Is diversity of directors or their independence the bigger issue in corporate boardrooms?

BlackRock voted against directors on independence- related issues far more in Asia than in the US or Europe

Ben Paul

Published Sun, Sep 20, 2020 · 09:50 PM

WHEN it rains, it pours. The topic of board diversity made headlines in Singapore this past week, not once, but twice.

On Sept 16, the so-called Singapore Board Diversity Index was unveiled, with Singtel, Singapore Exchange and Mapletree Commercial Trust in the top three positions.

Developed by Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID), the index seeks to quantify the extent to which local public-listed companies have embraced board diversity, based on eight factors: gender, age, tenure, board independence, cultural ethnicity, international experience, domain expertise and industry knowledge.

Then, on Sept 17, Refinitiv announced the "Top 100" most diverse and inclusive organisations globally for 2020 as ranked by its Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Index. Among the 100 companies were two from Singapore - namely, Singapore Airlines and …