The 2026 Board Diversity Index is Australia’s leading benchmark for measuring diversity and inclusion in the boardroom. Going beyond gender representation, the BDI assesses diversity across ASX300 boards, including the representation of First Nations peoples, people with disability, LGBTQ+ communities and culturally diverse directors. This report marks the twelfth edition of the Index, and for the second consecutive year, we are proud to partner with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and Deloitte to deliver the 2026 publication.
In this webinar David Evans, Managing Partner of Watermark Search International, unpacked the key findings from this year's Index and explored why board diversity matters.
We then heard from our panel of experts on the business, governance and leadership benefits of diverse boards, the progress being made across Australian boardrooms, and the actions boards can take to build more inclusive and effective leadership for the future.
David was joined by our special guest panelists:
Helen Rowell
Helen Rowell is the Chair of Australian Retirement Trust as well as a Director of Mental Health Australia and Deputy Chair of the State Insurance Regulatory Authority NSW. Helen was recently appointed as a member of the newly constituted ASX Advisory Group on Corporate Governance and as a member of the AICD's NSW Council. In additional, she was previously Chair of the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) panel undertaking a three-yearly review of the General Insurance Code of Practice which concluded in 2024.
She previously held senior roles at the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) for over 20 years, including 10 years as an Executive Board Member and Deputy Chair. Helen played a leading role in APRA’s regulatory and supervision activities, with a particular focus on superannuation and insurance, and has been a key driver of enhancements to APRA’s management approach with oversight of all aspects of APRA’s operations, including strategy, finance, risk, security, audit, people and culture, corporate and regulatory affairs.
Helen holds a BA, Actuarial from Macquarie University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia.
Shaun Westcott
Shaun Westcott is a seasoned executive and board member with extensive global experience driving corporate renewal, operational efficiency, and revenue growth across automotive, manufacturing, and consumer goods industries.
Shaun recently served as President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Australia, where he led the business to record profitability, executed digital and AI-driven transformations, while significantly building an inclusive organizational culture. His diverse leadership background includes key executive roles, Chair and Board roles, alongside current governance positions on the boards of the Adelaide Festival and Industry Leaders Fund.
Katrina Rathie
Katrina Rathie is a Non-Executive Director of SBS, Asia Society Australia and Knight Frank Australia. Last year, she was named Chair of the Year (Small Company) in the AFR Director Awards for her transformational leadership as Chair of ASX-listed Bubs Australia.
A Fellow of the AICD and a Member of CEW, Katrina was on the Selection Panel for the inaugural Indigenous and Culturally Diverse stream of the 2026 AICD Chair’s Mentoring Program. Prior to her board career, she had a distinguished legal career, including serving as Partner in Charge, Sydney at Mallesons. In recognition for her leadership across the legal profession and her contributions to advancing gender and cultural diversity, Katrina was named the Overall Winner in the Board & Management category of the AFR 100 Women of Influence Awards.
We encourage you to watch this webinar below and hope it will leave you with some practical insights that you can put in to action now.
|
Additional resources:
If you would like to follow along with the presentation slides, you can find them here.
To download your copy of the 2026 Board Diversity Index, please follow this link.
If you are interested in our additional Thought Leadership, our Interim Executive Survey 26/27 is live now and you can download your copy here.