Mentoring can be a rewarding activity and also help executives develop the skills needed to become a non-executive director:

When Charles Sherwood agreed to mentor the chief executive of a charity, he expected to offer advice, support and expertise in return for the warm glow of helping a good cause.

The reality was rather different. “It surprised me,” said Sherwood, a partner at Permira, the private equity firm. “I had assumed, perhaps a little arrogantly, that it was going to be an opportunity for me to offer the not-for-profit sector the experience I had built up in the private sector. I severely underestimated what a learning opportunity it would be in both directions.”