Over half of corporate directors want at least one board member replaced

What’s the difference between a board meeting and a middle school dance where all of your “friends” randomly decide you’re out of the group?

Oh…you thought that was a punchline? We were genuinely asking.

For any CFOs with a board seat, it’s safe to assume that at least some of your so-called “colleagues” secretly want you G-O-N-E, based on PwC’s annual corporate directors survey: Over half (55%) of corporate directors thought at least one of their colleagues should be replaced, and of those, 39% cited “insufficient expertise” as their reasoning.

Just wait until middle schoolers realize you can banish someone for “insufficient expertise.”

Board members have clearly picked up on the would-be tween insult: While the percentage of corporate directors who want to see a colleague replaced was in line with last year, the “insufficient expertise” reasoning climbed from 2025, when only 21% of directors cited the same rationale.

They were also just as wishy-washy as a middle school queen bee who can’t quite articulate what they’re looking for in a new member of their posse: Despite the emphasis on expertise as a reason for removal, only 27% said expertise was a top skill needed in board prospects. On the flip side, 81% said a candidate’s cultural fit with the board was “very important.”

In short: They’re looking for vibes, not skills—and what could be more middle school than that?

But the assessment process could stand to change, directors said. Three-quarters (73%) of directors thought there was room for improvement in the process, while 49% said assessments “are not sufficiently candid.” Of the latter group, 40% said using an independent third party in the process “would strengthen candor.”

Hey, say what you will, but very few middle schoolers need to “strengthen candor.”