Boardroom diversity: The role of the responsible leader

Gender diversity and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are increasingly entwined within a board’s agenda, whether through the lens of board gender diversity as a matter of CSR, or how a gender diverse board shapes the firm’s CSR engagement. In this chapter we present an abridged history of board gender diversity research and contextualise it in relation to CSR leaders’ approaches. We discuss the normative view of corporate board gender diversity, how social movements have informed the debate, the impact women directors have on firms’ CSR practices, priorities, and performance, and how the broader equality, diversity and inclusion agenda is pushing the field and the debate forward. We then highlight three challenges that leaders may face when trying to diversify their boards without fully understanding some issues. To conclude, a case study based on key findings from our work illustrates the successful approaches a number of board Chairs took to diversify their boards.