Board composition in companies listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange

Abstract

It is necessary to address the nature of board composition in the South African economy because boards of directors are the lead indicator of whether or not the transformation initiatives put in place since 1994 are effective in bringing about meaningful change in the society within which we live. Companies are a microcosm of society. A hundred randomly selected companies were used to provide demographic data which was used in the analysis for this study. The aim was to identify what constitutes a typical board of directors for a Johannesburg Securities Exchange listed company by measuring dimensions of gender, race, tenure, independence and board size attributes. Findings from this research will help companies to better understand the role they can play in leveling the playing field by enabling more black people and white females to fulfil their potential and become directors of companies. Copyright