BoardCompanions connects experienced business leaders with the boards of social profit organisations. We exist because two groups of people often fail to find each other: non-profits that need governance expertise, and senior executives who want to use that expertise for something other than another quarterly earnings call. Our job is to introduce them, prepare them well, and step out of the way.
Our tagline, Purpose and Performance Start at the Board, is the shortest way to say what we believe. A well-run board is what lets a social purpose organisation deliver on its mission year after year — not the other way around.
What we do
We are a two-sided network.
On one side are Companions: experienced executives, mostly INSEAD alumni, who volunteer pro-bono as non-executive directors, advisors, or board observers. On the other are social profit organisations (SPOs) — non-profits, foundations, and social enterprises that need senior governance support and usually cannot afford to pay for it.
We handle four things well:
- Recruit and screen Companions against clear standards — relevant senior experience, board education or equivalent, and alignment with our values.
- Qualify organisations so companions know what they are signing up for, and organisations know what they can realistically expect.
- Match through matching events or direct introductions, depending on pipeline and fit.
- Support the community afterwards, so that placed Companions keep learning and keep contributing.
Once Companion and SPO are introduced, the relationship is theirs to shape. Some become full non-executive directors. Others take advisory or mentoring roles. We set the stage; they decide what to do on it.
How we are organised
BoardCompanions is an international movement that is deliberately local in operation. A small Foundation coordinates brand, values, training, and shared tooling. Each country runs its own chapter, anchored in the local social profit ecosystem and tuned to local language, legal context, and funding flows.
Country teams meet every two weeks for operations. The chairs of the country chapters meet monthly in an Executive Committee that keeps the chapters aligned on standards and strategy. The structure is intentional: governance advice that works in Brussels does not automatically translate to Frankfurt or Milan. Country teams know their context; BoardCompanions.org keeps the movement coherent.
Where we are
BoardCompanions launched in Belgium in 2018 (formally registered as an ASBL in 2019). The Netherlands followed in 2021, France in 2022. Germany, Italy, and Switzerland began matching in 2025.
The most recent figures per chapter (sources: live websites boardcompanions.be and boardcompanions.nl, consulted April 2026):
| Country | Launched | Companions | Mandates | Organisations | Partner organisations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2018 | 108 | 74 | 60 | King Baudouin Foundation, Impact Together (BNP Paribas Fortis), Women on Board, Toolbox, Club L Brussels, MLOZ |
| Netherlands | 2021 | 100+ | 75+ | 70+ | Het Oranjefonds, VSBfonds, SocialEnterprises.nl, Raad van Twaalf, Stichting Democratie en Media |
| France | 2022 | 20 | 20 | — | Passerelles et Compétences |
| Germany | early 2025 | growing | first placements made | — | — |
| Italy | 2025 | in formation | — | — | — |
| Switzerland | 2025 | in formation | — | — | — |
Each country chapter is run by volunteer representatives — INSEAD alumni who organise the local matching effort. Country representatives:
- Belgium:
- Netherlands:
- France:
- Germany: Marcus Geiss (IDP56 2023), Nikolaus von Wuthenau (MBA'97J/IN-BOARD'23), Nils Boeffel (MBA'02D/IN-BOARD'25)
- Italy:
- Switzerland:
The Belgian chapter originally recruited from the INSEAD alumni network and has since widened to other qualified pools (Toolbox, Women on Board, Club L, Bank Managers Alumni Association). The Netherlands recruits exclusively from INSEAD alumni (including executive education). France also recruits from INSEAD alumni only. Each country decides how to open its Companion pool as it matures.
How we work — Scale through Quality
We grow by doing good work, not by hitting targets. Our credibility lives on every placement; one badly-matched Companion can undo years of careful reputation-building with a foundation or a funder.
That translates into a few stubborn habits:
- We interview every Companion before adding them to the pool. It takes twenty minutes and it prevents bigger problems later.
- We qualify every organisation before briefing our Companions. If what they actually need is a volunteer or a consultant, we say so and point them elsewhere.
- We are willing to decline matches that look weak on paper, even when both sides are enthusiastic. A forced match that falls apart at month four is worse than no match at all.
- We keep supporting Companions after placement — through peer exchanges, reference material, and access to the wider network. Good governance is a skill that sharpens with use, and we want ours sharp.
Our values
Every Companion signs the BoardCompanions Charter, which makes four commitments explicit: contribute your experience, stay independent and act with integrity, show up and follow through, and carry yourself in a way that protects the reputation of the organisations we serve and of BoardCompanions itself. None of it is revolutionary. All of it is what boards ought to do anyway.
Who to talk to
For the right contact by country, see the country pages linked from the country selector on the home page. For questions that don't fit a single country — partnerships, press, BoardCompanions.org-level matters — info@boardcompanions.be.
