Board Diversity and Director Qualifications

This Director Notes is the third in a series of four studies developed in collaboration with Davis Polk & Wardwell to provide guidelines and examples to member companies of The Conference Board on emerging practices following the SEC enhanced disclosure reform of December 2009. The analysis of proxy statements from Dow Jones Industrial Average 30 companies shows that a wide variety of attributes, skills and experiences are being considered for the purpose of determining the most qualified individuals to serve on the board of directors. As prerequisites for consideration, all of the surveyed companies cited leadership roles and at least one director’s experience in the company’s industry or a closely related industry.