Taking over the day-today running of Bradford & Bingley this week, Rod Kent declared: We have got to up the management game here." Given the former building society's profit warning, cut-price rights issue and private-equity cash injection, its chairman could hardly be accused of understatement.

The departure of chief executive Steven Crawshaw on the grounds of ill-health throws the spotlight on Kent and his team of non-executive directors. They are the people who take responsibility for the business on behalf of its owners - the 850,000-plus private shareholders and the pension funds and insurance companies in the City that guard our pensions and savings.

B&B launched its original £300 million rights issue on 14 May, amonth after it told the Stock Exchange it was "not intending to issue equity by way of a rights issue". Ten days later, Kent and the rest of the board received the management accounts for April. They told a very different story to the last trading update, which had been referred to in the rights-issue release. B&B had actually lost £8 million in the first four months of the year against profits of £107 million a year earlier.

Kent has said the board does not want to "dodge its responsibilities". But he has also called for "a greater sense of realism and greater sense of urgency". Candidly, he added: "We may be fools, but we are not knaves."

So who are these fools?

Rod Kent, 61
Career merchant banker who became chairman of B&B six years ago. His City credentials are strong, although shares in Close Brothers, which he also chairs, have slumped by more than a third since it rejected a takeover bid earlier this year. He also chairs the Duke of Westminster's Grosvenor and the BT Pension Scheme Trustees. A sports fan, he owns a dairy farm in Berkshire and restores antique furniture.

Michael Buckley, 62
The former chief executive of Allied Irish Banks only joined B&B last July, but must be pretty busy at the moment. He is the senior non-exec at DCC, an Irish support services company that last month settled an expensive legal action against it by bananas giant Fyffes. Buckley also sits on the board of Nicola Horlick's Bramdean fund, which has lost almost 10% of its value since it floated last summer.

Ian Cheshire, 48
Enough on his plate as chief executive of Kingfisher where bad weather meant first quarter sales at the B&Q retailer fell 8%. He joined B&B nearly five years ago and missed two of the 10 board meetings last year. Has no other non-exec directorships and admits to being a poor sailor.

Nicholas Cosh, 61
Recruited to the B&B board in 1999 ahead of its flotation in December 2000. A former professional cricketer with Surrey, he is dyed-in-the wool City, currently chairing insurance group Kiln and on the board of Michael Spencer's Icap. He is also a director of model trains and Scalextric group Hornby, which issued a profits warning earlier this year. Missed two board meetings in 2007. As senior independent director and now deputy chairman, he is most responsible for links with the City.

Louise Patten, 54
Wife of former Tory Cabinet minister Lord (John) Patten. A serial non-executive director, she chairs property company Brixton and is on the Marks & Spencer board. She is also a senior adviser to management gurus Bain & Co. Previous directorships included Somerfield, Hilton and the Catholic Building Society. Joined B&B in 2003.

Stephen Webster, 55
Finance director of plumbing group Wolseley, he joined B&B in 2003, and chairs the audit committee. Events in the US housing market may have had an indirect effect on B&B but are having a very direct one on Wolseley, where Webster is cutting costs and people. He is a member of the 100 Group of finance directors. Missed one board meeting last year.