Board Makeup Top Issue for Investors in Year Ahead, Survey Shows

Corporate boards’ makeup is top of mind for institutional investors this year, according to an Ernst & Young LLP survey released Jan. 30.

More than 80 percent of asset managers, public pension funds, and other investors managing a collective $32 trillion in assets told EY that making sure boards have the right mix of members, including women and experts in areas such as cybersecurity, should be a focus for directors in 2018. That’s up from about 70 percent of investors the year before.

Kellie Huennekens, associate director of EY’s Center for Board Matters, said investors are interested in board composition, ...