VirtualNonExecs.com

Virtualnonexecs.com, in addition to being the industry's most dynamic and innovative community for board advisors and non-executive directors, is also the proud home of the VNXD Operator Network. This unique network serves as the cornerstone of our platform's offerings, making Virtualnonexecs.com the unparalleled go-to online community for company directors, CEOs, and chairpersons.

With a robust and ever-growing community of more than 20,000+ members, our platform has firmly established itself as an essential meeting place for not only board advisors and non-executive directors but also their peers across various industries. Here, professionals from diverse backgrounds converge to share invaluable insights, exchange information, nurture and expand their professional networks, and engage in lively debates on key issues shaping the business landscape.

The VNXD Operator Network further enhances this vibrant ecosystem by providing specialized support and resources for individuals making the transition from full-time executive roles to portfolio careers. This dynamic hub empowers these professionals to explore new opportunities, connect with seasoned mentors, and access a wealth of knowledge and expertise to excel in their non-executive director roles.

In essence, Virtualnonexecs.com and the VNXD Operator Network together offer a comprehensive, forward-thinking solution for those in pursuit of board advisory positions and non-executive directorships, making us the ultimate destination for anyone looking to thrive in today's corporate landscape.

Book a demo of the VNXD Operator Network at https://virtualnonexecs.com/opnet-demo

CEO & Founder

EVONA

EVONA recruit exclusively for the entire space ecosystem; from the companies building rockets, rovers, landers or satellites, to those utilising space data through applications and software to help improve and protect our planet. Our mission is to prove there’s space for everyone, no matter their background.

Board Advisor

Viddyoze

Viddyoze is a web based 3D animation software that allows absolutely anybody, regardless of technical knowledge, to create stunning professional animations with just a few steps.

Users simply log in on their web browser (either on desktop or from their phone) and select a template they like. Then they can upload their logo into Viddyoze, customise the template with a few clicks and hit "Render"​. Viddyoze will then go and create their professional animation in the cloud within a few minutes.

Over 100,000 companies use Viddyoze across the world.

Clients include Vodafone, Sony, DHL, Tesla, Verizon, Phillips and Scania.

Street Solutions UK

Advising the Board as a shareholder in a Non-Executive capacity.

Street Solutions UK is an online provider of traffic and event management products.  The brand is  synonymous with both quality and value for money. With exceptional growth, the business sells across all main platforms - their own website, eBay and Amazon.  With a strong reputation and a solid stable of products, the business goes from strength to strength.

If you're working in the trade or just looking to stock up for an upcoming event we've got you covered, carrying large stocks of all items and offering fast, tracked courier deliveries.

Our staff are trained to offer realistic advice when recommending products to suit your project to maintain our goal in keeping customer safe and satisfied.

Board Advisor (Shareholder)

Sustainability Yard

SustainabilityYard is a SaaS business focused on reducing WASTE within the building and DIY industry. Every year 420million tonnes of building materials are bought with 120million tonnes of that going to landfill…can you believe it?

Sustainability Yard are so passionate about cutting down on waste within the industry that they have made their App completely FREE to download and use – taking no commission from your sale.

Buy/sell or giveaway your excess building or DIY materials for FREE and stop them from going to landfill, or even worse, having to pay to put it in a skip!

Board Advisor & Investor

I founded SubbyNetwork.com in 2017 as a job sharing app targeting subcontractors.  Following a period of growth I sold the business and maintained a stake and board advisory role.  

The company has recently moved part of its focus to "sustainability" by removing the 10,000,000s of tonnes of unnecessary waste created by the construction and DIY industries, each year.

Non-Executive Director & Shareholder

The Webinar Vet

Working with the CEO and Board to deliver exceptional growth across this Tech100 business.

We have trebled the business (revenue and profitability)between 2017 and 2019.  

Acquired strategic target 2019.

Non Executive Director

TRIBES

Tribes is a different kind of digital agency. Our home is Manchester but our resources are global – a worldwide network of skilled digital specialists ready to deliver on demand for you. By building bespoke teams matched to every project, we create effective solutions quickly, efficiently, expertly. Every single time..

Non-Executive Director

Careermap Ltd

CareerMap is the leading website for 15-19 year olds looking for a pathway into apprenticeships and early career opportunities. Careermap support over 100 FE Colleges and Training Providers across the UK. We have also powered successful campaigns for BT, British Gas, Lloyds, RBS, The British Army, Rolls-Royce, Sky, ITV and The BBC.

Invested in Dec 2016 - Successfully sold the business to trade buyer in October 2018.

Non Executive Chairman

NonExecutiveDirectors.com

Built the company from Start up to exit. Multi award winning. 

Sold the business in Jun 2016 in a Private Equity backed MBO.

Equinox Financial Search & Selection Ltd

Equinox Financial Search & Selection was set up specifically to deal with senior finance roles throughout the UK. Through our partnerships and our strong networking style, we access a high number of positions which are not advertised in the conventional media; meaning we often deal with vacancies on an exclusive basis.

Equinox combines its mix of business professionals and search professionals to bring a combination which guarantees both the candidate and client a well-informed and efficient service. We take on assignments throughout the United Kingdom and Overseas, providing staff at senior levels. 

Our search oriented approach means that we go one step further than most "recruitment" companies as we rely extensively on the recommendations of industry contacts and networking relationships to identify the highest calibre candidates, not always available through traditional means.

Managing Director

Our focus at Virtualnonexecs is on empowering the non-executive and chair community to build exceptional portfolios. We achieve this by partnering with Private Equity, VC, and Family Office funds, who leverage our Operator Network platform to recruit top board talent without "per hire" fees. As the home to over 22,000 non-executive and chair members, Virtualnonexecs offers unparalleled access to more than 45,000 boardrooms through our members' extensive networks.

Our platform allows members to bring off-market deals forward, connecting them with sell-side advisers and prospective buyers or investors via our DealDirect module. This unique approach bridges key relationships, supporting members in finding opportunities to expand their portfolios.

Throughout my career, I have specialised in guiding non-executive directors and those transitioning from executive careers to successful portfolio roles. My experience includes founding and growing the world’s largest non-executive director network, which was acquired by Private Equity in 2016 following consistent recognition in the Deloitte Fast Track and awards for growth. Additionally, I've built and sold various businesses to both trade and PE buyers.

Today, Virtualnonexecs.com serves as the industry's leading community for board advisors and non-executive directors. With over 22,000 members, it provides a thriving platform for company directors, CEOs, and chairs to connect, share insights, and support the growth of boardroom talent across industries. Visit us at https://virtualnonexecs.com to see how we’re transforming the non-executive space.

What if you woke up this morning, checked the bank… and realised you couldn’t make payroll, all while your accountant is busy telling you that you’ve made £2m profit?

Sounds ridiculous but it isn't and it happens all the time.

I've heard: “Revenue is vanity. Profit is sanity" a lot!  Fine. But businesses aren’t run on a P&L statement. They’re run on cash! 💰

I checked the bank this morning. Yes, on a Sunday. I’ve done that in every business I’ve built for the last 20 years. Not the pipeline. Not the forecast. The actual money in the actual bank!

My rule has always been simple: Minimum of 12 months of runway, minimum.  If sales stop tomorrow, the business continues! That discipline has carried me through some interesting moments and helped me to a few significant exits along the way.

Advisors can pore over the FDD, multiples and forecasts. They should. That’s their job.  Just don’t underestimate the quiet power of a healthy cash balance. It tells you far more about the real strength of a business than a spreadsheet ever will.

Revenue impresses, profit reassures.... but CASH protects!

Not sure if that is too "business like" for a Sunday morning, sio we are off to take the dogs for a swim (yes "swim" because a walk on its own won't suffice with labradors! ha ha)

#Virtualnonexecs

Ian W.

Board Advisor & Non‑Executive Director | Founder & CEO of VirtualNonExecs | Private‑Equity & SaaS Investor | Governance & Growth Strategist

When I am in Dubai, I run the Palm every day.  This morning, with my eldest. Yes, I’m lagging behind as you’d expect! 

More times than I care to remember I think to myself that it’s impossible not to be inspired here.

Take Atlantis The Royal - a 43-storey ultra-luxury resort - built on a man-made island, in the middle of the sea, ON SAND, and they did it in just 80 months. 🙃 

Meanwhile, back in the UK… 

We’ve spent nearly SIX YEARS adding 10 miles of extra lane to the M6 “smart” motorway between Junction 21A and 26 - and it’s only just finished in late 2024, with bits still running into 2025.

That’s the difference between a “why not?” mindset and a “let’s form a committee” mindset.

Even on this trip, I’ve bumped into Virtualnonexecs members and business contacts - proof that our reach isn’t just UK-wide, it’s global. 🌍 

Next stop: 🇺🇸 The USA.

Let’s see who I bump into there…

#Virtualnonexecs #UAE #Mindset #GlobalNetwork #Entrepreneurship #Leadership

5:00am. Sat outside the train station, I started counting the early starts.

Paper round at 12.
Food factory while doing A-Levels.
Bar work.
Order picking.
Night shift in a bakery.
Telewest in a call centre.
BT processing invoices for summer. 
All before leaving uni.

Funny how those jobs shape you. They set your reference points - what you’ll tolerate, what you won’t, and how hard you’re willing to push.

Each job taught a lesson - show up, even when it’s cold and dark, humility (no one is “above” any job), and hunger (you decide where you want to end up).

Today’s early start is Mayfair, London - a little different from those 5am mornings after a heavy night 🍺, to go chopping melons in a food factory! 😂

Grateful for every step of the journey.

What was your first graft job? 

#FirstJob

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Working from my home office in the Lakes today! Only while the kids are getting ready, then it's walk time!  They'll be chuffed. Not.

Anyway… why am I working?

Because there simply aren’t enough days in the week right now.  In the past few weeks alone we’ve:

• Appointed two board advisors to a PLC
• Made multiple hires into fast-growing SMEs
• Placed a £60m+ enterprise value deal into an M&A firm (and the legals on that deal also went to one of our DealDirect clients after an intro at one of our private dinners)

In the past quarter, there have been over 1,000 searches of our non-exec membership via the Operator Network.  This is where PE and VC Funds search and contact our 29,000 non-exec and chair members.

And… we’re about to launch the fractional c-suite platform of ALL fractional c-suite platforms -  included for all Networker Pro members. 🚀 ⏳ 

With the whole team working flat out to support career transitions and portfolio expansion, our run of events and private dinners is taking shape. (More dates announced soon.)

Not enough days in the week, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

P.S. What’s an office without a lonely pot plant in the corner? Mine looks like it’s drafting its resignation letter. 🌱 😂 

#Virtualnonexecs #nonexecutivedirector

Leadership meets AI over breakfast at The Wolseley

Gutted to have missed yesterday’s session with the inimitable Mihaela (M) Berciu and our own Laura Archbold  in the Private Dining Room - by all accounts, it was a brilliant morning filled with insight, laughter, and lively debate around “Leading on the Edge of Intelligence: When AI meets EI.”

What I love about these gatherings is that they’re not just theory - they spark real conversations among our members about how leadership is evolving in the age of AI.

And this is just one of many VIP breakfasts, private dinners, and roundtables our members enjoy throughout the year.

I might have missed this one… but I won’t miss the next!

The next, by the way is a wine tasting event in London’s Mayfair in Nov! 

Millie Egan Gary Cain Michael Wain Neil Wright Sarah Mann Mike Critchley Joanne Stubbs David Emma Brown Adam Hembrough  

#networking #AI

Journalists keep screaming “AI bubble” and pointing at Nvidia like it’s 1999 all over again 🫣

Nvidia just reported a $57 BILLION quarter.

That’s not some pre-revenue startup in a hoodie with a slide deck and a “vision”. That’s real demand with real customers and more than anything, real cashflow!!

This isn’t Pets.com with better branding.

And let’s talk about the language!!

“Company swoops for acquisition…”

No it didn’t. It ran a process, hired advisors, negotiated for 6 months and sat in 47 data rooms.  No one swoops in corporate finance. Ever.

Calling this an “AI bubble” is lazy analysis by people who don’t understand what’s actually happening: a fundamental rebuild of the world’s digital infrastructure. 

Lumping Nvidia, hyperscalers and enterprise AI adoption in with loss-making ‘unicorns’ is like comparing Amazon’s data centres to a Shopify store in someone’s spare bedroom. 😆

One is hype and the other is hard capex, contracts and global dominance.

If this is a bubble… it’s the most profitable bubble in history. 💰 

#NVIDIA #AI

Autumn in 🇬🇧…. I wouldn’t be anywhere else (ok, Central Park, NYC!) but apart from that… 😂

Earlier this week I was working to this view in Bellagio, Italy… 🇮🇹 

This morning? Dead car battery. Miserable weather. Reality restored. 😭 

But the upside, we’ve moved our product development significantly forward this week. Thanks Sarah Mann and Adam Hembrough for a serious sprint!  

Now it’s a huge final 5-week push, running up to Christmas, with some major enhancements and new additions for our 29,000 non-exec and chair members… and for the private equity and wider investor market.

Italy one minute. British winter the next. 

#virtualnonexecs

It doesn’t slow down on the weekend. Not even a little.

Every single day - including Saturdays and Sundays - new board advisors, non-execs, and chairs join Virtualnonexecs.

We’ve grown by 400 - 600 new non-exec members every month since 2019, and every one of them goes through a live onboarding session before they make it into our Operator Network - the same network leveraged by Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Family Offices, as well as founders looking to hire exceptional board talent.

There’s no downtime when you’re building something that connects the entire investment ecosystem! 😉 

Happy Saturday!!

#nonexecutivedirector #privateequity #venturecapital #familyoffices #boardadvisors #virtualnonexecs

One of my favourite tasks each month is previewing and editing the VNXD Monthly magazine. 📚 

Every issue is a huge team effort - Over 50 pages packed with success stories, insights, and contributions from our members and corporate partners. It’s designed to celebrate the power of the network and lands directly in the inboxes of almost 29,000 active Non-Execs and Chairs.

Our non-execs advise upwards of 50,000 boardrooms! That's one serious demographic!

Sat here in Dubai Airport, giving this month’s edition a final once-over before it goes out - and it’s another brilliant reflection of what happens when smart, experienced people come together around opportunities, challenges, and shared expertise.

And the magazine isn’t just for members - corporates, investors, and advisors are increasingly leveraging it as a way to connect with one of the most experienced and engaged non-executive audiences anywhere in the UK.

If that sounds like something your firm could benefit from, it’s worth a conversation.

The latest edition is out tomorrow (hint - it's available for members in their dashboards from now! 😉 🤫 )

✈️ #nonexecutivedirector #VNXDMonthly

Britain’s Startup Welfare Problem...

Billions go into “enterprise” schemes each year, but how much of it goes into experience?  It appears to me that too many programmes are run by well-meaning consultants who’ve never built or sold a business!

We’ve created an ecosystem that funds the theory of entrepreneurship, not the practice of it!  It’s time to tap into Britain’s most underused resource - its exited founders and operators!

That’s exactly what Virtualnonexecs.com does: connecting real business builders to the next generation of scale-ups and investors.

If government wants ROI from taxpayers’ money, it’s simple:  Stop subsidising startup welfare. Start funding real-world wisdom.

Department for Business and Trade HM Treasury Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

#nonexecutivedirector #funding #virtualnonexecs

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