Aligning Board Talent With Strategy A Key Challenge

Three-quarters of corporate directors say they face a critical challenge aligning board talent with the company’s long-term strategy, and three in five want more diversity and viewpoints on the board, according to a global survey. Respondents also identified significant barriers to refining the board’s makeup, with issues ranging from the right mix of skills and overcoming “status quo” thinking to lack of formal succession plans. “Having the right talent in the boardroom is critical to a company’s long-term success,” said Dennis T. Whalen. “But achieving the right diversity of boardroom skills, backgrounds, and experiences to position the company for the future requires an active approach—from robust evaluations to formal succession planning.” To better understand how directors are thinking about the mix of skills, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives in the boardroom—and tools and approaches to achieve the right mix