As the focus of the work performed by supervisory boards has changed over recent years, new challenges and hurdles in their operations and decision-making processes have inevitably arisen. The expanded requirements for the skills and expertise profiles of supervisory boards, more and more comprehensive European Union regulation and the workload that entails in monitoring management boards have taken on great practical relevance.

1. Challenges and hurdles in the work of a supervisory board member

When asked about the largest challenges and hurdles in the work they do as a supervisory board member currently, 50 per cent of respondents named 'filling the board with qualified candidates' the greatest challenge, which was trailed closely by the 'scope of the tasks and the time demand' and 'regulatory requirements' (each indicated by 48 per cent of respondents). Besides those, 41 per cent of surveyed supervisory board members identified the 'provision of information by the management board and committees', 36 per cent the 'general transformation and transition of the business model', 22 per cent the 'limited influence of the supervisory board', 18 per cent the 'resources provided', 16 per cent the 'size of the supervisory board' and 13 per cent the 'remuneration'. In the text entry field to this question, 8 per cent of respondents additionally named such topics as AI, compliance, cybersecurity, the digital transition, co-determination, sustainability, restructuring and reorganisation and the chairperson's understanding of their role as the major challenges their supervisory board was facing.

Figure 16: What are the biggest challenges/hurdles you encounter in the work you do as a member of a supervisory board?