New Data Reveals How Boards Are Performing in 2025

San Francisco, CA, July 30, 2025 --(PR.com)-- The 2025 Board Performance Benchmark Report from Boardspan, the leading provider of board governance solutions, delivers an unprecedented, data-driven view into how boards are meeting today’s governance challenges and where the biggest gaps remain. Built on Boardspan’s proprietary nationwide dataset, the report draws on assessments across all sectors to provide the most comprehensive snapshot of board effectiveness available. It benchmarks performance across more than 60 areas of governance and enables boards to compare their evaluation scores against peers and track progress over time. The analysis highlights the most urgent pressure points facing boards in 2025 and the few critical areas where they are beginning to make measurable gains.

Among the key findings are six trends that define the state of board governance this year:

1. Board-CEO Relationships Strong Though Under Pressure: Trust remains high, though boards find alignment with management takes more effort in these volatile times.

2. Boards Are Hungry for Competitive Intelligence: To be effective strategic advisors in highly dynamic environments, directors are demanding more robust market data and competitive insights.

3. Management Succession Planning Still a Weak Spot: Despite modest performance gains, boards continue to find management succession planning a challenge.

4. Board Succession Planning Is a Strategic Imperative: High-performing boards are embracing a more intentional approach to board composition and leadership readiness.

5. AI Oversight Emerges as a Critical Competency: Boards scored AI oversight the lowest of more than 60 governance topics, signaling urgency to build expertise and governance processes in this rapidly evolving area.

6. Board Leadership on the Rise: Data shows increasing satisfaction with board and committee leadership as these roles become ever more influential in shaping strategy and culture.

“There’s never been a more important time for boards to be self-aware around their effectiveness and how to up-level their performance,” said Abby Adlerman, CEO of Boardspan. “The challenges in the business environment, level of investor activity, and need for increasing strategic contribution are all raising the bar for boards. Benchmarking is the most objective and constructive way to get a handle on what works well and where changes can help.”

Unlike traditional board evaluations, Boardspan’s Board Performance Assessment includes Boardspan Benchmark data for each of the 60+ governance topics evaluated, providing boards with a rare comparative lens through which to view their effectiveness. The Boardspan Benchmark is built from aggregated and anonymized assessment data gathered over the past three years and spans more than 60 topics arranged into 9 key categories, from board responsibilities and strategy to culture and leadership.

The Benchmark Report highlights how boards are evolving in response to shifting market conditions, regulatory expectations, and stakeholder demands, offering actionable insights to help directors align governance practices with the realities of today’s business environment.

The 2025 Board Performance Benchmark Report is now available for download at https://boardspan.com/2025-board-performance-benchmark-report