Twenty years ago, the Higgs Review defined what a non-executive director should be. Independent. Challenging. Accountable.
Those principles remain sound. But the world in which they are applied has transformed.
Earlier this year, the Institute of Directors published NEDs Reimagined, the most significant review of the non-executive director role since Higgs.
Chaired by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, it draws on interviews with directors, investors and governance experts across the UK.
Its conclusions are ones every director should read.
The Commission found that while the structural foundations of Higgs remain robust, their application has, over time, encouraged a compliance-driven mindset.
It calls for boards to evolve from periodic oversight to active, informed, adaptive stewardship.
Put simply, it calls for the boardroom to be rewired.
The message is clear.
The demands placed on non-executive directors have never been greater. The complexity has never been higher. And the support available to them isn't adequate.
That gap, between what is asked of directors and what they are given to work with, is the finding that matters most.
And two recommendations stood out to us at MyDirector-OS: -
Recommendation 10: NEDs need access to their own independent resources and sources of insight.
Recommendation 11: NEDs should build their understanding of AI and adopt relevant tools to enhance board effectiveness and informed decision-making.
Not to replace their judgement | to enhance it.
The IoD is saying clearly and authoritatively that the tools available to directors must improve.
That technology, used well, is part of the solution.
That is the rewired boardroom.
And it starts with giving directors what they have always deserved.
The right tools for the most important role in the room.