Boards are emerging from a roller-coaster year: the transformative impact of AI, a backlash against DE&I and ESG initiatives, and a wave of crises ranging from black swan events to unprecedented cyberattacks – pressures that have exposed vulnerabilities and tested board resilience.
In 2026, then, boards must turn the lessons learned into action, focusing on scenario planning, composing boards with a greater breadth and depth of expertise, and hosting deep conversations about organizational resilience – spanning digital, cyber, reputational, and geopolitical risks.
Here, we dive into the top five trends that shaped boards over the past year, share key insights, and forecast what it means for your board in 2026.
Projected to add $19.9tn to the global economy by 2030 and account for 3.5% of global GDP, executives increasingly recognize AI’s transformative potential, with 79% of business leaders expecting generative AI to drive substantial organizational change within three years.
Boards need to harness AI to strengthen risk management and foresight, support high-quality decision-making, and enhance boardroom efficiency (click here to find out how).
“We are on the verge of a dramatic shift in how society and business view women in leadership.”
We are on the verge of a dramatic shift in how society and business view women in leadership. In 2025, regulations were passed that dictated how many women should sit at the boardroom table, while at the same time, DE&I efforts globally faced significant backlash.
The greatest wealth transfer in history is underway, with trillions moving downstream to the next generation, including $30tn expected to land in the hands of women. The opportunities created have changed the conversation around women on boards. Jennifer Jordan explains here what female board members must do to get ahead.
So-called black swan events are becoming increasingly frequent.
So-called black swan events are becoming increasingly frequent. The best boards have not only come to expect them but also anticipated catastrophe as part of a robust crisis response architecture.
In the coming year, high-performing boards will use black swan simulation tools to experiment with real-time variables to anticipate the extreme outcomes of events, the probability of which can only be estimated rather than measured. These simulations will range from cyber breaches, where boards spend time in an escape room-style experience within the boardroom, to discussing a range of potential events such as nuclear accidents, migration waves, natural disasters, and active gun threats.
As stories of corporate malfeasance repeatedly surface in the media – accompanied by the question, ‘Where was the board?’ – it is clear that not all boards are created equal. Many fail to manage risks, contribute proactively to firm strategy, identify the right team, or deal with integrity issues that go on to tear them apart.
A string of marketing campaigns also told a sorry tale of the role of directors in marketing strategy. In 2025, Jaguar’s bold move to modernize sharply divided public opinion, leading to the dismissal of the company’s chief creative officer. It offered a very colorful lesson in how to avoid car-crash campaigns.
In 2026, boards will do well to adhere to the four critical pillars of governance, paying close attention to information architecture, people, structures and processes, and governance culture.
In 2026, organizations need to build digital resilience from the board down.
In 2025, the average global cost of a data breach exceeded $4.4m. Over the past year, we saw the growing cunning and sophistication of cybercriminals, aided by rapid advances in emerging technology such as generative AI, and escalating international conflicts (both trade and turf).
In 2026, organizations need to build digital resilience from the board down. Directors must become more proactive and put in place a comprehensive, practiced crisis response strategy that protects their organization’s security and the psychological safety of their staff. Öykü Işık, Professor of Digital Strategy and Cybersecurity at IMD, explains what you should do here.
Boards must continue to strengthen their digital resilience and proactivity in tackling cyber threats, which are growing in complexity by the day.
In the coming year, the best boards will be more robust, forward-looking, and organized than ever before. They will utilize digital technology to streamline tasks, improve decision-making, and simulate potential governance challenges, enabling them to anticipate outcomes with unprecedented clarity and take rapid action.
Furthermore, they will concentrate on horizontal succession planning, highlighting knowledge gaps, focusing on stakeholder engagement, and ensuring leadership and management positions across the organization are filled strategically, now and in the future. A heightened focus on diversity is required, not just in terms of background but also in expertise, experience, perspective, and personality, ensuring boards comprise a range of abilities to tackle geopolitical uncertainty and digital transformation challenges.
Boards must continue to strengthen their digital resilience and proactivity in tackling cyber threats, which are growing in complexity by the day. The agenda will be consistently filled with discussions on cybersecurity and crisis response architecture.
Pervasive uncertainty isn’t going away, so the best-performing boards are preparing for every eventuality and evolving to stay competitive, sustainable, and future-proof.
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