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Non-Executive Director

Non-Executive Director Services — From a Practitioner, Not a Directory

Matthew Gaunt provides Non-Executive Director services to UK retail, consumer and private-equity-backed businesses, typically £10m to £1bn in turnover. Unlike a search platform or a career board candidate, he has held P&L accountability at board level — quadrupling EBITDA at Majestic Wine and delivering a £70m exit at Hamleys — before ever sitting on the other side of the table.

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1

The Problem

The Governance Gap Most Boards Don't See Coming
 

Every board thinks its growth plan is sound until someone outside the business asks the awkward question. The gaps that cause the most damage are rarely visible from inside:

•  Growth assumptions that were never stress-tested against real customer economics
•  A founder or executive team too close to the business to challenge its own thinking
•  Commercial data that wouldn't survive due diligence if an exit or funding round arrived tomorrow
•  AI moving onto the board agenda faster than the board's ability to govern it
 

The so-what

A board that only hears from people paid to agree with it isn't being governed. It's being managed.
2

The Approach

What I Bring to Your Board
 

I've held board-level accountability inside four different ownership structures — PE-backed (Majestic Wine, MFI, Wyevale Garden Centres), PLC (Wickes), family-owned (EP Barrus) and social enterprise (VIY) — and each demands different governance behaviour. That range means the right kind of challenge for your specific ownership model, not a one-size-fits-all NED playbook.

This works best for:

•  Retail, consumer and PE-backed businesses, typically £10m–£1bn turnover
•  Founders and Chairs who want a board member who has actually delivered the outcome they're chasing, not just advised on it
•  Businesses preparing for exit, investment, or a period of change where governance needs to move as fast as the business does
3

The Track Record

Proof, Not Promises
 

Numbers you can check by name:

•  Majestic Wine — quadrupled underlying EBITDA from £6m to £24m and grew revenue 26% (£303m to £383m), while migrating the business through COVID
•  Hamleys — led the commercial repositioning that delivered a £70m exit to Reliance Industries, lifting e-commerce EBITDA 8% within a year
•  Wickes — delivered double-digit showroom growth and a 12% margin uplift, as part of a board-level plan to double EBITDA

Matthew currently serves as Chairman and Non-Executive Director of ExtraCare Retail, and as Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Advisory Board at VIY (Volunteer It Yourself). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. This NED work sits alongside his wider Fractional CMO and Board Advisory practice.

4

The Scope

What a Non-Executive Director Engagement Includes
 
•  Board and committee attendance, properly prepared for — not a skim of the pack on the train
•  Governance frameworks for AI, digital and data, where most boards still have a gap
•  Succession planning and mentoring for the permanent executive team
•  Risk oversight built on operator experience, not just a checklist
•  A cadence built around your board's calendar — typically the equivalent of one to two days a month
 

The so-what on AI governance

Grant Thornton's 2026 AI Impact Survey found just 11% of boards have done the three basics of AI oversight: briefings, policy, and integrated risk review. If AI is on your agenda but not yet in your governance framework, that's usually the first gap worth closing.
5

The Objection

Why Not Just Use a Non-Executive Director Platform?
 

Matching platforms and directories are useful for building a shortlist. What they can't do is verify what a candidate has actually delivered — they match on availability and generic competencies, not on outcomes. Engaging Matthew directly means engaging a track record you can check by name: real companies, real numbers, real exits.

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Let's Have a Confidential Conversation

If your board needs a director who has actually carried commercial risk, not just advised on it — get in touch. A confidential conversation, not a pitch.

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FAQ

Common Questions About Non-Executive Director Services

What does a Non-Executive Director actually do?

A Non-Executive Director sits on the board without day-to-day operational responsibility, providing independent oversight, strategic challenge and governance. The role covers board and committee meetings, questioning management's assumptions, safeguarding stakeholder interests, and bringing outside experience to major decisions — succession, risk, capital allocation and, increasingly, AI governance.

How is this different from a NED recruitment platform?

Platforms match candidates to vacancies on availability and generic competencies. Matthew Gaunt is a single practitioner who has held board-level P&L accountability across four ownership models, quadrupling EBITDA at Majestic Wine and delivering a £70m exit at Hamleys. You're engaging a verified track record, not a shortlist.

What sectors and company size does he work with?

The practice focuses on UK retail, consumer and private-equity-backed businesses, typically £10m to £1bn in turnover — from founder-led scale-ups to PE portfolio companies preparing for their next stage. NHS and public sector work is out of scope.

What NED and Chair roles does he currently hold?

He is currently Chairman and Non-Executive Director of ExtraCare Retail, and Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Advisory Board at VIY. The board portfolio is kept deliberately small to protect the time each one gets.

How much time does a Non-Executive Director role take?

Cadence is built around the board's own calendar rather than a fixed weekly commitment — typically the equivalent of one to two days a month, covering meetings, committee work and preparation. This scales with governance intensity: a business preparing for exit needs more time than one in steady-state growth.

How do I know if I need a Non-Executive Director?

The signal is usually one of three things: your board can't challenge its own growth assumptions, the business relies too heavily on one person's instinct, or you're heading toward an exit or funding round without due-diligence-ready data. A confidential conversation is the right first step.

A Board Member Who's Actually Carried the Risk

Get in touch for a confidential conversation — not a pitch.

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