Europe’s public company boards of directors are seeking a balance of experience and new perspectives.

This year’s report highlights the different paths the boards of directors in each country are taking to achieve that diversity.

In this annual Board Monitor Europe report, we examine for the third year a range of data on the background and experience of newly appointed independent, non-executive boards of directors, by region and country, compared with past years.

This is the third consecutive year for which we have captured the key attributes of new board appointees—their demographics, functional experience, and other background; mapped how those attributes flowed onto boards in each industry and country; and identified trends. We are pleased this year to expand our
coverage significantly, from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in previous years, to Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. This report on Europe is one of a suite of annual Heidrick & Struggles reports that, together, cover most major global economies.

Data on appointments are tracked through BoardEx, proxy filings, and corporate websites. Information about executives is gathered from
publicly available sources, BoardEx, and a Heidrick & Struggles proprietary database. In tracking the experience of new appointees, the report takes into
account all of the significant industry experiences of each director (for example, a new director who has worked most recently in the consumer industry
may also have valuable experience in the industrial sector or in technology).

Some of the findings in this year’s report include:

  • Of the 503 independent seats filled on the boards of CAC 40 (France), DAX 30 (Germany), ISEQ (Ireland), AEX 25 (Netherlands), PSI 20 (Portugal), IBEX 35 (Spain), and FTSE 250 (United Kingdom) companies in 2018, 62% went to current or former CEOs and CFOs.
  • Some 352, or 70%, of those seats were filled by directors with previous board experience.
  • Some 191, or 38%, went to women.
  • Some 61, or 12%, of the 503 seats were filled by appointees with experience in cybersecurity, and 121, or 24%, by appointees with digital or social media experience.

Get all of the insights and findings and download the report to read further analysis.