Serving on boards is an ambition many of us strive for.
In the commercial space, board positions allow individuals to drive strategy and take responsibility for the aspirations of employees, and the financial returns expected by shareholders.
In the community and non-profit sector, we can share our expertise with others and give something back to communities we care about. Board service broadens our professional experience, which stands us in good stead in our own careers. For many, serving on a non-profit board is a first step to a commercial board position.
In particular, community boards may be especially-attractive to women, often as a result of new insights and interests prompted by starting a family, or as a first-step to returning to corporate life.
While the concept of personal risk as a result of serving on a board is a familiar one in the corporate world, many non-profit board directors are unaware of their personal director’s liabilities. And in both sectors, while many organisations do have good directors’ and officers’ insurance cover, exclusions do apply, and cover may not be sufficient. Individual directors can still be personally liable for their actions in a board capacity.
In particular, charities and non-profit or community organisations can be as complex as their corporate counterparts, often with specialist compliance requirements that are less common in the corporate world. Working with Children Checks is one example.
Personal director’s cover is an insurance option that sits with the individual rather than the organisation. It complements the directors’ insurance cover offered by the organisation, providing a second level of personal cover, and is designed to “follow” the person from board to board, meaning that the individual is always covered.
What’s more, it can provide cover across multiple boards, as well as former board positions and responsibilities, in the corporate and non-profit sectors, and for private and unlisted public companies.
The cover such policies provide obviously varies in the detail, but in essence, if an organisation can’t pay or refuses to pay under the organisation’s directors’ and officers’ policy, or cannot indemnify the individual, the individual’s personal policy will.
Acting as a board member in communities and companies represents new opportunities to serve, and to grow personally and professionally. Having adequate insurance cover protects everyone.
Find out more about Imalia's My Personal Director's Cover.
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