At Egon Zehnder, we have tracked gender and international diversity on boards around the world for the past 14 years. With the release of our 2018 report, Global Board Diversity Tracker: Who’s Really on Board?, we mark our most comprehensive effort yet.
Our conclusion is simple: Boardroom diversity matters because it leads to better corporate outcomes. Yet for all of the attention given to the topic, improvement remains incremental — and that is unacceptable. To make a difference, boards must abandon tokenism and hire a critical mass of at least three women. That approach must be directed and supported from the very top.
Our work also looks at just who serves on these boards, examining who serves in leadership positions, where new directors come from, and how board leaders create productive teams. We also highlight success stories of companies that have made board diversity a priority. At the end of the report, we offer our perspective on how best to jump-start the process of diversifying your board.
We hope this report inspires you to act — and to reap the benefits that will result.
Analysis covers all publicly traded companies with market cap EUR 7bn+ in 44 countries globally, or the largest six in each country where fewer meet the criteria.
Visualize the tracker results on our animated Tracker Highlights Page
Tracker HighlightsWhy change must come from the top.
Read moreArgentina
Discovering strong female talent in a challenging market
Read moreUnited States
How the chocolate company looked at potential to find top candidates
Read moreHong Kong
How a Chair and committed director prioritized diversity
Read moreIndia
How a consumer company built a board that looks like its customers
Read moreDenmark
The chair shares how boardroom dynamics change with diversity
Read moreBrazil
This retailer sought digital and retail skills and got diversity as a result
Read moreUnited States
A board changed its own size to accommodate a wealth of female talent
Read more
Download a PDF of the complete
2018 Global Board Diversity Tracker
For more information about this study or about Egon Zehnder’s board and diversity work, please contact:
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