED Hub offers factsheets, guides, webinars and CPD specifically for non-executive directors.
Membership network or professional body
NED training & developmentPeer network / communityGovernance & ESG focus
Green Park is a London-based talent advisory and executive search firm, founded in 2006, with a second office in New York.
Its services are executive search, interim leadership, leadership advisory and board recruitment for chair, trustee and non-executive director (NED) roles. It states that around half of its assignments each year are non-executive roles. A separate practice, branded DICE, works on diversity, inclusion and culture, offering inclusion audits and diagnostics, inclusive leadership training and coaching, diverse talent mapping and longer partnerships for private, public and third sector organisations. Programme lengths are not published.
Fees are not published, and a free first consultation is offered. The trading company, Green Park Interim & Executive Limited (number 05672094), was incorporated in January 2006. Its website lists International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 quality management recognition since 2008, Disability Confident Committed status since 2020 and the Hampton-Alexander Enhanced Code of Conduct accreditation since 2017, and it displays a Cyber Essentials Plus badge. It also runs the Race Equality Matters initiative.
London, United KingdomNo Google or Trustpilot reviews
Salford Professional Development is the commercial training arm of the University of Salford, based in Salford and set up as a company in 2012.
This listing covers its Non-Executive Director Programme, a two-day course for people seeking a non-executive director (NED) role or a portfolio career. It covers how the NED role differs from an executive director's, the legal framework, formal duties and liabilities, interpersonal skills in the boardroom, and how to secure a first role and manage a portfolio career. Teaching uses case studies, role-play, scenarios and structured group discussion. It runs as a live virtual classroom or on the University of Salford campus. The tutor is John Palfreyman, Associate Professor of Digital Strategy at the University of Leeds, who advises boards.
The programme costs £1,195 plus VAT. Other director-level courses include Board Dynamics and Corporate Governance, which can count towards a Certified Directors Programme that ends in a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 8 Certificate in Strategic Direction and Leadership. The site displays the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) and continuing professional development (CPD) logos, though the NED programme page names no accreditation. The company is Salford Professional Development Limited, incorporated on 3 July 2012.
Training provider
NED training & developmentGovernance & ESG focusFor aspiring NEDs
