There are four distinct market segments of this market, Quoted companies, Private companies, Public sector, and Charitable & Voluntary organisations.

The Quoted company sector has been perceived as a closed shop, accessible only to those with prior listed plc experience. There is undoubtedly a need to understand the workings of the City, the institutional shareholders, brokers and the financial press.

The recent Higgs Review calls for such companies to draw from a wider gene pool of prospective candidates, but it remains to be seen how quoted plc boards will respond over the next couple of years.

The private company market demand is for candidates who can add value to the board, to help accelerate the progress towards growth, diversification, flotation or other exit. There is no formal requirement to comply with an external Code, private boards can cherry pick which aspects of best practice are suited to their present needs and choose accordingly.

The public sector appointments market includes not only non-executive director and chair positions, but also magistrates, trustees and governors of various bodies. Some appointments are paid, and others are unpaid with expenses reimbursed. There are over 800 public bodies sponsored by Government Departments, and it is the largest sector by number of appointments at 22,000 presently.

The public bodies can be divided into three categories:

Public corporations and nationalised industries

These are publicly owned, but operate autonomously.

Health bodies

These include NHS Trusts, Primary Care Trusts, Special and Strategic Health Authorities and devolved equivalents.

Non-departmental public bodies

These include Executive NDPB's (such as the Teacher Training Agency), Advisory NDPB's (such as the Advisory Council on Family Law), Tribunals, and Boards of Visitors.

The Charitable and Voluntary sector market has a huge variety of organisations, from internationally known high profile charities to small local organisations. There is similar variety in their approach to recruitment of NED's and volunteers. Many of the larger organisations and some smaller ones are run along commercial lines following best practice with respect to non-executive directors, audit committees and corporate governance.