What does a board chair actually do?

The board chair has five core jobs: setting the agenda with the CEO, making sure the board pack goes out at least a week before the meeting, running the meeting so every view is heard, acting as primary sparring partner for the CEO between meetings, and leading the annual board evaluation. It is not a ceremonial role. It is the role that decides whether the board delivers value at all.

The five jobs in practice

Checklist — the chair's role:

1. Agenda — drafted with the CEO two to three weeks before the meeting.
2. Board pack out a week ahead — so directors can read privately and formulate questions.
3. Running the meeting — keep time, make sure everyone is heard, stop the meeting drifting into operations.
4. CEO sparring — monthly contact between meetings, not just in a crisis.
5. Annual evaluation — of the board as a whole and each director's contribution.

The time commitment is underestimated

A NED commits 15–25 hours a year to the role. An active chair commits 30–50 — and during transitions (growth, generational handover, crisis) it can double again. It is not a side commitment you can clear in the week before the meeting.

The one-week rule for board papers

If the board pack arrives 24 to 48 hours before the meeting, two things happen: directors read it on the surface, and the discussion in the room becomes reactive rather than considered. A chair who does not hold the line on the one-week rule is in effect accepting a lower standard of board work.

The chair as the CEO's mirror

The best chair–CEO relationship is not a comfortable one. It is one where the CEO can call and say "I have a problem I do not know how to present to the rest of the board" — and get an honest pushback. If the chair only shows up at the meeting table, the board loses its earliest warning function.