What Makes an Outstanding Chairman? Findings from the UK Non-Executive Director of the Year Awards, 2006

This paper reports research conducted on detailed behavioural information from the UK Non-Executive Director (NED) Awards 2006. The key findings were that outstanding Chairmen have a high level of integrity, showing high ethical standards in their own behaviour, as well as providing a lead on corporate governance matters. They promote investors' confidence and ensure high returns to investors. They spend significant time mentoring, developing and advising their colleagues, are team builders, are empathetic and very effective. They encourage contributions from fellow directors and achieve consensus yet they challenge and probe colleagues, especially the executive directors. They have an acute critical faculty and a critical thinking ability. Copyright (c) 2007 The Authors; Journal compilation (c) 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.