Board Advisory services
Board-level challenge and expertise, on a flexible basis.
A board advisor tackles specific challenges and supplies expertise where your leadership team has gaps — strategic input, challenge to assumptions, and objective feedback — without day-to-day involvement and without the fiduciary duties of a statutory director.
Advisors work alongside your leadership rather than inside it. They bring pattern recognition from other companies, ask the questions your team may be too close to ask, and give you a trusted outside perspective on the decisions that matter most.
Because an advisor is not a statutory board member, engagements are lighter to set up, easier to adjust, and free of the legal and fiduciary responsibilities of a Non-Executive Director.
What an advisor does
Advisors are engaged for judgement, not execution. Typical contributions include:
- Strategic input on positioning, market entry, capital strategy and organisational design.
- Constructive challenge to leadership plans and assumptions before they are set in stone.
- Objective feedback on progress, risks and where the team is over- or under-investing.
- Introductions and network access in a specific sector, function or geography.
- Preparation for a board process, fundraise or future governance changes.
Board advisor vs Non-Executive Director (NED)
| Dimension | Board advisor | Non-Executive Director |
|---|---|---|
| Formal board seat | No | Yes |
| Fiduciary duty | None | Full — statutory duty of care and loyalty |
| Voting rights | None | Formal vote at board meetings |
| Time commitment | 4–8 hours per month | One or two board days per month + prep |
| Compensation | Equity via FAST (cash / hybrid optional) | Cash retainer + equity, D&O insurance |
| Engagement contract | FAST agreement | Letter of appointment + articles |
Fractional executive vs board advisor
| Dimension | Fractional executive | Board advisor |
|---|---|---|
| What they do | Own an operational function part-time | Give strategic input on decisions |
| Cadence | 1–3 days a week | 4–8 hours a month |
| Accountability | KPIs, weekly delivery, into CEO | Advice, no delivery ownership |
| Compensation | Monthly retainer | Equity via FAST (usually) |
| Best for | Filling a functional gap or sprint | Access to a specific perspective or network |
When to consider a board advisor
Bring in an advisor when the decision in front of you is bigger than the experience currently around the table:
- You are making a big, hard-to-reverse decision — a new market, a pivot, an acquisition.
- The company is growing faster than the leadership team's prior experience.
- You are entering unfamiliar territory — a new sector, geography, regulatory regime or customer segment.
- You are preparing for a raise, an exit process or the eventual move to a formal board.
- You want senior challenge on strategy without adding a statutory director's duties.
How advisors are matched
Advisors are drawn from the same vetted pool as our fractional executives. You describe the challenge, and we surface advisors whose track record maps to it — including current or former operators, sector specialists and experienced non-executives.
Frequently asked questions
Need senior challenge, not another hire?
Describe the decision or challenge in front of you and we will match you to advisors who have been there before.
Start an advisor brief