David Tebbs - Mentor, Director and Chairman

Non-executive Director (NED) and Chairman roles

With twenty years experience as a CEO / Executive Chairman and leading consulting companies it was not surprising that the last 16 years work as a non executive director and as a chairman have naturally led to David also addressing requirements that are better served as a Mentor rather than as a NED; alongside his many contributions as a NED or chairman.

The role of a non-executive – director or chairman – has many facets from strategic debate through board decisions making and helping the executives, to meeting the requirements of corporate governance.  In some cases there needs to be more emphasis on helping the executives and others in developing individuals or dealing with the investors.   

Every director has a responsibility to all the shareholders.  While this sometimes needs to be emphasised in decision making, the core role of a NED is to help the company set and execute an appropriate strategy (or set of strategies) working with and though the executives.  Corporate governance is important both because its part of the rules by which we run business and those intrinsic parts that contribute to effective business direction.  David's experience as a NED in public companies led him to founding ITNEA the association for NEDs in listed TMT companies

Independent Mentor - chairman mentoring, director mentoring

On other occasions the company is well served by its board yet the CEO, Chairman or a director needs advice and guidance in pursuing his role that is separated from the roles of the other directors.  Over recent years this has been developed and more formalised by companies such as Merryck & Co, who address the mentoring needs of larger company CEOs and the CEOs of  large subsidiaries.  David is a member of Merryck & Co's UK advisory board.

However size of operation does not impact the needs that lead to CEO / Chairman mentoring and coaching.  David’s specific mentoring based projects have been applied more in medium-small listed and in un listed companies.  The need is the same yet the scale may be different.  The essential difference between mentoring in this context and consulting is that the focus is on helping an individual develop and address the issues facing him or her.  It’s a one on one relationship based on mutual activity, discussion and trust.  Not the consultant developing recommendations which is another solution to a similar but different need.  Nor is it a fellow director or chairman advising with conflicts of interest between the board role and that of mentor.

In practical terms mentoring assignments may start clearly as such and on other occasions they develop from a different brief.  Indeed many chairmen include mentoring the CEO as part of their role.  However there is a clear difference in a relationship where the chairman (with all that that means) is constructively guiding and mentoring a CEO and that of an independent mentor providing that service.  In the latter case the individual is the client and his/her needs and rights to confidentiality come before that of the company, even though the fees are usually met by the company.  David Tebbs provides his services as an mentor to medium and smaller businesses through David Tebbs Associates serving either as an independent mentor or mentoring in a corporate context.

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