Trustee development by Peridot Partners

Trustee development and support

How do you develop high-performing boards? Trustee development, along with understanding modern leadership, is key to delivering good governance.

Boards don't succeed just because of the people on them. They need development, nurturing, strong leadership and generative thinking. From recruitment to board reviews and development, we're passionate about creating modern boards.

Learn more about our Board Practice

Trustee development - sharing best practice

At Peridot Partners we believe your board is key to the success of your organisation.

Good governance, modern leadership and creating an environment where your board feels safe to explore and have conversations that will move your organisation forward, are all essential.

Building accountability, understanding your strengths and weaknesses and working together for the same vision is key to making sure your organisation remains relevant in a world, where the only constant is change.

Good boards understand the difference between strategic and operational responsibilities and they empower the executive team and the CEO to drive forward positive change and transformational growth.

You need to ensure that your board reflects our diverse society, really thinking carefully about how you recruit, retain and support a diverse board.

Below you'll hear from incredible leaders, who are creating progressive, modern boards.

They're sharing their experiences of creating whole new boards, of being minority ethnic Chairs, how to manage founding chief executives and why you really need to recruit young trustees.

As you listen to their stories, we hope you feel as inspired as we do.

Read more of our advice about board and trustee development

Three top tips if you're thinking of becoming a trustee

Trustees collaborating at work

Discover our podcast series

Trustees’ Week podcast: Penny Wilson on trustee diversity

Penny Wilson, CEO of Getting on Board

We spoke with Penny Wilson, the CEO of Getting on Board, about what is stopping the charity sector from moving forward with trustee diversity.

According to Getting on Board's charity sector research, two-thirds of trustees are over 50, only 36% are women, only 8% are people of colour (against 14% of the population), 75% have an income above the national median, and we are doing poorly on representation from other protected characteristics like disability.

So how can we ensure the charity sector improves these statistics?

Trustees’ Week podcast: Iana Vidal

Iana Vidal, former Chair of Girls Friendly Society

Our guest is Iana Vidal, former Chair of Trustees for the Girls Friendly Society. A governance geek, she brought in new induction processes and board systems to a historic charity, making sure it remains relevant in the 21st Century.

In this #TrusteesWeek episode we discuss what it's like to be an ethnic minority female Chair in the third sector, what good governance looks like and how to manage a board of trustees.

Trustees’ Week podcast: Adrian Sladdin

Adrian Sladdin, Chair of the Jane Goodall Institute UK

Our guest is Adrian Sladdin, the Chair of the Jane Goodall Institute UK, a charity which is part of a huge a global movement. In 2018, JGI UK recruited eight new trustees.

In this #TrusteesWeek episode, we talk about building a new board from scratch, working with a recruiter and how to ensure your charity is going in the right direction

Trustees’ Week podcast: Mike Wojcik

Mike Wojcik, Chair of the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust

Our guest is Mike Wojcik, Chair of the Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM). Peridot has worked with YGAM over several years, undertaking a board review to support better governance and helping recruit skilled Trustees for the main board and a new trading company, YGAM Innovation.

In this episode, Mike and Bill Yuksel discuss being the Chair of a founder-led charity, supporting and empowering young trustees, and balancing your day job with governance responsibilities.

Trustees’ Week podcast: Mita Desai and Kira Lewis

Mita Desai and Kira Lewis, The Young Trustees Movement

Our guests are Mita Desai, the Young Trustees Movement Programme Manager at The Social Change Agency and Kira Lewis, a War Studies student at King's College London and trustee of two charities.

In this episode we talk about how the Young Trustees movement came about, the value of young trustees to your boards, and how charities can better support young trustees.

Read more about trustee development and good governance

How to attract the best charity trustees
Board Recruitment & Development

How to attract the best charity trustees

Make your board roles clearer, more inclusive, and genuinely worth someone’s time and energy.

Grant Taylor

By Grant Taylor | 8 May 2025

Reading time: 6 min read

Explore more: Board Recruitment.