Board reporting: are we doing enough?
By Georgina Gearing-Bell, Senior Manager, Company Secretarial Team, Law Debenture
Last week I attended the Chartered Governance Institute’s annual conference, and I wanted to write about one of the sessions I attended on day one: "Board reporting: Then, now and next." The findings were striking - and a little uncomfortable.
The numbers tell a clear story
The session drew on research from 1,857 individuals across 1,676 organisations, updating a landmark study first conducted in 2018. The headline figures make for sobering reading:
• The total cost of board reporting has risen 177% since 2019, reaching an average of £2.8 million per organisation per annum in 2025
• The average board pack in 2025 runs to 220 pages — up 27% since 2019
• The number of board meetings held each year has increased by 34% since 2019
More meetings, longer packs, higher costs. And yet, despite all of this, the overarching conclusion of the research is that board pack quality hasn't improved. More packs were rated 'poor' or 'weak' than 'good'.
So what's going wrong?
The research points to some familiar, persistent issues. Board papers tend to be too internally focused, light on implications, and overly operational. There's also a candid acknowledgement that there isn't high conviction that board packs are fully read, or that they're genuinely adding value.
That's a lot of effort for uncertain return.
What can governance professionals do?
The session was clear that governance professionals have both the ownership and the influence to drive change, and along with this, the responsibility to use it. Some of the practical suggestions resonated strongly with me:
Build a structured, resilient system. Board papers shouldn't be a last-minute scramble at the end of every cycle. A scalable process, with deadlines that are actually adhered to, templates and topic-specific briefs for paper writers, raises the baseline quality across the board.
Give structured feedback - and make sure it lands. Feedback is vital, but it only works if it's specific and reaches the right people. One suggestion was dedicating five minutes at the end of each board meeting to reflect on how the cycle went, and then crucially - actually passing that feedback on. Too often it stays in the room.
Get the chair on side. Change is hard without leadership buy-in. Some organisations have empowered the company secretary to vet papers and push back on those that aren't up to scratch (being sure to identify where the issues lie). Yes, that can ruffle feathers, especially amongst senior leadership, but the duty to deliver quality papers to the board ultimately sits with those writing them.
Use AI where it genuinely helps. The research acknowledged AI as a tool worth considering, not as a silver bullet, but as a practical way to support better, more efficient reporting.
Support first-time presenters. It's a small thing, but it matters. If someone is presenting to the board for the first time, or hasn't done so in years, a conversation beforehand about what to expect, who's in the room, and what questions are likely can make a real difference. I have to say for me, this was one of the key takeaways from the session and not something I’ve spent enough time considering in the past.
It's a leadership issue, not just a governance one
Perhaps the most important takeaway was this: improving board reporting isn't solely the company secretary's problem to solve. It's a matter of company culture and leadership. Boards set the tone. When a new chair or CEO joins, that's a genuine opportunity for change and one worth seizing.
The data shows we're investing more time and money into board reporting than ever before. The question is whether we're investing it well. The research suggests, on balance, we're not yet, but the path forward is clear enough. It starts with honest feedback, genuine ownership, and the willingness to hold the line on quality.
I hope this summary is useful, and if any of it resonates with your organisation and we can assist with your governance or board reporting framework, please do get in touch.
Georgina Gearing Bell is a Senior Manager in the Company Secretarial team at Law Debenture, specialising in listed investment trusts and financial services clients.