A year of Boards Wales
I started this website and blog almost exactly one year ago. It has been a project of passion and purpose, driven by my experience in trying to signpost people to Board opportunities in Wales – and finding that there was no central, easily accessible place to find them.
I stewed on this issue for a while, and in the end I scratched the itch – I used the same formula I’d developed for the NICW website; a clean, simple WordPress site. I used that simple base to start posting Board opportunities, expanding it to provide Welsh language functionality, some case studies, and a resources page.
I’ve been hugely gratified by the feedback I’ve received, much of it from successful candidates. I’m particularly proud that most of them have not been people like me (!) – middle aged, white men – because the whole reason for me to publicise these roles is to break down the barriers in people understanding what roles are available, and simplifying the process of finding them. This will inherently benefit people who are less aware of Board roles and governance generally.
The benefits of diverse thinking
Good governance is best served by a wide variety in thought, and this is generally better served by having people from a wide variety of backgrounds bringing totally different life experiences to Board discussions.
I hope that Boards Wales has made a modest contribution towards widening the pool of potential applications for all sorts of Boards in Wales, and is helping to build on impressive work in Wales carried out by numerous organisations (here’s a link to some of them!) – including Welsh Government, which has bravely undertaken co-production on how to improve recruitment for Public Boards in Wales. More on that in another blog post!
Pro bono and sustainability
The last twelve months have been incredibly satisfying; but in the back of my mind was the realisation that this endeavour was ultimately unsustainable unless I could find a model that remunerated me for my work. I have previously displayed an ‘Open Collective’ donate button to solicit contributions, but the total donated over the last twelve months has been just under £100, half provided by my twin brother (thankyou Gareth!) and half by Simon Slater of Cynnal Cymru.
Whilst I’m extremely grateful for this support, it doesn’t come close to paying for the time I take to maintain and develop the website, add resources, write blog posts, and post Board opportunities.
That’s why I’m so grateful to GatenbySanderson for agreeing sponsorship of the website, a gesture that will help make the site sustainable in the longer term.
About GatenbySanderson
I first became aware of GatenbySanderson at the beginning of 2025. A nationally renowned people advisory firm, they have been extremely active in supporting good governance in Wales through a series of events, including development activities to support people who have not previously held Board positions. The people at GatenbySanderson understand governance, and – crucially – they understand exactly why it’s important that a wide range of people should be interested in becoming Board members.
I believe that they are credible, highly active in supporting good practice, and can draw on their experience across the UK, including in Scotland where they have some fascinating initiatives, to support our own efforts in Wales to improve governance.
I’m delighted to partner with them in Wales, jointly working to lift aspirations and access for Board activity. You will see the GatenbySanderson logo proudly displayed on the front page, and any Board positions that they promote in Wales will be highlighted, but our agreement is that I maintain editorial control.
Press release
GatenbySanderson is delighted to announce that we will be formally sponsoring David Clubb’s initiative Boards Wales from January 2026. Boards Wales has played a huge part in promoting non-executive opportunities to people of all backgrounds and levels of experience across Wales. Our sponsorship offers the opportunity to harness our collective experience and shared passion for increasing participation and representation on Welsh public sector boards.
Rosemary Baylis-West, Principal Consultant and specialist in appointments in Wales said: “We have long felt a close alignment with Boards Wales and so we are excited to begin our partnership in 2026. It was wonderful to join David and others at Principality Stadium this week to co-create a new vision for the public appointments process in Wales. We are hopeful that this new partnership will play a substantial part in turning that vision in practical action as Welsh Government and wider public sector organisations in Wales take their next steps in diversifying both public appointments and wider board roles.
David Clubb, founder of Boards Wales said: “GatenbySanderson has demonstrated their continuous commitment to good governance in Wales, and I’m delighted that Boards Wales will be sponsored by an organisation that shares my values and my own commitment to improve Wales through better governance. This sponsorship will ensure that Boards Wales can continue to be developed and enhanced for the months, and hopefully years, to come.”
This blog post is the personal opinion of David Clubb. No AI was used for any part of creating or refining this blog post. It’s entirely the product of my own brain.