EY NED Barometer

EY's inaugural NED Barometer finds that the NED role is likely to intensify as boards respond to the full impact of COVID-19, with NEDs using their wealth of experience to help executive teams navigate unprecedented challenges. 

Key findings include:

• 78 percent say that the role of the NED has become more time consuming in recent years and we expect these pressures to further increase as boards respond to the immediate and longer-term impacts of COVID-19
• Rapid technological advances mean that digital transformation, data and cyber security have become key priorities. NEDs and boards must fully understand these new technologies and their impacts
• 59 percent agree that the primary role of a NED is to safeguard the long-term sustainability of their organisation
• NEDs are equipping themselves to better challenge their executive teams, with more than 40 percent completing a training course in a specialist subject area.