A new director carries the same legal duties on day one as a colleague who has served nine years. This induction programme sets out what to give a new appointee, in what order, and how to record that it happened, so the gap between appointment and useful contribution is measured in weeks rather than a full annual cycle.
What should a board induction checklist cover?
A board induction checklist covers four phases: pre-appointment due diligence and identity verification, a first 30 days of governing documents and statutory duties, a first 90 days of strategy, risk, site visits and committee shadowing, and a first year of external audit contact and appraisal. Each item names an owner and a completion date.
Who this applies to
Chairs, company secretaries and governance leads bringing a new non-executive director, executive director or charity trustee onto a UK board. The statutory duties below apply to every director of a UK company, charitable companies and community interest companies included. Trustees of unincorporated charities and CIOs carry equivalent duties under charity law; the sector sections cover what changes.
Where the induction obligation actually comes from
There is no induction provision in the UK Corporate Governance Code 2024, which surprises people, because induction is often cited as a Code requirement. The 2024 Code devotes Provision 16 to all directors having access to the advice of the company secretary, and Provisions 17 to 23 to appointments, re-election, chair tenure and board performance review. Induction sits one level down, in the FRC's Corporate Governance Code Guidance, published on 29 January 2024 and last updated on 3 June 2026, which states that all directors should receive a full, formal and tailored induction on joining the board, and places responsibility for ensuring that with the nomination committee, the chair and the company secretary. (Checked on 4 September 2026.)
That distinction matters for reporting. Induction is not a comply-or-explain item in its own right. It surfaces instead through Provision 22, which requires the chair to act on the results of the board performance review and each director to take action where development needs have been identified, and through the Provision 23 description of the nomination committee's work in the annual report. An induction that leaves a director unable to challenge the finance papers becomes a review finding.
The duties a new director acquires on appointment are not guidance. They are statutory, and they bite immediately.
| Companies Act 2006 | Duty | What induction must therefore supply |
|---|---|---|
| s.171 | Duty to act within powers | The articles of association, the schedule of matters reserved to the board, and committee terms of reference |
| s.172 | Duty to promote the success of the company | The strategy, the stakeholder map, and how the board evidences s.172 in the annual report |
| s.173 | Duty to exercise independent judgement | Confirmation of any appointing shareholder's expectations, and the limits on them |
| s.174 | Duty to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence | Time commitment, papers lead time, and the skills the board appointed this director for |
| s.175 | Duty to avoid conflicts of interest | A completed conflicts declaration and, where a situational conflict exists, board authorisation under s.175(5) with the interested director excluded from the quorum and the vote |
| s.176 | Duty not to accept benefits from third parties | The gifts and hospitality policy and its register |
| s.177 | Duty to declare interest in a proposed transaction | The declaration procedure and the standing agenda item |
| s.182 | Duty to declare interest in an existing transaction | The requirement to declare as soon as is reasonably practicable, not at the next convenient meeting |
(Statutory text checked on 4 September 2026.)
One item has moved to the top of the pre-appointment list since late 2025. Identity verification at Companies House became a legal requirement on 18 November 2025 and is now compulsory for new director appointments, with existing directors confirming verification alongside their next confirmation statement during a twelve-month transition. A director verifies through GOV.UK One Login or an authorised corporate service provider and receives a Companies House personal code, which the company needs to file the appointment. See the guidance on when you need to verify your identity (last updated 30 July 2026) and the rollout announcement. An unverified director cannot be filed, so this belongs before the offer letter.
The induction checklist in full
Copy the four tables below into your own document. Owner and target are the columns people skip, and the ones that separate a programme from an intention.
Phase 1: before appointment takes effect
| # | Item | Owner | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Director identity verification completed and Companies House personal code supplied | Candidate, chased by company secretary | Before appointment is filed |
| 2 | Disqualification and eligibility checks: Companies House and insolvency registers, s.157 minimum age of 16, charity automatic disqualification where relevant | Company secretary | Before offer |
| 3 | Independent references and any regulatory approvals (for example a senior manager function under the FCA regime) | Nomination committee chair | Before offer |
| 4 | Letter of appointment: term, time commitment, notice, fees, and board approval for additional external appointments under Provision 15 | Chair | On offer |
| 5 | Conflicts questionnaire: other directorships, family connections, material business relationships | Candidate | Before first meeting |
| 6 | Situational conflicts authorised under s.175 and minuted, interested director excluded from quorum and vote | Company secretary | First board meeting |
| 7 | Directors' and officers' liability insurance confirmed in writing: limit, run-off cover after leaving, and any exclusions | Company secretary | Before first meeting |
| 8 | Deed of indemnity executed, or the position explained if none is offered | Company secretary | Before first meeting |
| 9 | Appointment filed at Companies House and the register of directors updated | Company secretary | Within the statutory window |
Phase 2: the first 30 days
| # | Item | Owner | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Governing document pack: articles of association, matters reserved to the board, committee terms of reference, delegated authority framework | Company secretary | Day 1 |
| 11 | Statutory duties briefing on s.171 to s.177 and s.182, delivered live, not left as reading | Company secretary | Week 1 |
| 12 | Last two years of board and committee minutes, plus the current year's board papers | Company secretary | Week 1 |
| 13 | Last two annual reports and accounts, the current budget, and the latest management accounts | CFO | Week 1 |
| 14 | Board calendar, papers deadlines, portal access and security briefing | Company secretary | Day 1 |
| 15 | Policy pack: conflicts, gifts and hospitality, whistleblowing, anti-bribery, data protection, share dealing where listed | Company secretary | Week 2 |
| 16 | One-to-one with the chair: board dynamics, expectations, and the skills gap this appointment fills | Chair | Week 2 |
| 17 | One-to-one with the chief executive on strategy and current pressures | CEO | Week 3 |
| 18 | One-to-one with the company secretary: papers, escalation, minute-taking conventions | Company secretary | Week 3 |
| 19 | Buddy pairing with an existing director, ideally one who joined within the last two years | Chair | Week 2 |
Phase 3: the first 90 days
| # | Item | Owner | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Strategy briefing: the current plan, the assumptions under it, and the decisions the board took to arrive at it | CEO | Month 2 |
| 21 | Risk briefing: the principal risks, the risk appetite statement, and the internal control framework | Head of risk | Month 2 |
| 22 | Financial deep dive: revenue model, covenants, going concern, and the numbers the board watches | CFO | Month 2 |
| 23 | Two site visits, with front-line staff, part of it without an executive escort | CEO office | Month 3 |
| 24 | Meetings with the executive layer below the board, covering the areas of highest risk | CEO | Month 3 |
| 25 | Committee shadowing: observe before joining, read the last four sets of papers | Committee chairs | Month 3 |
| 26 | Regulatory briefing: the regulator, the code reported against, live correspondence | Company secretary | Month 3 |
| 27 | Technology and data briefing, including any artificial intelligence in use and who owns its oversight | CIO or equivalent | Month 3 |
| 28 | Customer, tenant, patient or beneficiary contact appropriate to the sector | Executive sponsor | Month 3 |
Phase 4: the first year
| # | Item | Owner | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Meeting with the external audit partner, without executives present | Audit committee chair | Month 4 |
| 30 | Meeting with the head of internal audit and review of the internal audit plan | Audit committee chair | Month 4 |
| 31 | Investor, funder or lender perspective briefing | CFO or head of investor relations | Month 6 |
| 32 | Attendance at the annual general meeting or equivalent members' meeting | Company secretary | As scheduled |
| 33 | Development plan against the gaps induction exposed, with named training | Chair | Month 6 |
| 34 | Induction debrief: what was missing, what was unnecessary, fed into the next programme | Company secretary | Month 6 |
| 35 | First appraisal against the letter of appointment and the contribution the board expected | Chair | Month 12 |
The sign-off record
Keep one page per director. It is the evidence a board performance review, a regulator or an incoming chair will ask for.
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Director | [Name] |
| Role | [Non-executive director / trustee / executive director] |
| Appointed | [1 October 2026] |
| Identity verification and Companies House code supplied | [Date] |
| Conflicts declared and authorised | [Date, minute reference] |
| D&O cover confirmed | [Date, policy reference] |
| Phase 1 complete | [Date] / [Company secretary signature] |
| Phase 2 complete | [Date] / [Company secretary signature] |
| Phase 3 complete | [Date] / [Chair signature] |
| Phase 4 complete | [Date] / [Chair signature] |
| Items deferred or waived, with reason | [Free text] |
| Director's confirmation of induction received | [Date] / [Director signature] |
Sector variants
The four phases hold across sectors. What changes is the source of the obligation and two or three of the items.
| Sector | Primary source | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Listed company | FRC Code Guidance 2024; Code Provisions 15, 16, 22, 23 | Add share dealing and inside information training, the market abuse regime, and Provision 15 disclosure of external commitments |
| Charity | Charity Commission CC3 and CC30 | Add the automatic disqualification declaration, the governing document rather than articles, restricted funds and reserves policy, and the Commission's trustee welcome pack |
| NHS provider trust | NHS England Code of governance for NHS provider trusts | Provision 5.4 puts full and tailored induction on the chair; add the council of governors for foundation trusts, and engagement with patients, clinicians and system partners |
| Housing association | RSH Governance and Financial Viability Standard Code of Practice | Add the adopted code of governance, the consumer standards, tenant contact, and the skills strategy the Standard expects the board to maintain |
Two details are worth drawing out. The Charity Commission's guidance on finding new trustees (updated 14 May 2025) sets the induction pack as the governing document, the latest annual report and accounts, current management accounts and budgets, and minutes of recent trustee meetings, and asks charities to discuss with each new trustee what information and learning they need. Charities must also check candidates against the automatic disqualification rules (last updated 16 January 2026), where acting while disqualified is normally an offence.
The NHS Code of governance, published on 27 October 2022 and applying from April 2023, is more explicit than the FRC Code: provision 5.1 requires all directors and, for foundation trusts, governors to receive appropriate induction, and provision 5.4 requires the chair to ensure a full and tailored one, including engagement with patients, clinicians, other staff and system partners. (All sector sources checked on 4 September 2026.)
A worked example
A housing association with 14,000 homes appointed a non-executive director in January with a data and technology background, recruited to fill a gap the board's skills assessment had flagged two years running. The chair asked for the standard induction: articles, minutes, accounts, a coffee with the chief executive.
By the April meeting she had said almost nothing on the two agenda items closest to her expertise. In her first appraisal she explained why. She had read four years of minutes and could not tell which decisions were still live. She had never seen a tenant home. She had no idea whether the digital budget in the papers was large or small for an organisation of that size, because nobody had given her the comparators.
The board rebuilt the programme around the four phases above. What mattered was not the extra reading. It was item 23, two site visits in month three including a repairs round with a maintenance operative, and item 22, forty minutes with the CFO on the three numbers the board watches. Her second appraisal recorded that she had led the challenge on the technology business case, and the board deferred that spending decision by a quarter. The company secretary now keeps the sign-off record, and site visits are booked before the letter of appointment is signed.
What boards get wrong
Treating the pack as the programme. Sending 400 pages of governing documents is not induction. Nothing in the FRC Guidance, CC30 or the NHS Code is satisfied by a folder. The briefings, the visits and the one-to-ones are the programme; the pack is the reference material behind it.
Leaving conflicts to the first meeting. A situational conflict that needs board authorisation under s.175(5) has to be authorised with the interested director excluded from both quorum and vote, which means it has to be on an agenda and in a minute. Discovering it in the room delays the appointment or produces a defective authorisation.
Skipping the auditor and internal audit. A non-executive director who has never met the external audit partner outside a full board meeting has no independent read on the numbers. Item 29 costs an hour.
Inducting to the board, not to the organisation. The FRC Guidance is explicit that a non-executive director's induction should generally extend beyond the boardroom. Site visits and conversations with the workforce are where a director learns the difference between the culture the board describes and the one the organisation has.
No record. Without a sign-off sheet, a board cannot tell a performance reviewer, a regulator or an incoming chair what the last three appointees actually received. The record is the only durable evidence that the programme happened.
Never revising it. A programme written five years ago will not brief a director on the organisation's use of artificial intelligence, its climate reporting, or its consumer standards obligations. Item 34 exists so it improves with each appointment.
Next step
Induction and evaluation are the same problem from different ends. A well-run board effectiveness review will tell you whether new directors are contributing at the pace the board expected, or whether the induction is where the delay sits. Two related pieces cover the inputs: the board skills matrix template identifies the gap a new appointment is meant to fill, and the guide to NED appraisal and individual director review covers the first-year appraisal at item 35. Our board meeting minutes template shows how to record a conflicts authorisation properly.
We maintain this page through the annual update to UK governance guidance, re-checking the FRC Guidance, the Companies House identity verification rules and every sector source at the same time.
FAQ
How long should a board induction take?
Plan for a full year, front-loaded. Governing documents, statutory duties and conflicts belong in the first 30 days; strategy, risk and site visits in the first 90; the external auditor, the annual general meeting and the first appraisal across the rest. A programme compressed into one day is a briefing, not an induction.
Is board induction required by the UK Corporate Governance Code?
Not as a provision. The 2024 Code has none. The expectation of a full, formal and tailored induction sits in the FRC's Corporate Governance Code Guidance, published on 29 January 2024, which assigns responsibility to the nomination committee, the chair and the company secretary. It surfaces in reporting through Provisions 22 and 23.
Who is responsible for a new director's induction?
The chair owns it, the company secretary runs it, the nomination committee oversees it. That split is the FRC Guidance position and the NHS Code position, where provision 5.4 puts induction squarely on the chair. Naming an owner per item is what stops it drifting.
Does a new director need to verify their identity at Companies House?
Yes. Since 18 November 2025 it has been compulsory for new director appointments. The director verifies through GOV.UK One Login or an authorised corporate service provider and receives a personal code the company needs to file the appointment, so it belongs at the front of the pre-appointment checks.
What should a new trustee induction checklist include that a company director's does not?
The governing document in place of articles, the automatic disqualification declaration, restricted funds and the reserves policy, and the Charity Commission's trustee welcome pack. Commission guidance also asks charities to discuss with each new trustee what information and learning they personally need.