The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu The leading online blog in the fields of corporate governance and financial regulation. Sat, 19 Sep 2026 11:30:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.11 https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/cropped-photography-4-e1706898544564-1-32x32.png 2026 Board Index Director Snapshot – The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu 32 32 2026 Board Index Director Snapshot https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2026/08/24/2026-board-index-director-snapshot/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2026-board-index-director-snapshot https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2026/08/24/2026-board-index-director-snapshot/#respond Mon, 24 Aug 2026 11:32:20 +0000 https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/?p=183382?d=20260821172342EDT Posted by George Anderson and Rebecca Thornton, Spencer Stuart, on Monday, August 24, 2026
Editor's Note:

George Anderson and Rebecca Thornton are both Partners and Co-Leaders of the Board practice at Spencer Stuart. This post is based on a Spencer Stuart memorandum by Mr. Anderson, Ms. Thornton, and Ann Yerger, all at Spencer Stuart.

Class of 2026: S&P 500 boards appoint more CEOs

Board refreshment slows

S&P 500 boards appointed 364 new independent directors in 2026, out of a total of 5,204 — the lowest number of new directors since 2016. Overall turnover remains low, declining from 0.8 new directors per board last year to 0.7 in 2026.

In previous years, declines in director appointments generally mirrored the number of directors leaving boards. For example, 374 directors departed S&P 500 boards in 2024, matching the number of new director appointments in 2025. That pattern did not continue in 2026: 418 directors left boards  last year, 15% higher than this year’s appointments.

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