non-executiveadj.n.
/ˌnɒnᵻɡˈzɛkjᵿtɪv/, /ˌnɒnɛɡˈzɛkjᵿtɪv/, U.S. /ˌnɑnɪɡˈzɛkjədɪv/, /ˌnɑnɛɡˈzɛkjədɪv/ A. adj.
Not in an executive or senior managerial position; having no executive powers; spec. having a seat on the board of directors of a company but with no responsibility for the execution of policies (abbreviated non-exec).
ΚΠ
1901 Daily Iowa State Press 17 June 4/5 Mrs. May Mayer is one of the active, though non-executive coadjutors of this official staff.
1915 Polit. Sci. Q. 30 5 All members of the organization participate in control. The danger of dissatisfaction on the part of non-executive members is reduced to a minimum.
1949 Industr. & Labor Relations Rev. 2 324 The nonexecutive and nonprofessional industrial jobs in the United States.
1960 Jrnl. Insurance 27 88/1 In five years the average non-executive salary has increased 40 per cent.
1975 Economist (Nexis) 20 Sept. 105 The pressure for change must come from Rank's prestigious 16-man, largely non-executive board.
2001 Independent 17 Jan. (City Plus section) 8/6 I was happy to give him £20,000, and became a non-executive director.
B. n.
A person without executive responsibilities; spec. a non-executive director. Abbreviated non-exec.
ΚΠ
1952 Rev. Econ. & Statistics 34 388/1 The 25 non-executives included lawyers, accountants, and management consultants.
1976 Economist 7 Feb. 72 The Department of Trade inspectors describe a pusillanimous bunch of nonexecutives who were not even consulted by [the] chairman..about a major takeover bid.
1999 Financial Times 9 Oct. 16/3 In the early days of this week..contracts between Sir David and some senior non-executives..began to cast doubt on whether Mr Wanless could survive.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1901