Book excerpt: The contribution of a good non-Executive Director can make a huge difference to a small to medium sized business. But who should fulfil the role? Someone steeped in the culture and methods of a large corporation may not be able to make a valuable contribution to the governance of a small company. If someone already has a job, will they have time to do the role justice? This book addresses the question of what the input of the non-Executive Director should be and how their strengths can best be accessed and applied. The result is a well-researched yet personal discussion of what is entailed, in theory and in practice, in the role of the non-Executive Director.