Cybersecurity and AI present biggest oversight challenges with benchmarking data being a critical need in new survey of U.S. public company directors

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. public company board members want better intelligence, saying they could be more impactful in their oversight of cyber and other risks if they could proactively anticipate disruption, according to a new report released today by Diligent, a leading GRC SaaS company, BDO USA, one of the nation’s leading accounting and advisory firms, and Corporate Board Member, a market-leading publication for public company board members.

What Directors Think 2024: Governing in the Age of Disruption details findings from a survey of 250 U.S public company directors on what is top of mind for America’s boardrooms in 2024. Priorities topping the list include having the right leadership in place and growing the business. But governing has become increasingly complex due to competing needs to balance macroeconomics and emerging risks where control is not solely in the hands of the board, such as regulations, technological advancements and cybersecurity. Boards have also seen a continuously high number of activist campaigns worldwide according to Diligent Market Intelligence, though 41% of directors admit shareholder activism has created more awareness for the need for good governance.

“Risks and opportunities are evolving faster than ever, and with that comes a greater chance of boards missing an oversight or compliance obligation,” said Dottie Schindlinger, Executive Director of the Diligent Institute. “We’re hearing from boards that they continue to prioritize cybersecurity and AI and that they need better data and insights to help them see around corners to mitigate risks and take advantage of new opportunities.”

Among the top findings three key themes emerged:

Directors struggle to oversee AI, but cybersecurity is more pressing on the board agenda

• AI and cybersecurity were identified as the most challenging areas for directors to oversee, at 36% and 35%, respectfully. However, when it comes to setting the board agenda, only cybersecurity made the list of top five issues most pressing to discuss.
• When it comes to the SEC’s cybersecurity disclosure rules, directors feel management is better prepared than the board. Respondents rated their boards’ preparedness a 6.75 out of 10 and management’s a 7.28 out of 10.

Directors want data and third-party expertise to help them in their oversight duties

• Half of board members say access to more KPIs and benchmarking data would help them improve their ability to oversee risk.
• The most sought-after skills in the boardroom remain C-Suite and industry expertise, as nearly half of directors say they can fill gaps elsewhere with third party subject matter experts.

Labor remains a concern for the second year in a row

• In the 2023 What Directors Think Survey, 64% of directors said talent had gained too much leverage in the labor market, and 39% said they expected the pendulum to swing back soon.
• However, this year’s results paint a different picture. 76% of directors said the labor market, including cost and availability of talent, negatively affected their company’s performance in 2023. Consequently, organizations are planning to make attracting and retaining talent a priority in 2024, taking a backseat only to revenue and profit growth on directors’ list of strategic priorities.

“The past few years have been marked by incessant disruption, and directors understand that this fast-paced environment isn’t going anywhere soon—if ever,” said Melanie Nolen, Corporate Board Member’s Research Editor, and the Head of Research for parent company Chief Executive Group. “And because a lot of these issues today are new, even for experienced directors, staying abreast of any development, in all of these areas, will be key to successful governance in the future.”

“As the board’s agenda grows, directors are expected to sharpen their skills in a variety of areas including strategies on cyber risk mitigation, talent development and seeking out timely and informative insights,” observes Amy Rojik, leader of BDO USA’s Center for Corporate Governance. “We urge directors reviewing this report to consider how each of the report questions and responses by their peers reflect the substantial challenges and opportunities that they face in their own boardrooms. To be a proactive and productive board, directors must first be informed.”

Read the full report HERE. To learn more about the findings and how board operations must evolve to meet new demands, register HERE for the webinar on Thursday, February 22, at 2:00 pm ET.

To learn more about how the Diligent One platform supports organizations with a holistic view of their governance, risk, compliance, audit and ESG practices, visit diligent.com.

About Diligent

Diligent is the leading GRC SaaS company, empowering more than 1 million users and 700,000 board members and leaders to make better decisions, faster. The Diligent One Platform helps organizations connect their entire GRC practice — including governance, risk, compliance, audit and ESG — to bring clarity to complex risk, stay ahead of regulatory changes and deliver impactful insights, in one consolidated view. Learn more at diligent.com.

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About Corporate Board Member

Corporate Board Member, a division of Chief Executive Group, has been the market leader in board education for 20 years. The quarterly publication provides public company board members, CEOs, general counsel and corporate secretaries decision-making tools to address the wide range of corporate governance, risk oversight and shareholder engagement issues facing their boards. Corporate Board Member further extends its thought leadership through online resources, webinars, timely research, conferences and peer-driven roundtables. The company maintains the most comprehensive database of directors and officers of publicly traded companies listed with NYSE, NYSE Amex and Nasdaq. Learn more at BoardMember.com.

About BDO

Our purpose is helping people thrive, every day. Together, we are focused on delivering exceptional and sustainable outcomes and value for our people, our clients and our communities. BDO is proud to be an ESOP company, reflecting a culture that puts people first. BDO professionals provide assurance, tax and advisory services for a diverse range of clients across the U.S. and in over 160 countries through our global organization.

BDO is the brand name for the BDO network and for each of the BDO Member Firms. BDO USA, P.C., a Virginia professional corporation, is the U.S. member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms. For more information, please visit: www.bdo.com.

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