Member Article

Withers Consulting Group Launch Non-Executive Director Programme

Family business and wealth management specialist, Withers Consulting Group has teamed up with Cranfield School of Management to launch a specialist two-day programme for current and aspiring non-executive directors.

The Non-Executive Director Programme for Family Businesses will provide participants from all business backgrounds with an understanding of the non-executive director role, its place in a family business and an awareness of the skills required to fulfill it.

The aim on completion of the programme is that participants will recognise the role of a non-executive director and be more effective when helping family businesses to achieve success.

Key benefits include:

Recognition of the range of interests in a family business and how these affect decision-making and growth of both the business and the family; Understanding of the resources a family business can use to achieve continued entrepreneurial growth and how the same resources can undermine success; Appreciation of the broad scope of family business governance and how this differs from conventional corporate governance.

The programme, running from 8th to 9th October, will cover topics including the unique features of family companies, the dynamic between a business, the family and ownership dimensions, the life cycle of a family business, and insight from non-executive director and family business speakers.

Successful applicants will receive two days’ tuition, all course materials, full board accommodation at Cranfield and lifelong access to Alumni Membership benefits.

Ken McCracken, co-founder of Withers Consulting Group, which will support the programme with its extensive family business experience, said: “Non-executive directors can add value to a family enterprise in several ways. They bring outside experience and independent judgement to major matters requiring board decisions. They can act as a link between the board and the shareholders, provide the benefit of their personal contacts and help to ensure that the overall governance of a family enterprise operates effectively.

“This programme has been specially created to ensure that it addresses the practicalities of Family business NED roles, as contrasted with the wider role of an NED.”

Programme director Dr Ruth Bender, Reader in Corporate Financial Strategy at Cranfield School of Management, added: “We have been running successful NED programmes at Cranfield for many years, but the family environment is unique, and we decided that a bespoke course was the only way to address that. Partnering with Withers Consulting Group meant that we could add their knowledge to our own, to create something original that gives great value to those attending.”

Find out more and apply on the Cranfield School of Management website: http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/p24594/Programmes-and-Executive-Development/OEP-Home/Programmes/Leadership/NEDS-for-family-businesses

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Withers Consulting Group .