Abstract:
Non-executive directors (NEDs) are purported to be overseers of the work of company executives yet
company failures have continued unabated. The research sought to unearth and explicate
characteristics or attributes that qualify a NED for selection to the board in order to curtail corporate
failures and scandals. The research was exploratory, qualitative and rooted in the interpretive
paradigm in order to dig deep into insights on how director characteristics are a factor in the
governance of firms. Document review, semi-structured interviews and social media were used to
gather data. Forty-two (42) face to face interviews were held. Purposive and snowball sampling were
used on respondents. From the results, emerging attributes of NEDs are boardroom entrepreneurship
and strength of character. The research recommends that NEDs should be selected based on their
board utility value and their abilities to conduct board work. Apart from skills, experiences and
proficiencies; NEDs should be endowed with boardroom entrepreneurship and strength of character
that can enable them to make informed contributions as committee members.
