You’ve gained the qualifications, worked hard, and are now at – or near – the top of your game. What next? Maybe it’s time to give a little back, to use some of that hard-earned experience and help support the next generation. If that’s you, the world of the non-exec awaits.

Becoming a non-executive director (NED) is a natural step for many, whatever the stage of their career. Whether working for a small local charity or huge global company, becoming a NED gives you the chance to step away from your daily routine and use your knowledge, contacts and experience to take a more holistic, long-term overview of how an institution should develop.

That’s exactly what ZIS parent Lexie Utterman has done. When the first of Lexie’s three children began attending ZIS in 2014, she wanted to get involved with the school community. At first, she worked with the Annual Fund committee, but in 2017 she was elected to join the school’s Board of Trustees, where she can offer strategic guidance and oversight to the school.

You need to be committed to a philosophy of contributing to the greater good and, in this case, driving continuous learning

“It’s incredibly fulfilling,” says Lexie, whose day job is Senior Equity Portfolio Manager at Lombard Odier. “It can be a very exciting collaborative experience that offers something you don’t find in your daily work. It’s not easy and it is a big commitment, but I get so much energy from this kind of work, and I can take that energy back to my day-to-day.”

So what exactly does the non-exec role entail? The core is to advise on strategy and good governance, offering unbiased advice to the leadership team. NEDs often bring expertise on specific areas such as finance, law or sustainability, and use prior experience to help an institution enhance their own offering. The opportunities are vast – but finding the right role can be challenging.

“It needs to be something you are passionate about,” says Gil Katzman, Class of 1977 (1972-73). Gil has worked as a voluntary non-exec for charities in the hospitality sector in Florida, where he is Director of Sales and Marketing at Hilton. His job currently takes him all over the US, where he often seeks out fellow alumni, and he was invited to join The Foundation for Zurich International School, a US non-profit associated with the school, to offer valuable insights into growing the alumni community in the US. He attends board meetings four times a year, as well as acting as an ambassador in his travels to build networks of alumni.

“It helps to be passionate about a paid role too, but it’s really important if you are committing without pay,” he says. “You need to believe and be willing to contribute whatever knowledge and connections you have to further the cause of the organisation. The commitment for an unpaid non-exec is to be passionate, otherwise why do it?”

Dr Michael Huertas, Class of 2002 (1996-99), believes that his time at ZIS taught him the importance of contributing beyond his professional responsibilities. He heads up the global financial services practise for PWC Legal but makes time to sit on the Donors Committee of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main’s Institute for Law and Finance, having previously taught two LLM courses at the university.

“The Donors Committee is comprised of professionals who effectively carry out non-executive director functions – providing our skills and experience for steering and accountability,” he explains. “I find it exceptionally rewarding because I am interested in lifelong learning and giving back to the community; things that were instilled in me at ZIS through the IB system.”

A well-chosen non-exec role can provide you with skills and experiences that complement and broaden your professional capabilities, acting almost as a parallel career by allowing you to take your talents into a different market or industry. However, there are regulatory limitations. “Different countries have different rules about how many of these roles people can take,” explains Robin Zegger, Class of 2015 (2011-15), who works for Swiss headhunter Egon Zehnder. “Because of potential conflict of interest, you need to choose very carefully. Sometimes if you take a non-exec role you might have to stay out of that sector for some years before taking another role, so you need to make a strategic choice as you might have to turn down a dream job later down the road.”

Robin thinks that anybody interested in becoming a non-exec should start early, using their personal network to develop skills and contacts. She believes that voluntary roles can be a great introduction to the non-exec job, as they provide insight and experience with fewer formal responsibilities.

But even voluntary roles can be extremely demanding. As a member of the Board of Trustees at ZIS, Lexie attends six board meetings a year, each three hours long and requiring a similar amount of preparation. Every Board member is on a separate committee that meets monthly during the school year, and there are two strategic off-site meetings, each a day-and-a-half long.

It’s a major commitment because the role has substantial responsibilities, including overseeing the hiring of the director. Lexie was on the committee that offered guidance in the appointment of Elsa Hernández-Donohue, now Director, a two-year process that saw the Board supported by parent representatives, employees, administrators and a specialist education recruitment team. At ZIS, trustees commit to serve two terms of three years each – but sometimes a Board member might be asked to stay on for a third term, as happened with Lexie because of her prior experience in recruiting the previous Director.

Because of the responsibilities, the recruitment process can be quite formal. At ZIS, the Board undertakes long-term succession planning, identifying specialisms that are required before inviting candidates to apply. “After inviting applications, we have a series of one-on-one virtual coffees where candidates can ask questions and share their motivations for applying,” explains Lexie. “When we have a shortlist, we will have an interview with a case study and specific questions related to strategic matters. We need to ensure a candidate can leave their parent hat at the door and think about not just the school today but in five or 10 years.”

Being a NED isn’t for everybody, something echoed by Robin. “You need a certain mindset because your job is to scan the whole landscape and to deliver honest and unbiased advice,” she says. “That doesn’t suit everybody. You could be CEO of one of the largest companies in the world but that doesn’t mean it’s a role for you because this is not about execution it’s about advice. Some executives have not learnt those competencies yet or simply don’t like that.”

A NED doesn’t need grey hair, either. Michael Huertas believes that a good non-exec board should feature a diversity of views, including younger members who can offer a different perspective. “The most important thing is to make sure you have the time commitment,” he says. “You have an important role to carry out. It is a commitment for anybody, whether sitting on a school board or working with a major corporation. You need to be committed to a philosophy of contributing to the greater good and, in this case, driving continuous learning.”

“It’s very rewarding when you see you have achieved what you were entrusted to do,” says Gil, who is proud of his achievements in helping bring more Black Americans into managerial positions in Miami hospitality through his work with the Black Hospitality Initiative of Greater Miami. He is now relishing the chance to support ZIS through the Foundation of Zurich International School.

“The school left a really serious impression on me. It was a truly amazing educational experience – the whole environment, the vision and the way it was structured. There wasn’t a single teacher that didn’t have the student’s best interests at heart. It’s a model I have taken into my professional life, and now I want to give it back to ZIS.”