Recent progress—and the continued push—toward greater boardroom diversity comes at a pivotal time for corporate America. The ability to challenge long-held assumptions; understand megatrends; and effectively calibrate strategy, risk, and talent in the context of heightened stakeholder expectations puts a premium on thinking differently.
To better understand how directors view the opportunities and challenges of enhancing diversity in the boardroom, the KPMG Board Leadership Center surveyed more than 700 directors around the world.
Among the U.S. respondents to the survey, it’s clear that:
- Many directors would make moderate changes to their board’s composition if starting from a clean sheet today.
- Directors have concerns about blind spots and missed opportunities due to a lack of diverse views.
- Sixty-nine percent of directors say board diversity of composition and thinking is relevant or very relevant to the company’s consideration of its role in society.
- While a majority of directors say board leadership is effective at drawing out the views of all members, achieving better boardroom discussions is a work in progress.
- Racial and ethnic diversity and technology and digital experience continue to be in high demand.
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