Company digest: Prioritise Board Diversity To Enhance Business Management

January 23, 2023

Edna Twumwaa Frimpong

Most leaders now acknowledge how diversity enhances business performance, fosters team innovation, improves the bottom line, and increases talent recruitment and retention. Research shows that diverse teams perform more effectively, and boards are no exception. Adding variety to a board’s viewpoints and skills facilitates the navigation of complex questions and protects businesses from any number of risks. Yet, despite the importance of boardroom diversity, most reports on diversity focus only on gender representation. While the underrepresentation of women in boardrooms remains a concern globally, other important diversity characteristics – such as race, ethnicity, LGBTQ+ representation, director tenure, age, skill sets and nationality – have been paid far less attention in global boardroom research. Diligent Institute’s recent Board Diversity Gaps: 2022 Modern Leadership Report, conducted in partnership with two dozen diversity-focused organizations worldwide, is the first comprehensive publication of global boardroom diversity data and highlights key areas that warrant greater attention by boards. Read the full article here By Dottie Schindlinger, Executive Director, Diligent Institute

About the author

Head of International Research

Edna Frimpong is an experienced research analyst with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. In her role with the Diligent Institute, Edna oversees and directs corporate governance research projects and partnerships internationally, outside the US.

She joined Diligent Institute in 2021 after six years with CGLytics — a corporate governance analytics firm based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, acquired by Diligent — where she served as Head of Research for the EMEA region. Previously, Edna held research positions at firms including Sustainanalytics and Carnomise. She received her Master’s Degree in Finance and Law from the Duisenberg School of Finance in Amsterdam, and her Bachelor’s Degree in Administration, Insurance and Risk Management from the University of Ghana.