
Co-Chairing Boards: What’s expected of modern Chairs?
In our series on Co-chairing, Marie McQuade outlines the key skills effective and modern chairs need in a changing charity landscape.
To summarise, effective Chairs inspire and motivate board members, staff, and volunteers behind a common vision with purpose and commitment. As a modern Chair, you must lead by example and maintain an ambassadorial attitude.
If we make the task of Chairing more supportive and less onerous, we also open the door to a wider and more diverse pool of potential Chair candidates and build a pathway to leadership that means people in Chair roles are more representative of the communities they exist to serve.
If you, like me, are exhausted just thinking about having to flex all these skills at once on top of life’s other priorities, then you might consider a co-chairing leadership model.
Having two chairs means you can focus on your strengths in these areas. Rather than expecting one person to have the time, often on top of paid employment, to undertake all these duties, why aren’t we dividing the workload – and the mental load?
Category:Board Recruitment & Development

Written by
Marie McQuade
Director | Charities
She recruits specialist trustees from all backgrounds and specialises in recruiting boards that exceed. Every client she has ever worked with has recommended Marie to others, recruited more candidates than anticipated from her, and come back to work with her again.
She has three decades of experience as a leader working across health, housing and social justice in the UK and globally.
After volunteering as a graduate for an INGO in India, she embarked upon a career in the charity sector and grew her passion for creating positive change. Marie brings this passion to Peridot, where she prioritises recruiting exceptional leadership because she believes good governance transforms organisations and the lives of their beneficiaries.
Marie also runs board audits, inductions and training and works with organisations from across the UK and Europe. She has a post-graduate qualification in Organisational Development.
She has been a board and committee member, a mentor for a care-experienced young person, a street worker for homeless people and a counsellor for women and girls.
Outside of her professional life, Marie is completing a Creative PhD at Queens University, practising Zen, and parenting three teenage girls (and a cocker spaniel!). She enjoys spending time outdoors, walking, running, and swimming, as well as travelling, reading, watching films, visiting art galleries, and eating fine food.
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