You Didn’t Spend 20 Years Leading Businesses to Sit on the Sidelines

You've run teams, managed P&L's, navigated restructures and delivered results under pressure for decades. And now, you're facing the question nobody prepared you for: what comes next?

Maybe you've already left you're corporate role. Maybe you have a date. Either way, you know you're not done - you just need a path that matches your ambition without locking you back into a full-time role you don't want.

You want to stay relevant. Earn well. Choose how you spend your time. And use the experience you've built to make a genuine difference to the businesses that actually need you.

If that sounds like you, you're in the right place.

HI, I’M ADRIAN KNIGHT

I've Been on Both Sides Of The Boardroom Table

I’ve spent the last 11 years helping senior executives navigate the transition out of corporate life into portfolio careers.

But I didn’t start as a coach or a consultant. I started as an SME operator. I’ve built, acquired and scaled over a dozen businesses. I’ve sat in the founder’s chair, struggling to find the right experienced people to bring onto my board. And I’ve watched firsthand as exceptional executives failed to land the roles they were perfectly qualified for... because they had no system, no positioning and no idea how the SME market actually works.

That’s why I built SME Non-Exec. Not another training course. Not another listing site. A structured programme that gives senior executives everything they need to build paid portfolio careers with ambitious, growing SMEs.

The Biggest Opportunity Most Executives Overlook

The UK has over 5.5 million SMEs. The vast majority have no non-executive director, no advisory board and no structured access to the kind of experienced leadership they desperately need.

These aren’t charity projects. They’re ambitious businesses turning over £1m-50m, looking for commercially experienced people who can help them scale, professionalise and unlock the next stage of growth. And they’ll pay for it.

But these opportunities aren’t on any job board. There’s no recruitment process. No panel interview. They exist in conversations... and you need to know how to start the right ones.

What Makes Us Different

Operator experience, not academic theory. We’ve built the businesses. We know what SME owners actually look for in a board member... because we’ve been the ones hiring them.
Implementation, not inspiration. The Accelerator doesn’t just tell you what to do. It walks you through doing it, week by week, with accountability. You leave with a positioned profile, a pipeline and conversations underway.
SME-exclusive focus. We don’t scatter across FTSE boards, charity governance and public sector appointments. We go deep on the one market that offers the best combination of access, flexibility and income.
A community of peers. 50+ executives at various stages of their portfolio career. Cross-cohort learning means you’re always connected to people further ahead who can show you what’s working.
Real results. Members are securing paid advisory and NED roles within weeks of completing the programme. Not through luck... through a proven system.

Position. Target. Connect. Convert.

Every portfolio career we help build follows the same four-stage system:

01: POSITION

Get your LinkedIn profile, personal brand and market positioning right so the right people pay attention.

02: TARGET

Identify the specific SMEs where your experience creates the most value and that align to your preferences.

03: CONNECT

Start the right conversations with founders, investors and intermediaries using a proven outreach system.

04: CONVERT

Navigate from first conversation to paid appointment, including pricing, legal agreements and the first 90 days.

It works because it’s not theory. It’s the same system our members use every day to land real roles.

Natalie Simms

Former International VP and CIO, Disney Television Group

"I wholeheartedly recommend Adrian to anyone transitioning from corporate leadership into portfolio non-executive roles. He is incredibly relatable, and his unique blend of entrepreneurial experience and deep insight - gained from working with thousands of corporate executives - sets him apart."

Ready To Take The First Step?

Whether you’re exploring the idea of a portfolio career or you’re ready to start building one, we’ve got a path that fits where you are right now.

Join the Next FastTrack Workshop

Or download the free playbook to explore at your own pace