Launch of the 2026/27 Edition of Life in the Boardroom, our unique survey of NEDs and Board Chairs

Boards are operating in an increasingly complex environment. Regulatory change, economic uncertainty, technological innovation and evolving stakeholder expectations continue to reshape board priorities. To help capture these developments more effectively, we are evolving Life in the Boardroom, our long-running survey of Non-Executive Directors and Board Chairs.

A Survey with a Long History

Since 1990, Life in the Boardroom has provided unique insights by collecting data directly from individual directors across UK and overseas listed and private companies, private equity portfolio companies, public sector companies, not-for-profit organisations and charities.

For the 2025/26 edition, MM&K received responses from 167 directors representing 435 board appointments, including 158 Chair roles. Participants shared information on fees, time commitments, board governance, board effectiveness and the challenges facing boards today.

A New Approach for 2026/27

As the pace of change facing boards continues to accelerate, we are evolving the Life in the Boardroom survey format.

Rather than asking directors to complete a single comprehensive questionnaire every two years, we will now gather insights through a series of shorter pulse surveys. Each survey will focus on current boardroom issues and emerging trends, providing timely insights while requiring less time from participants.

As this new approach is being introduced during the current reporting cycle, there will be three pulse surveys before publication of the next Life in the Boardroom report.

Findings from the first two pulse surveys will be published as short reports. The results from all three surveys will then be brought together in the next full Life in the Boardroom report, which will continue to provide analysis of directors’ fees and time commitments, alongside directors’ views on a range of topical and important boardroom issues.

Looking Back: Findings from 2025/26

The most recent report highlighted several important themes across UK boardrooms:

1. Board gender ratio was 69% male: 30% female.
2. When asked about succession planning, 30% of respondents reported that it was fully embedded within their organisation.
3. When asked if their firm’s remuneration policy adequately meets the needs of their wider workforce, 62% responded in the affirmative.
4. When asked whether their organisation had a formal AI policy in place, 18% of respondents answered in the affirmative.
5. 65% of respondents believed the firm provided sufficient cyber security training.
6. 75% of respondents from AIM companies reported their firms were not intending to put directors’ remuneration policy to a binding shareholder vote.

It will be interesting to see how these results compare with responses from our forthcoming 2026/27 surveys.

Get Involved

We hope you will continue to support Life in the Boardroom and contribute your views. The questionnaires for the first pulse survey will be available at or around the beginning of September. If you are a NED or non-executive Board Chair and would like to participate in the 2026/27 edition of Life in the Boardroom, please email margarita.skripina@mm-k.com, paul.norris@mm-k.com or surveys@mm-k.com.

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