The right Chair strengthens a board and supports the CEO; the wrong one can destabilise both. Hiring a Chair is one of the most consequential governance decisions a business makes. Here is how.
What the role requires
A Chair leads the board — running it effectively, shaping its agenda, drawing out the directors, and guiding the relationship between the board and the CEO. Hiring one means finding a leader who can do all this, not simply an impressive name. The best Chairs bring experience, judgement, and the standing to lead the business through significant decisions, and the search should assess for genuine board-leadership capability.
The CEO relationship is central
Because the Chair-CEO relationship is one of the most important in a business, fit with the CEO is a central consideration — a Chair who supports and counsels the CEO while retaining the independence to challenge and hold them to account. Chemistry and mutual respect matter enormously, and a mismatch here can destabilise the whole business. Assessing the potential relationship, not just the Chair's credentials, is essential.
Independence and experience for the stage
A strong Chair brings genuine independence and experience relevant to what the business faces — scaling, a transaction, professionalising governance, or a transition. Match the Chair's experience to the stage: a business preparing for a sale needs different Chair experience from one building its first proper board. Relevance and independence, rather than prestige, are what make a Chair valuable, and should guide the search.
A discreet, relationship-led search
Chair appointments are often discreet and relationship-led, and rest heavily on judgement, temperament, and fit. A retained search that can identify experienced Chairs, assess them for independence and board-leadership, and gauge the potential CEO relationship is well suited to this consequential hire.
Appointing a Chair?
We recruit Chairs and non-executive directors for consumer and PE-backed businesses.
Explore Board Search →Frequently asked questions
What should you look for when hiring a board Chair?
The ability to lead the board effectively, a strong but independent relationship with the CEO, and experience relevant to the business's stage — with fit, judgement, and temperament weighing as heavily as credentials, especially the potential CEO relationship.
Why is the Chair-CEO relationship so important when hiring a Chair?
Because it's one of the most important relationships in a business — a good Chair supports and counsels the CEO while retaining independence to challenge and hold them to account. A mismatch can destabilise the business, so fit must be assessed, not just credentials.
Related: What Does a Board Chair Do? · How to Build a Board from Scratch · Chairman vs CEO
