FTSE 250 – Non-Executive Recruitment

UK FTSE 250 Non-Executive Director Recruitment

Specialised Senior Search for FTSE 250 NED Appointments at UK FTSE 250 Listed Companies Operating Across the UK Financials, Retail, Real Estate REIT, Industrials, Leisure, Healthcare, Technology, Energy, Mining and Consumer Goods Sectors Under UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 Framework, FCA UK Listing Rules Framework, FCA Senior Managers and Certification Regime Framework at FCA-Regulated FTSE 250 Firms and FRC Audit Committee Framework Dimensions

A UK FTSE 250 Non-Executive Director (NED) is a senior independent member of the UK Board at a UK FTSE 250 listed company providing senior independent challenge function, senior strategic oversight, and senior governance leadership at UK FTSE 250 firm scale. UK FTSE 250 NED recruitment focuses specifically on senior UK NED appointments at UK FTSE 250 listed companies — the 101st to 350th largest companies on the London Stock Exchange Main Market by market capitalisation, typically spanning several hundred million pounds to several billion pounds of market value, distinct from senior UK FTSE 100 NED recruitment scope (which extends across senior NED appointments at the 100 largest UK listed companies operating at material UK FTSE 100 commercial scale), distinct from senior UK AIM market NED recruitment scope (which extends across senior NED appointments at UK AIM market listed growth-stage companies, most of which apply the QCA Corporate Governance Code 2023), and distinct from senior UK private company NED recruitment scope (which extends across senior NED appointments at UK large private companies, UK PE-backed firms, and UK private mid-market firms). UK FTSE 250 NED appointments operate within UK FTSE 250 commercial framework dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 firm scale, UK FTSE 250 institutional shareholder framework dimensions, UK FTSE 250 Board governance framework dimensions, and UK FTSE 250 sector framework dimensions reflecting the UK FTSE 250 sector composition that spans UK financials sector firms, UK retail sector firms, UK real estate sector firms (including UK REITs), UK industrials sector firms, UK leisure sector firms, UK healthcare sector firms, UK technology sector firms, UK energy sector firms, UK mining sector firms, and UK consumer goods sector firms.

UK FTSE 250 NED appointments operate under UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 framework dimensions on a comply-or-explain basis through the FCA UK Listing Rules framework with material UK FTSE 250 NED framework dimensions including UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 NED independence framework, UK Board independence majority framework (the UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 framework specifies that at least half the Board excluding the Chair should be independent NEDs — a framework that applies materially to UK FTSE 250 firms), UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 Board committee framework (Audit Committee, Remuneration Committee, Nomination Committee), UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 Board evaluation framework (UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 framework specifies an annual Board performance review, with UK FTSE 350 firm Boards expected to have an externally facilitated Board review at least every three years on a comply-or-explain basis), and FCA Listing Rules diversity disclosure framework dimensions (the comply-or-explain board diversity disclosure introduced by FCA PS22/3, originally Listing Rule 9.8.6R and carried into the UK Listing Rules from 29 July 2024, covering at least 40% women on the Board, at least one woman in a senior Board position, and at least one Board member from a minority ethnic background). This UK FTSE 250 NED recruitment service page covers the senior UK FTSE 250 NED recruitment context, the principal UK FTSE 250 sector scenarios, the UK FTSE 250 NED Board committee membership framework, the UK FTSE 250 NED time commitment and remuneration framework, the UK FTSE 250 NED required experience and qualifications framework, the senior FTSE 250 NED search methodology, and adjacent senior UK NED recruitment engagement across the broader Exec Capital, NED Capital, FD Capital, and Accountancy Capital cross-portfolio architecture. Every senior UK FTSE 250 NED search mandate at Exec Capital is run by our specialist team, with Adrian Lawrence FCA overseeing each mandate. For UK senior NED commercial recruitment service engagement at material seniority see our sister firm NED Capital (below); for UK Non-Executive Director Job Description reference covering comprehensive UK NED scope see Non-Executive Director Job Description.

Why FTSE 250 Non-Executive Director Appointments Are Different

UK FTSE 250 NED appointments operate with senior commercial dynamics that differ materially from UK FTSE 100 NED appointments and from senior UK private company NED appointments. UK FTSE 250 firms operate at UK mid-cap commercial scale with senior FTSE 250 Board governance framework dimensions specifically calibrated to UK FTSE 250 firm scale. UK FTSE 250 NED appointments operate with senior commercial dimensions including senior FTSE 250 Board engagement framework typically comprising 8-10 scheduled Board meetings per year plus material additional Board committee meeting commitment, senior FTSE 250 institutional shareholder engagement framework at UK FTSE 250 institutional shareholder scale (typical UK FTSE 250 institutional shareholder base operating with senior UK institutional investor framework engagement, senior UK institutional investor proxy voting framework engagement, and senior UK institutional investor governance framework engagement), senior FTSE 250 Board committee membership framework across UK Audit Committee, UK Remuneration Committee, and UK Nomination Committee dimensions, senior FTSE 250 Board committee chairmanship framework where applicable to senior committee chair appointments, and the wider senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 listed company NED engagement.

UK FTSE 250 NED candidate pool dynamics differ materially from UK FTSE 100 NED candidate pool dynamics. UK FTSE 250 NED candidates frequently come from senior career backgrounds spanning prior senior UK FTSE 250 NED career experience at peer UK FTSE 250 firms, prior senior UK FTSE 100 NED career experience with FTSE 250 portfolio NED dimensions, former senior UK FTSE 250 CEO/CFO/COO career experience transitioning to senior UK NED portfolio careers, senior UK consulting firm partner career experience at major UK and international strategy consulting firms (McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, Roland Berger, Strategy& PwC, Oliver Wyman, Kearney) with material UK FTSE 250 NED senior commercial dimensions, senior UK chartered accountancy firm partner career experience at Big 4 firms (PwC, Deloitte, EY, KPMG) and major UK mid-tier audit firms (BDO, Grant Thornton, Forvis Mazars, RSM, Crowe UK) particularly material at UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair appointments where senior UK chartered accountancy firm partner career background operates as material UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair credential, and adjacent senior UK Board career background dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 NED appointments.

Specifying the UK FTSE 250 NED mandate accurately at the brief stage matters because the senior career trajectories, sector-specific FTSE 250 career background, UK FTSE 250 Board committee membership requirements, UK FTSE 250 SMCR framework requirements where applicable to UK FCA-regulated FTSE 250 firms, qualification framework requirements, and senior commercial dimensions of UK FTSE 250 NED candidates differ materially across UK FTSE 250 firm scenarios. UK FTSE 250 financials sector firm NED candidates operate with materially different senior commercial dynamics than UK FTSE 250 retail sector firm NED candidates; UK FTSE 250 real estate REIT firm NED candidates operate with different dynamics than UK FTSE 250 industrials sector firm NED candidates; UK FTSE 250 healthcare sector firm NED candidates operate with sector-specific senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 healthcare regulatory framework intersection. At Exec Capital our senior UK FTSE 250 NED search engagement begins with structured brief development that articulates the firm sector context, UK FTSE 250 Board committee membership requirements, UK FTSE 250 SMCR framework requirements where applicable, qualification requirements, and the senior commercial dimensions specific to the firm.

There is a practical point underneath all of this. A FTSE 250 board is usually small — often eight to eleven directors — so each non-executive seat carries more weight than it would on a larger FTSE 100 board. When one NED rotates off after nine years, the board can lose its only audit-qualified member, its only director with international operating experience, or its only woman in a senior board position, all at once. That is why we treat every FTSE 250 NED brief as a board composition question first and a candidate question second: what does this board look like after the appointment, and does it still meet the Code, the Listing Rules disclosures and its own skills matrix? Our listed company board construction guide sets out how we map that before the search starts.

The FTSE 250 is also the index where companies move most. Businesses are promoted to the FTSE 100, relegated to the SmallCap, taken private by private equity, or join from a Main Market IPO or a move up from AIM. Each of those events changes what the board needs. A company newly promoted to the FTSE 250 may need its first fully independent audit committee chair with listed-company experience; a company under bid approach needs NEDs who have sat through a takeover; a business that has just come out of private equity ownership needs independent directors who can move a founder- or sponsor-led culture to listed-company governance. The right FTSE 250 non-executive director for one of those boards is often the wrong one for the next.

How FTSE 250 NED Recruitment Works

A FTSE 250 board search follows a defined sequence. The nomination committee owns the process under the Code; we run the search on its behalf and report to its chair (or to the Senior Independent Director where the appointment is the Chair’s own successor). We agree the timetable with you at briefing, working back from the board calendar, the AGM and any regulatory approval the role needs.

Two steps are often underestimated. The first is independence screening: a candidate who was an employee of the company in the last five years, has had a material business relationship with it in the last three, or has close family ties with its advisers, directors or senior employees will not be presumed independent under the Code, and the board would have to explain why it considers them independent anyway. The second is regulatory approval. Where the FTSE 250 company is an FCA- or PRA-regulated firm and the role carries a Senior Management Function, the appointment cannot be made until the regulator approves it. Under section 61 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 the regulator has three months from receipt of a complete application to decide, so the application needs to be built into the timetable rather than added at the end.

UK FTSE 250 Sector Framework — UK FTSE 250 NED Sector-Specific Dimensions

UK FTSE 250 NED appointments operate across the principal UK FTSE 250 sector framework dimensions with sector-specific senior commercial dynamics, UK FTSE 250 sector framework dimensions, and UK FTSE 250 sector-specific Board governance framework structures.

UK FTSE 250 financials sector firms — banking, asset management, insurance, specialty finance — UK FTSE 250 financials sector firms (UK FTSE 250 challenger banks, UK FTSE 250 asset management firms, UK FTSE 250 insurers, UK FTSE 250 specialty lenders, UK FTSE 250 brokers and platforms) operate with material UK FCA SMCR framework dimensions and material UK PRA framework dimensions where applicable to UK FTSE 250 PRA-authorised firms. UK FTSE 250 financials sector firm NED appointments typically require senior UK financials sector career background with material UK FCA SMCR framework career experience including SMF holder framework career experience where applicable to UK FTSE 250 financials sector NED SMF holder appointments (typical SMF holder appointments at UK FTSE 250 financials sector firm NED appointments include SMF9 Chair function, SMF10 Chair of Risk Committee function, SMF11 Chair of Audit Committee function, SMF12 Chair of Remuneration Committee function, SMF13 Chair of Nominations Committee function, and SMF14 Senior Independent Director function), and the wider senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 financials sector firm NED engagement. Note that SMF10 to SMF14 apply only at Enhanced SMCR firms and dual-regulated banks and insurers; at a Core firm only the Chair (SMF9) is a non-executive Senior Manager. The FCA’s CP26/37 and the PRA’s CP14/26 (October 2026) propose moving SMF10 to SMF14 from pre-approval to notification, while SMF9 would stay pre-approved; those are proposals, not yet rules, so a FTSE 250 bank or insurer appointing a committee chair today should still plan for the current approval process.

UK FTSE 250 retail sector firms — consumer retail, food retail, specialty retail — UK FTSE 250 retail sector firms operate with senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 retail sector framework. UK FTSE 250 retail sector NED appointments typically require senior UK retail sector career background, senior UK consumer brand framework career experience, senior UK retail commercial framework career experience, and the wider senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 retail sector firm NED engagement.

UK FTSE 250 real estate sector firms — REITs and property companies — UK FTSE 250 real estate sector firms (UK FTSE 250 Real Estate Investment Trusts REITs, UK FTSE 250 property companies) operate with material UK REIT framework dimensions where applicable. UK FTSE 250 real estate sector firm NED appointments typically require senior UK real estate sector career background, senior UK REIT framework career experience where applicable, senior UK property commercial framework career experience, senior UK property finance framework intersection career experience, and the wider senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 real estate sector firm NED engagement.

UK FTSE 250 industrials sector firms — engineering, manufacturing, distribution — UK FTSE 250 industrials sector firms (UK FTSE 250 engineering firms, UK FTSE 250 manufacturing firms, UK FTSE 250 distribution firms, UK FTSE 250 industrial services firms) operate with senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 industrials sector framework. UK FTSE 250 industrials sector NED appointments typically require senior UK industrials sector career background, senior UK manufacturing or engineering commercial framework career experience, senior UK industrial supply chain framework career experience, and the wider senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 industrials sector firm NED engagement.

UK FTSE 250 leisure sector firms — hospitality, gaming, travel, leisure services — UK FTSE 250 leisure sector firms (UK FTSE 250 hospitality firms, UK FTSE 250 gaming firms, UK FTSE 250 travel firms, UK FTSE 250 leisure services firms) operate with senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 leisure sector framework. UK FTSE 250 leisure sector NED appointments typically require senior UK leisure sector career background, senior UK consumer leisure framework career experience, senior UK leisure regulatory framework intersection career experience where applicable to UK gaming sector regulatory framework, and the wider senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 leisure sector firm NED engagement.

UK FTSE 250 healthcare and life sciences sector firms — UK FTSE 250 healthcare and life sciences sector firms operate with material UK healthcare regulatory framework dimensions including MHRA Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency framework engagement intersection, NICE National Institute for Health and Care Excellence framework intersection where applicable, NHS commissioning framework intersection where applicable, and the wider UK healthcare regulatory framework dimensions. UK FTSE 250 healthcare and life sciences sector NED appointments typically require senior UK healthcare or life sciences sector career background with material UK healthcare regulatory framework career experience.

UK FTSE 250 technology and digital sector firms — UK FTSE 250 technology and digital sector firms operate with senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 technology sector framework. UK FTSE 250 technology sector NED appointments typically require senior UK technology sector career background, senior UK technology commercial framework career experience, senior UK technology cyber security framework intersection career experience, senior UK GDPR framework intersection career experience, and the wider senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 technology sector firm NED engagement.

UK FTSE 250 energy and natural resources sector firms — oil and gas, renewables, mining — UK FTSE 250 energy and natural resources sector firms (UK FTSE 250 oil and gas firms, UK FTSE 250 renewables firms, UK FTSE 250 mining firms) operate with senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 energy and natural resources sector framework. UK FTSE 250 energy and natural resources sector NED appointments typically require senior UK energy or natural resources sector career background, senior UK ESG framework career experience particularly material at UK energy and natural resources sector firms operating with material ESG framework dimensions, senior UK climate disclosure framework intersection career experience including TCFD Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures framework intersection, and the wider senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 energy and natural resources sector firm NED engagement.

UK FTSE 250 consumer goods sector firms — UK FTSE 250 consumer goods sector firms operate with senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 consumer goods sector framework. UK FTSE 250 consumer goods sector NED appointments typically require senior UK consumer goods sector career background, senior UK consumer brand commercial framework career experience, senior UK international consumer goods framework career experience where applicable to UK FTSE 250 consumer goods firms operating with material international expansion dimensions, and the wider senior commercial dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 consumer goods sector firm NED engagement.

Investment trusts and closed-ended funds — a meaningful share of the FTSE 250 is made up of investment companies. Their boards are entirely non-executive, they usually have no employees, and most report against the AIC Code of Corporate Governance rather than the UK Corporate Governance Code directly. The NED brief therefore centres on oversight of the investment manager, discount and buyback policy, valuation of unlisted holdings and the relationship with the board’s brokers, and the candidate pool leans towards former fund managers, investment bankers, actuaries and audit partners with closed-ended fund experience.

FTSE 250 Board Roles: Chair vs SID vs Committee Chairs vs NED

Most FTSE 250 NED searches are not for a “general” non-executive. They are for a director who will also chair a committee, take on the Senior Independent Director role, or step into the Chair in due course. Each of those roles has its own Code provisions, its own candidate pool and, at regulated firms, its own Senior Management Function. The table below summarises the differences we work through at briefing.

Each of these appointments has its own service page with more detail on the brief and the candidate market: Senior Independent Director recruitment, nomination committee chair recruitment and remuneration committee chair recruitment. For a board Chair search, see Chairman recruitment. In practice, many FTSE 250 searches combine two roles — for example, a NED who will join the audit committee now and take the chair when the current committee chair reaches nine years — and the brief should say so, because the candidate pool for a successor committee chair is narrower than for a member.

UK FTSE 250 NED Board Committee Membership Framework

UK FTSE 250 NED appointments typically operate with material UK Board committee membership framework dimensions across UK Audit Committee, UK Remuneration Committee, UK Nomination Committee, and UK Risk Committee at FCA-regulated FTSE 250 firms.

UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee membership framework — FRC Guidance on Audit Committees — UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee membership operates with material UK FTSE 250 NED accountability under FRC Guidance on Audit Committees framework dimensions, including the FRC’s Audit Committees and the External Audit: Minimum Standard for FTSE 350 audit committees. UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee scope typically extends across senior external audit framework engagement (senior FTSE 250 external audit firm appointment framework, senior FTSE 250 PIE Public Interest Entity firm framework engagement at UK FTSE 250 firms operating as PIE entities under the UK statutory audit rules, senior external audit firm rotation framework at PIE firms operating with mandatory audit firm rotation framework dimensions including 10-year audit firm tendering framework and 20-year audit firm rotation framework), senior internal audit framework engagement, senior FTSE 250 financial reporting framework oversight, senior FTSE 250 internal control framework oversight, senior FTSE 250 risk management framework intersection with senior audit framework, senior FTSE 250 whistleblowing framework oversight, and the wider senior FTSE 250 Audit Committee framework dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 NED Audit Committee membership scope.

UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair appointments — finance-rooted senior NED dimensions — UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair appointments typically require senior finance-rooted UK career background with UK chartered accountancy qualification credentials. UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair appointments at UK FTSE 250 firms typically require ICAEW Chartered Accountant (ACA / FCA Fellow status), ACCA Chartered Certified Accountant (FCCA), CIMA Chartered Management Accountant (FCMA), or ICAS Chartered Accountant credentials with material senior career background as former senior CFO at UK FTSE 250 firms or senior partner at major UK chartered accountancy firms operating at audit partner tier with material UK PIE audit firm career background.

UK FTSE 250 Remuneration Committee membership framework — UK FTSE 250 Remuneration Committee membership operates with material UK FTSE 250 NED accountability across senior FTSE 250 executive director remuneration framework oversight including base salary framework, annual bonus framework, Long Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) framework, Share Plan framework, pension framework at executive director level, and the wider senior FTSE 250 Remuneration Committee framework dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 NED Remuneration Committee membership scope. Our guide to LTIP structures at listed firms covers the incentive designs a new committee member will be asked to approve.

UK FTSE 250 Nomination Committee membership framework — UK FTSE 250 Nomination Committee membership operates with material UK FTSE 250 NED accountability across senior FTSE 250 Board composition framework oversight, senior FTSE 250 Board succession planning framework, senior FTSE 250 CEO succession planning framework engagement, senior FTSE 250 CFO and senior C-Suite succession planning framework engagement, senior FTSE 250 Board diversity framework oversight intersection with the FCA Listing Rules diversity disclosure framework, and the wider senior FTSE 250 Nomination Committee framework dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 NED Nomination Committee membership scope.

UK FTSE 250 Risk Committee membership framework — FCA-regulated and PRA-regulated FTSE 250 firms — UK FTSE 250 Risk Committee membership at UK FTSE 250 FCA-regulated firms (UK FTSE 250 challenger banks, UK FTSE 250 asset management firms, UK FTSE 250 insurers, UK FTSE 250 specialty lenders) operates with material UK FTSE 250 NED accountability across senior enterprise risk framework oversight, senior credit risk framework oversight where applicable, senior market risk framework oversight where applicable, senior operational risk framework oversight, senior FCA Operational Resilience framework oversight, and the wider senior FTSE 250 Risk Committee framework dimensions specific to UK FTSE 250 NED Risk Committee membership scope.

Committee composition rules that shape the search — under the Code, FTSE 350 audit and remuneration committees should each have at least three independent non-executive members, and the board Chair should not be a member of the audit committee. On an eight- or nine-person board with a Chair, CEO and CFO, that leaves five or six independent NEDs to staff three or four committees. Every departure therefore ripples through committee membership, and a new NED is frequently recruited to fill two committee seats at once. We set out the committee map at briefing so candidates understand exactly what they are joining.

The Governance Rules FTSE 250 Boards Now Recruit Against

A FTSE 250 NED brief written three years ago would now be out of date. Four sets of rules and guidance drive most of the changes we see in board specifications.

The UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 and Provision 29

The FRC’s 2024 Code applies to financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2025. Its one substantive new requirement, Provision 29, applies to financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2026: the board must monitor its risk management and internal control framework and, in the annual report, make a declaration on the effectiveness of its material internal controls as at the balance sheet date, explaining any that were not effective. For a FTSE 250 company with a December year end, the first declaration covers the 2026 financial year and appears in the annual report published in 2027. The practical effect on recruitment is that audit committee chairs and members are now expected to understand controls frameworks in depth, not only financial reporting, and boards without that experience are adding it.

The UK Listing Rules and the ESCC category

On 29 July 2024 the FCA replaced the old Listing Rules with the UK Listing Rules, merging the premium and standard segments for trading companies into a single category for equity shares in commercial companies (ESCC), as set out in FCA policy statement PS24/6. The reforms removed many shareholder votes on significant transactions, which places more weight on the board’s own judgement — and on its independent directors — when the company makes a large acquisition or disposal. ESCC companies still report against the UK Corporate Governance Code on a comply-or-explain basis.

Board diversity disclosure (FCA PS22/3)

Under the rules introduced by FCA PS22/3 for financial years beginning on or after 1 April 2022, listed companies must state in their annual report whether, at a chosen reference date, at least 40% of the board are women, at least one of the Chair, CEO, Senior Independent Director or CFO is a woman, and at least one board member is from a minority ethnic background — and explain if not. These are disclosure targets on a comply-or-explain basis, not quotas, but missing one is visible to investors and proxy advisers, and a nomination committee will often specify the search accordingly. Our board diversity appointment guide covers how to run an open, merit-based search that widens the pool.

FTSE Women Leaders Review and the Parker Review

The voluntary FTSE Women Leaders Review set FTSE 350 companies a minimum of 40% women on boards and in leadership teams by the end of 2025, and recommended at least one woman in the Chair or SID role and/or as CEO or Finance Director. Its 2026 report confirms the FTSE 350 has passed 40% women on boards, with the focus now on the Chair, CEO and Finance Director roles, where progress has been slowest. The Parker Review asks each FTSE 250 board to have at least one director from a minority ethnic group (a target set for December 2024) and FTSE 350 companies to set their own targets for ethnic minority representation in senior management. Its latest data shows most, but not all, FTSE 250 boards meeting the board target. For a FTSE 250 nomination committee, the practical consequence is that the Chair, SID and committee chair pipelines matter as much as overall board numbers.

UK FTSE 250 NED Time Commitment and Remuneration Framework

UK FTSE 250 NED time commitment and remuneration vary across UK FTSE 250 firm scale dimensions and UK FTSE 250 NED appointment scope dimensions.

UK FTSE 250 NED — typical time commitment and fee structure — UK FTSE 250 NED appointments typically operate at 25-40 days per year time commitment depending on UK FTSE 250 Board committee membership framework intensity, and more in a year with a transaction, a CEO change or a regulatory issue. UK FTSE 250 NED remuneration is usually structured as a base board fee, with additional fees for chairing the Audit Committee, the Remuneration Committee, the Risk Committee (where applicable to UK FCA-regulated FTSE 250 firms) and sometimes the Nomination Committee, and a further fee for the Senior Independent Director role. Fee levels are disclosed each year in the directors’ remuneration report and vary with company size, sector and complexity; our non-executive director fees guide explains how they are set and benchmarked. Under the Code, non-executive remuneration should not include share options or other performance-related elements.

UK FTSE 250 financials sector NED — banking remuneration framework intersection — UK FTSE 250 financials sector NED appointments at UK PRA-authorised FTSE 250 challenger banks operate with senior UK FCA and PRA remuneration framework intersection. Non-executive fees at these firms are fixed and do not include variable pay. The banking bonus cap, which applied to executive material risk takers, was removed by the PRA and FCA with effect from 31 October 2023, and the regulators’ later remuneration reforms (FCA PS25/15 and PRA PS21/25) have further changed deferral and structure for executives. For a NED sitting on the remuneration committee of a FTSE 250 bank or insurer, familiarity with those rules is now part of the brief.

UK FTSE 250 NED tenure framework — UK FTSE 250 NED appointments operate within UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 NED tenure framework with material framework dimensions including the UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 nine-year threshold, under which service on the Board for more than nine years from first appointment is a circumstance likely to impair independence and requires the Board to explain if it still considers the director independent, the UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 annual re-election framework under which all directors stand for re-election at each AGM, and the wider UK FTSE 250 NED tenure framework dimensions. Letters of appointment are commonly for an initial three-year term, renewable, subject to annual re-election.

Overboarding and time — proxy advisers and many institutional investors apply their own limits on the number of listed-company board seats a director should hold, and the Code requires that additional external appointments are not taken on without the board’s prior approval. The candidate who looks perfect on paper but already chairs one listed company and sits on two more boards may attract votes against at the AGM. We test every shortlisted candidate’s existing commitments, and their likely capacity in a crisis year, before presenting them.

UK FTSE 250 NED Required Experience and Qualifications

UK FTSE 250 NED appointments typically require senior career background and qualification credentials across the following dimensions.

Prior senior UK FTSE 250 NED career background — most common pathway — UK FTSE 250 NED candidates frequently come from prior senior UK FTSE 250 NED career experience at peer UK FTSE 250 firms in the relevant sector with senior portfolio NED career model dimensions covering 2-4 concurrent UK NED appointments simultaneously across peer UK firms.

Prior senior UK FTSE 100 NED career background with FTSE 250 portfolio dimensions — UK FTSE 250 NED candidates frequently come from senior UK FTSE 100 NED career experience with senior progression dimensions including UK FTSE 100 NED candidates operating with portfolio NED career models that include senior UK FTSE 250 NED appointments alongside senior UK FTSE 100 NED appointments.

Prior senior UK CEO/CFO/COO career background — former executive transition pathway — UK FTSE 250 NED candidates frequently come from senior UK FTSE 250 firm CEO/CFO/COO career backgrounds with mid-career transition to senior UK NED portfolio career models, with prior senior UK FTSE 250 firm CEO career background operating as the principal pathway, prior senior UK FTSE 250 firm CFO career background operating as a meaningful pathway particularly material at UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair appointments where senior UK CFO career background operates as material UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair credential, and prior senior UK FTSE 250 firm COO career background operating as a meaningful pathway.

Senior UK consulting firm partner career background — UK FTSE 250 NED candidates frequently come from senior UK consulting firm partner career experience at major UK and international strategy consulting firms including McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Bain & Company, Roland Berger, Strategy& (PwC), Oliver Wyman, Kearney, and adjacent senior UK and international consulting firms operating with material senior UK FTSE 250 advisory career experience.

Senior UK chartered accountancy firm partner career background — UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair material — UK FTSE 250 NED candidates with senior UK chartered accountancy firm partner career experience are particularly material at UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair appointments. Senior UK chartered accountancy firm partner career experience typically extends across Big 4 firms (PwC, Deloitte, EY, KPMG) and major UK mid-tier audit firms (BDO, Grant Thornton, Forvis Mazars, RSM, Crowe UK, MHA, Saffery, Haysmacintyre) operating at audit partner tier with material UK PIE Public Interest Entity audit firm career background.

IoD — Institute of Directors Chartered Director Programme — UK FTSE 250 NED appointments typically include preferences for IoD (Institute of Directors) Chartered Director Programme credentials with IoD Chartered Director (CDir) status operating as the standard UK senior director professional credential at senior UK FTSE 250 NED candidates.

INSEAD International Directors Programme (IDP-C) — UK FTSE 250 NED candidates with international Board career background frequently hold INSEAD International Directors Programme (IDP-C) credentials operating as a recognised international Board director credential at senior UK FTSE 250 NED candidates with international Board scope.

Cranfield NED Development Programme and FT-NEDoP — UK FTSE 250 NED candidates frequently hold Cranfield School of Management NED Development Programme credentials and FT-NEDoP (Financial Times Non-Executive Directors’ Programme) credentials operating as meaningful UK NED development credentials.

What matters more than credentials — qualifications help, but FTSE 250 nomination committees rarely appoint on them. What they look for is evidence the candidate has done the job the board needs: chaired an audit committee through an auditor change or a restatement, sat on a remuneration committee that lost a shareholder vote and rebuilt support, led a business through the kind of transformation the company is about to attempt. We interview for those episodes and reference them, rather than relying on a CV list of programmes completed.

When to Appoint a FTSE 250 NED — and When a Different Route Fits

Non-executive roles are part-time by nature, so the usual permanent-versus-interim-versus-fractional question looks different at board level. The real choice is between a full independent appointment, short-term cover while the search runs, advisory support that does not sit on the board, or fixing a gap that is actually executive rather than non-executive. The table below compares them.

FTSE 250 groups with FCA-authorised subsidiaries often discover during a board review that the subsidiary’s compliance oversight (SMF16) or money laundering reporting (SMF17) role is thinly covered. Those functions remain pre-approved under the regulators’ current proposals, and since the SMCR changes in PS26/6 took effect on 24 April 2026, a firm covering an unexpected SMF vacancy has 12 weeks to submit an approval application for the replacement under SUP 10C.3A.6R (CP26/37 proposes extending this to 18 weeks). The wider fractional C-suite model can fill those executive gaps quickly while the board itself is strengthened.

Senior UK FTSE 250 NED Search — Methodology

UK senior FTSE 250 NED search engagement at Exec Capital and NED Capital follows a structured retained methodology calibrated to the specific dynamics of UK FTSE 250 NED recruitment.

Structured brief development — every senior UK FTSE 250 NED mandate at Exec Capital and NED Capital begins with structured brief development that articulates the firm sector context (UK FTSE 250 financials, retail, real estate REIT, industrials, leisure, healthcare, technology, energy and natural resources, consumer goods sector dimensions), the UK FTSE 250 Board committee membership requirements (Audit Committee Chair / Remuneration Committee Chair / Nomination Committee Chair / Risk Committee Chair / Senior Independent Director / general NED), the UK FTSE 250 SMCR framework requirements where applicable to UK FCA-regulated FTSE 250 firms (SMF holder framework requirements at SMF9 / SMF10 / SMF11 / SMF12 / SMF13 / SMF14 dimensions where applicable), the qualification requirements (UK chartered accountancy credentials at UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair appointments, IoD Chartered Director Programme, INSEAD IDP-C, Cranfield NED Development, FT-NEDoP), the UK Corporate Governance Code 2024 NED independence framework requirements, the diversity framework requirements intersection with the FCA Listing Rules diversity disclosure framework, and the senior commercial dimensions specific to the firm.

UK FTSE 250 NED candidate pool research — UK senior FTSE 250 NED candidate pool research operates with concentrated research extending across the relevant UK FTSE 250 NED candidate pool. UK FTSE 250 NED candidate pool extends across senior UK FTSE 250 NED at peer UK FTSE 250 firms in the relevant sector, senior UK FTSE 100 NED with FTSE 250 portfolio dimensions, former senior UK FTSE 250 firm CEO/CFO/COO with senior UK NED portfolio career model dimensions, senior UK consulting firm partners with FTSE 250 NED dimensions, senior UK chartered accountancy firm partners particularly material at UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair appointments, and adjacent senior UK FTSE 250 NED candidate pool dimensions.

First-time listed-company NEDs — the Code’s emphasis on diversity of background and the Parker and FTSE Women Leaders recommendations have pushed FTSE 250 boards to consider serving executives taking their first listed board seat. These candidates often bring current operating knowledge the board lacks, but they need a realistic view of the time involved and their own employer’s consent. We assess them against the same standard as experienced NEDs and brief the Chair on the induction support they will need.

Assessment and referencing — for each shortlisted candidate we document how they meet the specification, any independence issues, current and planned board commitments, potential conflicts (including competitor and adviser relationships), and voting history at companies where they have stood for election. Referencing covers board colleagues, not only former employers, because the behaviours that matter in a boardroom — challenge without disruption, preparation, judgement under pressure — are best observed by other directors. Our NED interview questions guide shows the kind of evidence we look for.

Confidentiality and market sensitivity — a FTSE 250 board change can be price-sensitive, particularly a Chair or audit committee chair departure. We run searches under code names where needed, limit the circulation of candidate information, and coordinate with the Company Secretary on the timing of any RNS announcement of the appointment.

What a New FTSE 250 NED Typically Delivers in the First 90 Days

Non-executive directors do not “deliver” in the way an executive does, but a well-chosen FTSE 250 NED should be contributing fully within their first two or three board cycles. A typical first 90 days looks like this:

• Induction completed. Meetings with each executive director, the Company Secretary, the heads of internal audit, risk and compliance, the external audit partner and the remuneration adviser; site visits to the main operations.
• Committee handover. For an incoming committee chair, a structured handover from the outgoing chair, review of the committee’s terms of reference, forward agenda and open issues — for audit chairs, the status of Provision 29 work and the next audit tender.
• Strategy and risk understood. A working knowledge of the strategic plan, principal risks, risk appetite and the key judgements in the last annual report.
• Shareholder perspective. Where appropriate, introductions to major shareholders, and familiarity with recent voting outcomes and proxy adviser commentary.
• Board contribution. Informed challenge in board and committee meetings, and early input into whatever prompted the appointment — a strategic review, remuneration policy renewal, controls programme or succession plan.
• Regulatory steps completed. At SMCR firms, the Statement of Responsibilities agreed and the director’s understanding of the Conduct Rules confirmed.

We check in with the Chair and the new director after the appointment to make sure the induction has worked. Our executive onboarding guide covers the principles that apply at board level too.

Engagement and Fees

FTSE 250 NED and committee chair searches are almost always run on a retained basis. A listed board needs a documented, defensible process it can describe in its annual report, a full view of the market rather than whoever happens to be available, and confidentiality. A contingent model, where the search firm is paid only on placement and is competing with others, does not fit that well. Our guide to retained vs contingent executive search explains the difference.

The fee structure for each search is agreed at briefing and set out in our terms before work starts. A retained FTSE 250 NED search typically includes:

• Briefing with the nomination committee chair and a written role specification and candidate pack.
• Market mapping, approach and first-round assessment of candidates.
• A documented longlist and shortlist with independence, commitments and conflicts analysis.
• Interview coordination, candidate feedback and referencing.
• Support with offer, letter of appointment terms and, where needed, the regulatory approval application.
• Post-appointment follow-up with the Chair.

Where the board also needs interim or fractional executive cover — for example an interim CFO while a finance-qualified NED is recruited, or fractional compliance leadership at a subsidiary — those engagements are charged on a day-rate basis, and the day rate quoted includes our fee.

Who We Place

We work with nomination committees, Chairs and Company Secretaries at:

• FTSE 250 companies across financials, real estate, industrials, consumer, leisure, healthcare, technology and natural resources.
• Companies recently promoted from the FTSE SmallCap or moving from AIM to the Main Market, building a board to FTSE 350 standards for the first time.
• Private equity-backed and private companies preparing for an IPO in the ESCC category, which need independent directors in place before admission.
• FCA- and PRA-regulated listed groups — banks, insurers, asset managers, lenders and platforms — where board roles carry Senior Management Functions.
• Investment trusts and closed-ended funds seeking independent directors with investment, audit or actuarial backgrounds.

Typical appointments include independent NEDs, audit, remuneration, nomination and risk committee chairs, Senior Independent Directors and board Chairs, together with the executive and governance roles around the board such as the Company Secretary.

Cross-Portfolio Architecture and Adjacent Senior UK NED Recruitment Engagement

UK senior FTSE 250 NED recruitment engagement extends across multiple sister authority sites with sister authority cross-portfolio engagement specific to senior UK FTSE 250 NED recruitment.

NED Capital — UK senior NED commercial recruitment authority — sister authority site NED Capital operates as the dedicated UK senior NED commercial recruitment authority across senior UK FTSE-listed firm NED appointments including senior UK FTSE 250 NED appointments at material seniority. UK senior FTSE 250 NED commercial recruitment service engagement at material seniority operates within NED Capital cross-portfolio senior NED authority.

FD Capital — UK senior CFO and senior Audit Committee Chair authority — sister authority site FD Capital operates as the dedicated UK senior commercial CFO and senior SMF holder authority. UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair appointments at UK FTSE 250 firms requiring material senior CFO career background frequently operate within FD Capital cross-portfolio senior commercial authority.

Accountancy Capital — UK senior chartered accountancy authority — sister authority site Accountancy Capital operates as the dedicated UK senior chartered accountancy authority. UK FTSE 250 NED appointments requiring material UK audit-qualified senior career background (particularly UK FTSE 250 Audit Committee Chair appointments at UK FTSE 250 PIE Public Interest Entity firms) frequently operate within Accountancy Capital cross-portfolio senior commercial authority.

UK NED reference and adjacent service pages on Exec Capital — for UK Non-Executive Director Job Description reference see the Non-Executive Director Job Description (linked above); for UK Chairman Job Description reference see Chairman Job Description; for UK FTSE 100 NED recruitment service engagement see FTSE 100 Non-Executive Recruitment; for UK AIM market NED recruitment service engagement see AIM Market Non-Executive Recruitment; for UK Listed Companies NED recruitment service engagement see Listed Companies Non-Executive Recruitment; for UK Financial Services NED recruitment service engagement see Financial Services Non-Executive Recruitment; for UK Private Equity NED recruitment service engagement see Private Equity Non-Executive Recruitment.

Other ways to hire board-level talent — this page covers the FTSE 250. If your company sits in the FTSE 100, our FTSE 100 page (linked above) covers the larger-board, global-investor context of those appointments; for companies on AIM, the AIM page covers boards applying the QCA Code; and for regulated firms below the listed tier, the financial services NED page covers SMCR board roles in more depth.

For candidates — if you are a serving or former executive, NED or professional-firm partner interested in FTSE 250 non-executive director roles, please register with us and see our current opportunities. We cannot respond to every speculative application, but we do keep the details of experienced board candidates on file for future searches.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a FTSE 250 non-executive director?

A FTSE 250 non-executive director is a part-time board member of one of the 250 companies ranked 101st to 350th by market capitalisation on the London Stock Exchange Main Market. They do not run the business day to day; they provide independent challenge and oversight, sit on board committees, and share legal responsibility as a director under the Companies Act 2006.

How does FTSE 250 NED recruitment work?

The nomination committee agrees a brief, a search firm maps the market and approaches candidates, a shortlist is interviewed by the Chair, SID, committee chairs and executives, and the board approves the appointment. The Code expects the process to be formal, rigorous and transparent and to promote diversity, and most FTSE 250 boards use a retained search firm to run it. We agree the timetable with you at briefing.

How long does a FTSE 250 NED search take?

It depends on the role, the board calendar and whether regulatory approval is needed. A committee chair or Chair search usually takes longer than a general NED search because the pool is narrower. Where the role is a Senior Management Function at a regulated firm, the regulator has up to three months from receipt of a complete application to decide. We set a realistic timetable at briefing rather than promise a fixed one.

How many independent directors does a FTSE 250 board need?

Under the UK Corporate Governance Code, at least half the board, excluding the Chair, should be independent non-executive directors, and the Chair should be independent on appointment. Audit and remuneration committees of FTSE 350 companies should each have at least three independent non-executive members.

How are FTSE 250 NEDs paid?

Through a fixed annual fee, with additional fees for chairing committees or acting as Senior Independent Director. The Code says non-executive pay should not include share options or other performance-related elements. Each company discloses its NED fees in its annual remuneration report.

Do FTSE 250 NEDs need FCA approval?

Only where the company (or the relevant group entity) is regulated under SMCR and the role is a Senior Management Function: SMF9 Chair at any SMCR firm, and SMF10 to SMF14 committee chair and SID roles at Enhanced firms and dual-regulated banks and insurers. Other NEDs at Enhanced firms are subject to the Conduct Rules but are not pre-approved. CP26/37 and CP14/26 propose moving SMF10 to SMF14 to notification; those proposals are not yet final.

What diversity targets apply to FTSE 250 boards?

Listed companies must disclose, on a comply-or-explain basis, whether at least 40% of the board are women, at least one senior board position (Chair, CEO, SID or CFO) is held by a woman, and at least one director is from a minority ethnic background. Separately, the voluntary Parker Review asks each FTSE 250 board to have at least one director from a minority ethnic group, and the FTSE Women Leaders Review set a 40% target for women on FTSE 350 boards and leadership teams.

What does Provision 29 mean for FTSE 250 audit committee recruitment?

From financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2026, boards must declare in the annual report whether their material internal controls were effective at the balance sheet date. Audit committees oversee much of that work, so boards are prioritising audit committee chairs and members with practical experience of controls frameworks and assurance, not only financial reporting.

What is the difference between a FTSE 250 and a FTSE 100 NED role?

The governance rules are largely the same, but FTSE 250 boards are typically smaller, so each NED covers more committees, and the businesses are more often in transition — recently promoted, recently listed, under bid approach or preparing to move up. FTSE 250 searches therefore place more weight on versatility and hands-on committee experience. For the largest companies, see our FTSE 100 non-executive recruitment page.

Should we use a retained or contingent search for a FTSE 250 NED?

Retained. Listed boards need a documented, confidential process covering the whole market, which the annual report describes. The fee structure is agreed at briefing.