FractionalFRACTIONAL|ABU DHABI
Non-executive directors

Independent judgement, for exactly as long as it matters

Non-executive directors drawn from our collective of curated, vetted C-suite operators: years of hands-on leadership, brought to board level. Matched to the stage, sector and challenge of your business, and engaged for the time the role actually needs.

350+Vetted operators
1–2 daysA month, typically
WeeksTo appoint
A bright modern boardroom with a long table in soft morning light
Proven leadership

Our directors have led at

First Abu Dhabi Bank
Mubadala
Emirates NBD
Majid Al Futtaim
HSBC
Goldman Sachs
McKinsey & Company
PwC
A senior executive by a window, reviewing board papers
The definition

What a non-executive director is

A non-executive director is a board member with no role in day-to-day management. They govern rather than manage: challenging and supporting the executive team, bringing independence to the decisions that matter most, and giving investors confidence in how the company is run.

IndependentNo stake in the day-to-day, no reporting line, no conflict. Their value is a clear view from outside the management team.
On the boardA formal seat with directors’ duties, not an informal adviser. They share responsibility for how the company is governed.
Light-touch by designBoard work is naturally part time: typically a day or two a month, rising around defined moments and settling again after.
An operator by backgroundOur directors come from the collective: C-suite leaders who have run the functions boards oversee.
Governance as a service

Two lanes, one collective

In the business, our executives execute. On the board, our directors govern. Fractional embeds C-suite leaders who own outcomes inside the business. A non-executive director sits above the business: holding leadership to account, bringing independence to the big decisions, and giving investors confidence in how the company is run.

01

Governing, not managing

The director shapes and scrutinises the decisions; the executive team runs the business and owns delivery.

02

Independent, not embedded

A non-executive director stays outside the day-to-day on purpose. Distance is what makes the challenge credible.

03

Accountable oversight, not occasional advice

A board seat carries directors’ duties and a standing responsibility, not opinions offered from the sidelines.

When to appoint

When to appoint your first non-executive director

Most companies build governance in stages, and the right moment for a first board seat usually arrives earlier than founders expect. The ladder runs from a single trusted voice to an independently led board.

01

A trusted advisor

One experienced voice, engaged informally around specific questions. Right while the business is early and the decisions are still reversible.

02

An advisory board

A small circle of advisers with a rhythm but no formal duties. Right when you want breadth of experience without governance obligations.

03

A first non-executive director

A formal, independent seat. Right when investors arrive, succession is on the table, or the weight of decisions calls for accountable oversight.

04

An independent chair

Independent leadership of the board itself. Right as the board grows, ahead of a listing, or when the founder steps back from day-to-day control.

The comparison

A non-executive director, an advisory board member, a fractional executive, or a consultant

Four ways to bring senior experience to bear. They sit in different seats and carry different duties.

Non-executive director

Advisory board member

Fractional executive

Consultant

The seat
Non-executive director

A formal seat on the board, with directors’ duties.

Advisory board member

No formal seat and no legal duties.

Fractional executive

Embedded inside the business, in the leadership team.

Consultant

Outside the business, engaged for a defined piece of work.

The work
Non-executive director

Governs: challenges, scrutinises and holds leadership to account.

Advisory board member

Offers experience and connections when asked.

Fractional executive

Executes: owns the outcomes in their domain.

Consultant

Advises: recommends, then hands the work back.

Accountability
Non-executive director

Shares formal responsibility for how the company is governed.

Advisory board member

Goodwill only; no accountability for outcomes.

Fractional executive

Accountable for delivery in their function.

Consultant

Accountable to the brief, not the outcome.

The rhythm
Non-executive director

Typically a day or two a month, on a board cadence.

Advisory board member

Occasional sessions, as needed.

Fractional executive

Regular days in the business every week.

Consultant

Intensive for the project, then gone.

Right when
Non-executive director

Investors, regulators or the weight of decisions call for independent oversight.

Advisory board member

You want breadth of input without formal governance.

Fractional executive

A function needs senior leadership and delivery.

Consultant

A defined problem needs outside analysis.

A senior executive at the window of a bright boardroom before a meeting
The seat is part time. The responsibility is not.
How it works

From the brief to the boardroom

A structured search, run the way we run every appointment. Tell us where the board needs strengthening and we handle the rest.

01

The brief

We work through where the board is today, the decisions ahead, and the experience and independence the seat needs.

02

The match

We search the collective of 350+ curated C-suite operators for directors whose experience fits the stage, sector and challenge.

03

The meetings

You meet a short list. Fit with the chair and the executive team decides more than a CV does.

04

The appointment

You appoint. We put the structure around the engagement so it starts properly.

05

Ongoing support

We stay close for the life of the engagement, keep the structure working, and stand behind the appointment with the whole collective.

The local context

Governance in the UAE is being reset

The UAE is professionalising its boards at speed. The SCA’s updated governance code requires listed companies to hold at least one third of the board as independent directors, with a majority non-executive, and from 2026 the audit, nomination and remuneration committees must be made up entirely of independent directors.

The same direction of travel runs through the private market. Family businesses are formalising governance ahead of succession and outside capital. DIFC and ADGM entities are expected to meet international governance standards. Companies preparing to list need the independent bench in place well before the IPO process begins.

Listed and preparing to list

Independence thresholds, committee composition and the scrutiny of an IPO, met with directors who have sat on the other side of it.

Family businesses

Independent directors who bring objectivity to succession and outside investment while the family’s mandate stays intact.

A business-to-business appointment

The engagement is company to company: no employment visa to sponsor, no insurance burden, and no end-of-service liability.

Common questions

The questions boards ask first

Independent directors meet stricter criteria under SCA, ADGM and international standards: no significant financial interests, no recent employment or consultancy relationships (typically the past three years), and no close family ties to major shareholders or senior management. Both are non-executive, but independent directors are the stronger governance signal for investors and regulators. Regulatory requirements call specifically for independent directors, not just non-executives.

Board seats carry legal duties and formal authority; advisory roles are relational and without voting power. For ADX-listed companies, family conglomerates attracting capital, and ADGM-regulated entities, board seats are typically required. For early-stage enterprises or as a first step in governance professionalisation, advisory councils can be a stepping stone. We help you clarify the distinction and structure the right first appointment.

Under SCA rules and ADGM standards, independence means the director has no significant financial interest in the company, no employment or consultancy relationship with it in recent years (typically the past three years), and no close family ties to its major shareholders or senior management. Independence is what allows a director to challenge the executive team credibly, and it is the quality regulators, institutional investors and international counterparties look for first.

You need external independent directors who have navigated founder-to-professional transitions in family enterprises, understand control-preservation concerns, and bring both objectivity and cultural sensitivity to family governance. Many of our matched directors have experience stabilising family-led boards through generational change and the professionalisation that outside capital demands, while keeping the family’s core purpose and legacy intact.

If Chair and Chief Executive are combined roles, 75% of the board must now be independent (up from one third). All permanent committees (Audit, Nomination, Remuneration, and the new Governance Committee) must be 100% independent. If you are ADX-listed, ADGM-regulated, or planning an IPO, conduct an audit of your board composition now against the new 2026 standards.

Structure a Family Council (family-only governance) alongside a Professional Board (independent-chaired, decision-making). The Professional Board meets investor and regulatory expectations; the Family Council manages the family’s next-generation exposure and values without diluting the business’s operational independence. An Advisory Council can bridge the two, managing knowledge transfer without board authority.

For executives

Ready for board work?

Senior operators with the experience and independence for a non-executive seat can join the collective as a director.

A detail of a boardroom table with papers and a pen set out for a meeting
Get started

Tell us where the board needs strengthening.

A first independent seat, a stronger committee, or a chair for the next chapter. Outline the moment in the guided brief and we will scope the right appointment.

Brief a board search