According to PwC’s 2025 Annual Corporate Directors Survey, a majority of the public company directors surveyed would like to see at least one of their colleagues voted off the island. This excerpt notes that this sentiment is on the rise, and suggests some of the reasons that may be behind it:

Frustration in the boardroom is mounting, and directors are increasingly acknowledging it. This year’s survey reveals discontent with peer performance is at a record high: 55% of public company directors surveyed believe that at least one of their board colleagues should be replaced, up six percentage points from last year.

This suggests that directors are becoming more candid about underperformance among their peers. It may also reflect a greater understanding that directors are looking for more from each other in today’s dynamic business environment. Indeed, the most common concern fueling this point of view is a lack of meaningful contribution to board discussions.

The survey found 41% of directors who want a colleague to leave said that it was because that person didn’t contribute meaningfully to discussions. When asked to elaborate, those directors’ comments reflected “a broader concern about alignment, engagement and boardroom dynamics.”

Director tenure appears to play a big part in this, with PwC observing that in many cases, directors believe that long tenure may result in diminished performance. Bolstering that conclusion was the fact that 34% of directors who wanted to replace a board member also cited long-tenured directors as contributing to board underperformance.

– John Jenkins