My contribution to a board
I would contribute a CFO's understanding of how a transaction's commercial appeal, accounting record and funding treatment can diverge. In receivables finance, those differences become practical quickly: a seller expects an advance, a lender needs evidence and the board wants to understand the available capacity. I can help directors ask which assumption connects those views and what happens if it proves wrong. My experience is particularly relevant when management presents growth as a larger asset balance without explaining the cash and operating work needed to support it. I would bring questions, not an imported operating manual. My own company is a specialist domestic financier, and I would need to learn a new business before judging whether an apparent weakness reflects poor control or an operating model I do not yet understand. I have presented to the board and its audit and risk committee as an executive. I have not served as a director, and I would initially join a committee under an experienced chair rather than seek to lead one.
My first year on a board
I would begin by learning how the company converts a customer commitment into revenue and cash. That would include meetings with finance, operations and commercial leaders arranged through the chair and chief executive, together with a small sample of transactions that did not follow the normal path. I would review the board's recent papers to understand which questions recur and whether earlier decisions received a useful follow-up. In committee, I would initially concentrate on the quality of explanations rather than request a new suite of reports. Where a balance or forecast concerns me, I would ask what evidence management already uses and why it is sufficient. By the second half of the year, I would aim to contribute to a focused discussion about funding resilience or acquisition assumptions. At year end, I would seek feedback from the chair on whether my interventions helped the board choose between credible options. I would also examine my own tendency to approach problems through a receivables-finance frame, which may not suit another business.
Conflicts and their management
My employer has relationships with sellers, funding partners and prospective acquisition businesses that may not be obvious from a company's public description. Before accepting a seat, I would disclose the relevant interests through an agreed confidential process and ask for a review of connected entities. I would not supply another board with my employer's transaction information or use a non-executive role to identify commercial prospects. Recusal may address an occasional matter, but I would not accept a position where repeated exclusion would prevent a useful contribution. I would also agree practical boundaries on time and information with my employer before presenting availability as confirmed. The proposed 24 days is a planning commitment, not a promise that every exceptional event can be accommodated without discussion. If a funding crisis or acquisition created overlapping demands, I would inform both chairs promptly and address the conflict rather than rely on informal assumptions about which role takes priority.
My independence statement
Any appointment would require a company-specific assessment of relationships and applicable independence requirements; I do not claim a determination in advance.
Judgement in practice
01Paying for a choice we hoped not to use
The temporary capacity decision required me to defend an explicit expense against a timing risk that might never arise. I showed the board a daily cash view, the conditions attached to the facility and the alternative of limiting proposed advances. I also identified the reporting enhancement that would be deferred to fund the fees. This made the decision more contestable than a general assertion that liquidity should be comfortable. Only part of the retained capacity was ultimately drawn, and I did not treat the unused balance as proof of superior forecasting. As a director, I would ask management to make the same distinction between the cost of preserving an option and the outcome of using it. I would want to know what event would release the capacity, who could authorise its use and whether the proposed protection could actually support the assets involved. A reassuring total is insufficient if the conditions make it unavailable when needed.
02Explaining the opportunity a smaller acquisition would lose
When I recommended a narrower acquisition perimeter, I included the projected contribution removed from the business case. The board could therefore examine the commercial sponsor's objection rather than hear only my preferred explanation. The missing records did not prove the excluded assets were poor; they meant we could not support the proposed funding treatment on the evidence available. That distinction kept the discussion away from an unhelpful contest between growth and prudence. In a board role, I would ask whether a recommendation fairly represents the strongest alternative and whether the proposed remedy has an owner, cost and realistic timetable. I would also examine the consequences after completion. If a smaller purchase loses relationships we had hoped to retain, that belongs in the review even when the acquired book performs acceptably. The purpose of a post-decision discussion is to improve judgement, not to protect the reputation of the original recommendation.
Committee contribution
Chair and member readiness| Capacity | Committees |
|---|
| Ready to join | Audit committee · Risk committee |
|---|
Capacity and preferences
- Time available
- 24 days per year
- Current directorships
- 0
- Sectors
- Specialist business finance · Business services with material receivables
- Company type
- Privately owned or investor-backed business with an established independent board
- Company stage
- A mature operating business reviewing funding capacity or an acquisition
The seat I am pursuing
I am looking for one board where the chair can explain why my particular experience is needed. A specialist financier expanding its seller base, or a business-services company whose growth places pressure on receivables and funding, could provide that fit. I would be less suitable where the main need is international banking regulation, a large capital-markets programme or technology leadership. I would want an established committee structure, access to appropriate professional advice and a management team willing to discuss incomplete evidence without treating questions as personal criticism. I would ask about the circumstances of the vacancy and the expected contribution of the new director. A broad invitation to add financial credibility would not be enough. The role should allow me to support a specific oversight need while developing the judgement required of a first-time non-executive director.
Board and committee exposure
Presented to the Board or a committee
Shionagiri Receivables Finance
Board and audit and risk committee
2020–present
I present funding capacity, reporting judgements and acquisition finance recommendations as CFO; I am not a director or committee member.
Governance learning and readiness
IICA Independent Directors’ Databank: Not yet registered
I have not registered with an Indian independent-director databank. My current search is focused on Japan, and any other market would require a separate assessment of its appointment requirements.
- Board-paper preparation and challenge through executive presentations
- Internal briefings with legal and audit advisers on the responsibilities relevant to proposed appointments