Directors Australia Board Recruitment Specialist, Brad Booth shares his insights on trends, focus areas and advice for boards and their directors.
What key trends are you seeing in your work with boards at present?
Right now, boards are placing the greatest weight on directors who bring financial capability, people and culture insights and digital transformation expertise. Artificial intelligence is proving to be both an opportunity and a headache, highlighting the disconnect that can exist between board and executive thinking. Move too fast, and the risks are significant; move too slow, and the organisation risks being left behind. The balance is delicate and demands alignment. Boards need confidence that the executive team has the requisite skills, and equally, boards must build their own understanding to provide meaningful oversight.
Increasingly, we are also seeing quality C-suite experience being sought, leaders who have carried financial responsibility, shaped strategy, and delivered results with deep sector experience (health, energy infrastructure, tech innovation, financial services, supply chain/logistics). Some organisations are also establishing independent advisory committees with deep technical expertise to help chart a safer path forward.
What do you suggest boards should be focussing on?
Boards should be treating their composition matrix as a dynamic tool, not a static checklist. Composition needs to shift in step with strategy whether that’s global expansion, digital disruption, or sectoral reform. Culture is equally critical: how the board debates, challenges, and decides will shape whether those skills translate into impact. Succession planning should be front of mind, not an afterthought.
Do you have any other advice for boards or their directors?
Look forward, not back. Recruitment shouldn’t just patch today’s gap but anticipate tomorrow’s challenges. Directors should be investing in their own learning, particularly around AI, climate governance, and capital markets, while boards must create the conditions for constructive challenge and trust in equal measure. Take the time needed to get the recruitment right, don’t rush the interview process and make sure the board is genuinely aligned regarding the skills and experience sought from the market.
Directors Australia provides board and governance advisory and specialist recruitment services to the boards of publicly listed, government, private, APRA-regulated and for-purpose organisations across all sectors and industries Australia-wide. For further information on our services, contact us here.
