Female directors are more likely to possess four of the five most under-represented skills in the boardroom and therefore bring a “boon” to company boards, according to new research.
The study found that women appointed to boards are more likely than their male counterparts to be skilled in risk management, human resources, sustainability and politics or government.
The conclusions, made by Daehyun Kim, assistant professor of accounting at Toronto University, were drawn after studying proxy statements made to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the US financial watchdog, on newly appointed directors.
The Wall Street Journal quotes Dr Kim saying that diverse boardrooms are “more innovative, set clearer strategies, are more likely to react to competition, and are quicker to adapt to organizational changes”.