15 APRIL 2000, Page 30

Appearance money

IT'S a dog's life, being a non-executive director. Chairmen keep holding meetings on Wednesdays, which mucks up both weekends. Worse still, all these codes — Cadbury, Greenbury, something new called Turnbull or Turnbury — have spawned committees for the non-execs to sit on. Happily, Thistle Hotels is alive to this. The going rate for its non-execs (they include Lady O'Cathain, who is also on the board of British Airways) is £25,000 a year, but they will now qualify for another £500 every time they actually come to a meeting. If they stay for lunch, do they get a bonus? Given that Thistle is doing the cooking, they probably should.