Independent Director

An independent director is valuable precisely because they owe nothing to any shareholder group. Investors increasingly require one; family businesses and fast-growing companies often benefit from one before they are required to have it.

Wise Counsel provides experienced independent directors to Vietnamese and foreign-invested companies, and advises boards on the role, its duties and its limits.

What we help with

• Advising on the independence criteria under Vietnamese law and investor requirements
• Providing a qualified independent director to serve on the board
• Chairing or serving on audit, remuneration and related-party transaction committees
• Reviewing related-party transactions and conflicts of interest independently
• Strengthening board procedure, minutes and decision records
• Advising on the director's duties, liability and indemnity arrangements
• Supporting governance readiness before fundraising or listing
• Providing an independent voice in shareholder disagreements

The role only works if the appointment is genuinely independent. We will decline where the arrangement would make independence nominal.