You cannot change Board Diversity by winging it!
Focus, deliberate planning, and action are key.
Despite 11 years of data from the Board Diversity Index, progress on cultural, Indigenous, LGBTQ+ and disability representation on Australian boards remains painfully slow.
Yes—gender diversity has improved.
But let’s be honest: much of the real innovation is still happening at the margins, not the centre.
If you’re serious about changing who sits at the table, it takes deliberate focus, careful planning, and consistent action. That’s how we close the gap—and build a board that truly reflects your people, customers, and future.
Here’s a framework I share in my whitepaper on closing the gender pay gap. It applies equally to building Board-ready talent 👇
🔁 The Four-Step Process to Building a Diverse Talent Pipeline:
1️⃣ Set Targets
Be clear about what diversity means to your board—not just gender, but culture, background, lived experience. Then set aspirational 1-, 3- and 5-year targets for representation.
2️⃣ Assess Potential
Go beyond the usual networks. Identify internal and external leaders with board potential—especially those from underrepresented groups. Understand their readiness, and the gaps holding them back.
Even better, find time to have a 1:1 discussion with them about their needs and aspirations. What you desire or aspire to may be very different to theirs. And, they may want to do it differently.
3️⃣ Develop the Plan
Create individualised pathways—mentoring, sponsorship, shadow boards, strategic projects. Assign senior leaders as sponsors, not just mentors.
Senior executive championship is absolutely critical. Ideally, the Chairperson and standing members of the Board should be mentoring at least one if not several leaders in their journey to board readiness.
4️⃣ Implement and Monitor
Progress doesn’t come from good intent. Track it. Make it visible. Make it matter.
As a Board member or C-Suite Executive, you measure pretty much everything that is there to be measured in your business, so why not Board diversity. Especially if you are really serious about making a difference. Even better, review progress regularly.
Boards don’t diversify by accident. They do so when leaders decide to act—with urgency, with intention, and with a real roadmap.
And you know the best part of this, you will not only be leaving an amazing legacy behind with individuals you have mentored and made them Board ready, but you will cherish this experience for years to come, long after you have forgotten the goals you hit in a year
📩 Want to apply this to your board or leadership pipeline?
Grab the guide. Message me directly to get your copy.
A former Board Member, CPO, and 2022 HR Leader of the Year, Anoop helps C-suite leaders transform hidden complexity into clarity and action—so today’s challenges don’t become tomorrow’s crises.