https://affordableboard.com/is-your-board-diverse/

Boards need to have a broad array of skills to tackle the demands and complexity of organizations and businesses. Different board members offer the depth of understanding, the diversity of perspectives, and an abundance of experiences required for productive discussions leading to well-rounded decision.

However boards often struggle to make the leap from « nice to have » to becoming a requirement. Discussions on diversity in boardrooms is often focused on ethnicity, social and cultural diversity as well as gender. However, it is important to broaden the discussion to include diverse professional backgrounds and qualifications.

A diverse board requires commitment and a shift in thought. Some trustees aren’t ready to change their traditional processes. For instance the tendency of boards nominating panels to search for new members in the same locations. Boards can increase diversity by broadening their search possibilities to include a variety of communities, recruiting candidates who are experts in the areas of the company’s greatest need (for instance, a consumer organization may need to hire a marketing specialist or an international business may require directors who are knowledgeable about geopolitics) and developing connections with candidates who are historically underrepresented prior to the time that the need arises.

The trustees who report having an open and inclusive board culture state that having the right mix of social and professional diversity helps create a board environment where everyone’s ideas are respected. They argue that a diverse board is more able to comprehend the complexities of issues facing their company as well as the issues faced by its customers and other stakeholders.