About Us
New Economy Directors (aka NED) is a specialist non-executive search and advisory board firm created by two entrepreneurs, active non-executive board members and passionate advocates for diversity in business and the boardroom. We created NED to educate, inspire and enact cognitive diversity for higher performing boards for companies. We help expand a board’s capabilities and futuristic thinking by connecting them with new economy potential board members and directors from a diverse and far reaching range of backgrounds and skill-sets. Startup Boardroom is the friend of our fellow Founders to advise startups on their best board composition and structure of advisory boards to enable them to raise seed capital, and support the Founders from Series A-to-B-to-C-to-D all the way through the ‘cap tables’ to potential exit, via trade sale or IPO.
We understand diversity in the boardroom equates to success and a balanced board inspires you to scale your aspirations into your reality. Our Directors are internationally experienced, possessing the global perspective and mindset that enables the Executives or Founders to think B!G. Our non-executive talent pipeline is constantly being questioned because demands are shifting towards new economy thinking, digital governance and implementing mindfulness to encourage a constant, stronger focus on EQ, wisdom, and intuition to ask bigger, bolder questions hence steer our companies towards global success.
Meet the Team
Warwick Peel
Chief Executive Officer
Futuristic, Strategic, Activator, Maximiser, Relator
Warwick is an experienced headhunter with two decades of search & selection, talent and board advisory experience spanning Europe, UK and predominantly Australia and Asia Pacific. In sync with the future economy, he is a strategic thinker who understands the nexus of the old economy meets new economy and appreciates the rapid rise of innovation, disruptive threats and market opportunities.
Recognising the emergence of a low carbon economy, sharing economy and digitised economy, he is on the board for the United Nations Association of Australia (VIC), Co-Founder of Future Directors Institute and Entrepreneurs&Co. and he is also a Non-Executive Director for multiple startups companies.
Warwick holds an international Masters of Business from Swinburne University, Melbourne and Northeastern University, Boston, USA.
- Futurist 100%
- Strategic 100%
- Activator 95%
- Maximiser 95%
- Relator 90%
Paul Smith
Chief Ideas Officer
Communicator, Relator, Activator, Futuristic, Ideation
Paul is a social entrepreneur and Co-founder of Future Directors Institute and Chief Ideas Officer for NED – Startup Boardroom. His vision is to help develop next generation boards and directors, now and believes in the power of diverse thinking, positive disruption and collaboration.
Paul’s board experience goes back many years. He has liaised with numerous boards in multiple sectors including public companies; he is the Chair of an Australian international charity and Chair of the re-brand taskforce for an iconic global not-for-profit. He is an expert in constructing and renewing boards to increase their effectiveness.
He has twenty years of experience across financial services, sustainability, not-for-profit and marketing, across the UK and Australia.
Paul is a qualified actuary and he holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Durham in the UK.
- Communicator 100%
- Relator 95%
- Activator 90%
- Futurist 90%
- Ideation 85%