It was when setting up social media accounts for All On The Board, providing a platform for commuters to post selfies taken with the quotes, that they realised just how far their reach was, and in some cases, which famous faces were seeing the posts.

scrutiny of management’s performance in meeting agreed goals and objectives and the monitoring of performance reports; Developing diverse talent is important, and it is recognised that sustainable change in behaviour and practice requires increased inclusion at a structural level, particularly in governance structures. For individuals to be successful we need to remove barriers previously hindering progress which cannot be done by a development programme in isolation. Advance HE and Wellcome are therefore requiring each participant is supported by an institutional champion. The NEDs play an important part in assisting the Chair to fulfil their role by regularly and rigorously assessing the effectiveness of the board’s processes and activities. Given their outside perspective, they are sometimes best placed to ensure that the board focuses its energies effectively on meeting the demands described earlier. The context for the non-executive directorThe chairman leads the board, sets its agenda and ensures it is an effective working group at the head of the company. He must promote a culture of openness and debate and is responsible for effective communication with shareholders (but note the role of the senior independent director as well. (See: Composition and structure of the board, an OUT-LAW guide.) And he must ensure that all board members receive accurate, timely and clear information. It is, of course, impossible to list every task that each individual board of directors has to carry out. Each has to consider its own situation and circumstances. For example, small privately owned companies might not be concerned with many of the issues that preoccupy large listed companies. By contrast, the chief executive has responsibility for the day to day management of the company and putting into effect the decisions and policies of the board. Writing the All On The Board quotes has become a second full-time job for Redpath and Chopra, but they have no plans of stopping any time soon. ‘There’s so much that needs writing about in the world right now. There’s a lot of darkness and people need something to feel better about. The boards help provide that,’ says Redpath. Have identified an institutional champion who has also completed an application form and committed their support to their application.

Each board member is expected to recognise these challenges and ensure that they personally contribute to finding the right balance between these various competing pressures. In seeking to do so, executive directors may find it difficult to see beyond their direct focus on the business and its day-to-day problems; non-executive directors (NEDs), on the other hand, may find it difficult to feel sufficiently informed about the direct day-to-day pressures faced by the company. Tasks of the board Regardless of which stations you commute between, if you use the London Underground (or did in ‘old normal’ times), chances are you will have come across an information board brandishing a playful, punchy or poignant quote by the All On The Board duo. The pair of TfL employees have been penning poems and creative messages – covering topics from one-off music events to love and mental health – on information boards at Tube stations since 2017. With their messages of positivity, inclusivity, remembrance and humour, the quotes have lifted spirits and raised smiles on the faces of those who have seen them – and, the duo hope, will reach a whole new audience now they’ve been collated into a book. Working with publishing house Yellow Kite, the pair whittled down their 2,000 quotes, grouping the best into 12 themes for the book, which include: 'raising awareness', 'love', 'mental health', 'London' and 'legends'. Applicants and their institutional champions must both complete a form using the same link. Forms can be completed separately and do not need to be submitted at the same time.

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Debbie was appointed FA Chair and Leader of Council in January 2022. She also chairs the FA Nominations Committee and sits on the FA Remuneration Committee. She is also non-executive chair of Visa Europe Limited, comparethemarket.com, and White Stuff Limited. Ultimately, however, it is up to the board to decide who ‘qualifies’. The board is expected to consider the above – and, indeed, any other factors that may impair independent judgment – but none of them is to be thought of as grounds for automatic ‘exclusion’. It may be that an individual is judged to have the strength of character and integrity to remain unaffected by circumstances that, in theory, compromise their independence.