New report: embedding socio-economic insight in the boardroom
New research with the KPMG Board Leadership Centre launched: embedding socio-economic insight
A report offering opportunities to further enhance board performance
16 March 2026
A new report from the Bridge Group and the KPMG Board Leadership Centre explores how boards understand socio-economic background (SEB), what motivates or inhibits action, and what practical steps can support meaningful oversight.
Krishna Grenville-Goble, Director, KPMG Board Leadership Centre, said:
“Boards have an exciting opportunity to strengthen long-term performance by actively engaging with socio-economic inclusion and the insights it brings. By moving beyond compliance, they can demonstrate leadership in building organisations that are more inclusive, resilient and reflective of the societies they serve.”
Jenny Baskerville, Chief Executive of the Bridge Group, said:
“While evidence regarding the impact of socio-economic background on workforce progression has grown, it remains largely unexplored in the boardroom. This gap represents a major missed opportunity that risks future board performance. We offer a proportionate framework that equips boards with practical actions, enabling directors to embed socio-economic insight now.”
Nik Miller, Fellow of the Bridge Group, said:
“Bridge Group research shows that socio-economic background is often the strongest predictor of unequal progression, pay, and access to senior roles. This is a matter of social equality, but also of board performance. Boards that act now will strengthen decision-making and gain a competitive edge. Those that do not, risk important strategic blind spots.”
The report brings together a full review of all FTSE 100 annual reports (in September 2025); in-depth interviews with Chairs, Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) and survey responses from nearly 50 NEDs; analysis of the wider research and policy landscape; and practical guidance on how boards can frame and measure SEB more effectively.
The research reveals five key insights:
Boards have different motivations to focus on SEB and socio-economic inclusion.
There are language and definition barriers at board level, but these can be addressed.
Workforce-level insights and practice are driving competitive advantage.
Board focus has not kept pace with workforce practice.
External expectations are intensifying.
To equip boards with practical actions we offer a proportionate framework for directors to adopt now:
Foundational: Place SEB on the nominations committee agenda and use workforce directors to surface existing organisational insights.
Strengthening: Integrate SEB into board skills matrices and adopt simple, low-intrusion indicators to understand the board's profile.
Sustaining: Conduct socio-economic inclusion audit of appointment processes and integrate SEB into board inductions and annual evaluations.
Webinar with board members
On 12 March, KPMG hosted a webinar for board members to discuss the research findings in detail. We thank all participants for their engagement and candid reflections. Below are some of the key points raised in the discussion:
SEB is well understood in the workforce but missing at board level. 64% of FTSE 100 companies already talk about social mobility in their annual reports, yet only 6% make any reference to socio-economic background in their board composition.
Narrative reporting is a simple starting point. Boards do not need perfect data to begin. Sharing how SEB is considered in appointments, succession and evaluations is already a step forward and signals intentionality to investors.
The workforce director role can be a powerful bridge, surfacing SEB insights from across the organisation and elevating them to board discussions.
Lived experience storytelling matters. Board members sharing their own socio‑economic stories across all backgrounds has proven highly effective in shifting culture and normalising the conversation.
Investors increasingly expect transparency. Boards are already disclosing actions on gender and ethnicity; extending this reporting to SEB is a natural next step. It strengthens investor confidence that the board is diverse, reduces groupthink risk, and broadens talent pipelines.
Socio-economic diversity is a major driver of cognitive diversity, improving board challenge, decision‑making and long‑term performance.
