Know your business

I was intrigued to read, in a report about PWC’s latest survey of non-executive directors, that when FTSE-350 firms recruit non-execs, they “are not generally looking for sector expertise, but robust personalities with strong business acumen”. How many HR people, I wondered, would fit this bill?There are, of course, some very good non-execs from HR backgrounds. They tend to be people who have come to attention by playing a strong role supporting the remuneration committee in their “day job” – that is, with their main employer. But, in exploring this issue, I’ve had enough conversations with headhunters to know that, if they are trying to recommend an HR person for a non-exec role who doesn’t have that specialist experience, it can be a difficult sell.