What 11 Years of the Board Diversity Index Reveals—and 7 Actions Leaders Must Take Now
The 2025 Board Diversity Index confirms what many leaders already sense:
Gender is improving on paper. Other dimensions? Stuck—or sliding backwards.
Here’s what’s most telling—and seven things Boards and C-Suite leaders can do now to shift from optics to outcomes 👇
🔹 1. Gender: Progress, But Slowing
Female board seats have nearly doubled since 2016—from 399 to 781.
73% of ASX300 boards now exceed 30% women—but only 19% have gender parity.
Growth has slowed to 1% a year since 2023.
▶ Set tiered gender targets
▶ Accelerate women into governance-ready roles
🔹 2. Cultural Diversity: Slipping
Anglo-Celtic directors make up 91.9% of ASX300 boards—more than in 2017.
Asian background representation has fallen from 13.9% to 9%.
▶ Expand your diversity gap analysis
▶ Build visible pathways for culturally diverse talent
🔹 3. Indigenous Representation: Symbolic, Not Structural
Only 5 Indigenous directors hold 7 board seats.
Advisory voices aren’t translating to governance roles.
▶ Sponsor Indigenous leaders into board pipelines
▶ Embed inclusion in long-term board strategy
🔹 4. LGBTQ+ & Disability: Still Invisible
Only 4 directors identify as LGBTQ+.
No declared directors with disability—highlighting barriers to disclosure.
▶ Create safe, inclusive cultures
▶ Monitor inclusion transparently and regularly
🔹 5. Age & Tenure: Static
Average board age is 61. Gen Y/Z representation is near zero.
▶ Advance younger, board-ready leaders
▶ Reflect generational mix in succession planning
🔹 6. Skills Bias: Finance Still Dominates
38.7% of directors come from finance.
Transformation, people, ESG, and digital remain underrepresented.
▶ Refresh your board’s skills matrix
▶ Rethink what qualifies as “board ready”
🔹 7. Recruitment: Still 'Who You Know'
Appointments still lean heavily on closed networks.
▶ Make diversity a board performance metric
▶ Use external search to challenge legacy norms
🎯 Final Thought
Representation ≠ inclusion.
Targets ≠ strategy.
Progress without accountability is fragile.
The same levers used to close the gender pay gap—setting goals, assessing gaps, building diverse pipelines, embedding accountability—apply directly to board transformation.
📘 My whitepaper outlines this roadmap, including a 5-minute Health Check.
📩 Message me if you’d like a copy—or to have a conversation.
Thank you Justin Clarke (ICF PCC) for sharing the 2025 Board Diversity Index report with me. You can access it here https://lnkd.in/gcBbKwaG
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.