Veteran board member Richard Meddings CBE has won Lifetime Achievement honours at the Non-Executive Director Awards, while the prize for work at a not-for-profit goes to Dame Linda Pollard for chairing the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Meddings, a former finance director at Standard Chartered, grabbed the judges’ attention for a career that includes chairing NHS England, Credit Suisse, TSB and Deutsche Bank, each time joining as the organisations faced crisis or scandal.

The judges said Meddings, who started working life as an accountant, demonstrated a “strong understanding of leadership and governance, combined with exceptional people skills”.

Dame Linda proved her abilities as a leader in the NHS and for turning around the trust she now chairs.

The judges said Dame Linda, who joined the Leeds trust in 2013, has “ensured that limited resources and other challenges have not stopped the trust achieving its goals”.

The Non-Executive Director Awards, organised by Peel Hunt and supported by The Sunday Times, is an annual prizegiving lauding standout non-executive talent across eight categories at UK companies.

Turbulence ahead

Non-executives are currently working at a time of upheaval: war in Ukraine continues to affect global economics, AI is disrupting business models, while new leadership in the US has upended trade relationships and cast a shadow over issues such as climate transition, diversity and inclusion.

Dame Ruth Cairnie, chair of the judging panel, told The Sunday Times: “Boards are having to address numerous questions that are potentially material and disruptive arising from geopolitical shifts, tariffs and regulatory questions over DEI and ESG.”

Another of this year’s winners is Debbie Hewitt MBE, chair of BGL, the private equity outfit that owns Compare the Market. Judges said she stood out for “providing clear and robust leadership”.

Leslie-Ann Reed won the award for a non-executive in a FTSE Aim company, with the judges describing her work at Learning Technologies Group as bringing a “mix of strategic insight and financial discipline”.

The non-executive director standing out in the FTSE All-Share category was Peter Hill CBE, chair of Keller Group, a building contractor, cited for “overseeing exceptional growth as well as maintaining an enviable record that very few FTSE-listed companies can claim”.

Among the UK’s largest companies, the FTSE 100, Jock Lennox, senior independent director at Barratt Redrow, was lauded by judges as a “safe pair of hands”.

The FTSE 100 Chair award went to Peter Ventress of Howden Joinery Group and Bunzl, who was honoured for being “consistent, at the top of his game and always delivering”.

Lastly, the Dame Helen Alexander NED to Watch award went to Hounaïda Lasry for work at Britvic, where fellow board members highlighted her ability to add a “clarity of thinking and pithiness to the discussions” during talks about takeover by another drinks maker.

You can read full details of the Awards’ winners, shortlist and sponsors here.