Ellis Taylor
Ellis is the co-founder of Glyde, a platform helping SMEs automate and take control of cross-border payments. With experience in currency broking, he’s focused on removing friction and inefficiencies for growing businesses.
Independent
Director Services
Find an Independent Director
50,000+ connections facilitated
Finding your Expert
Discover how an experienced independent director can strengthen governance and accelerate growth. We match you with vetted NEDs providing strategic insight, independent oversight and boardroom experience.
Share your growth goals
Share your goals and key challenges. We’ll connect you with independent directors whose experience and strategic insight align with your growth roadmap.
Match with talent
Explore curated matches, book intros and start engaging with the best-fit independent directors who can deliver an immediate impact and long-term value.
Scale risk free
Work with independent directors from our network of vetted experts. Choose from pro bono or paid placements, tailored to your stage, requirements and long-term objectives.
Why hire an Independent Director?
What does an independent director do?
They bring independent oversight, strategic leadership, and governance expertise to your board. Independent directors also help shape policy, strengthen decision-making, influence strategic planning, and support long-term business health by using deep operational experience and leveraging trusted networks.
What are the benefits of hiring an independent director?
Independent directors provide impartial, experienced perspective and strengthen strategic planning. Providing affordable board-level expertise, robust networks, and credibility with investors and wider stakeholders, they also help improve performance, manage risk, and support sustainable growth.
Independent Directors
A benefit to your board, an independent director (ID) will get under the surface of your business while remaining independent. One step away from your day-to-day operations, an ID can provide fresh perspectives and strategic suggestions that will help you grow sustainably and optimize your governance.
Get inspired by success stories from our 6000 members
Xuna Li
Xuna is the founder of HZ Power, a green energy startup helping accelerate the transition to net zero through engineering support and data-driven strategy. With a background in engineering, she’s focused on reducing electricity costs and building a more sustainable future. The connections we’ve made through Connectd have been genuinely valuable from expert advice in fundraising to meaningful conversations that helped us grow more confidently. It’s been key in shaping our strategy and building relationships that move the business forward.
Dan Rosenberg
LinkyThinks empowers children by linking different ways of thinking to foster creativity, academic success, and emotional expression. Through engaging online classes and resources, LinkyThinks equips the next generation with essential skills that many adults struggle with, ensuring they have a strong foundation to carry them into adulthood.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between an executive and independent director?
An executive director is employed by a company full-time and typically specializes in an area of operations such as marketing or human resources.
An independent director, on the other hand, is not an employee. They won’t be involved in the everyday management of your startup, but will focus on governance, strategic oversight and constructive challenge at board level, bringing an impartial and balanced viewpoint to board discussions.
Will an independent director be exclusive to your startup?
This depends on the workload and personal preference of the independent director you choose. They may sit on multiple boards, provided they can meet their commitments and declare any potential conflicts of interest to maintain impartiality.
How many hours does an independent director work?
There is no fixed time commitment. In practice, it often ranges from a few hours per week to one or two days per month, depending on your needs and the agreed scope.
What costs are associated with joining the platform?
Connectd is free to join for startups. The only requirement is to complete an onboarding call with a member of our team to get full access to the platform.
After creating an account during your onboarding call, you’ll have instant access to our network of experts. You can filter talent by role, industry, skill set, location, and compensation expectations to help you find the best people for your business.
How do I find experts on the platform?
There are three core on-platform features which enable you to connect with talent: job postings, expert search and AI recommendations. Our global events also provide opportunities to build relationships with experts.
Where do you operate geographically?
Our members are located across 40+ countries, with strong representation in the US and UK. This enables you to access global expertise and cross-border collaboration, working with experts remotely if required.
