Directors Must Commit to ESG Oversight: Survey Suggests Progress is Needed for Full Embrace
Despite mounting regulatory pressure and investor scrutiny, Alexander Hughes recent survey of French board directors reveals that ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) oversight remains largely compliance-driven rather than authentically embraced. While most directors acknowledge the importance of ESG and believe their boards address it adequately, qualitative insights expose a gap between perception and practice. True commitment appears sporadic—more prevalent in larger firms and often tied to company values or strategic vision—highlighting the urgent need for boards to move beyond obligation and embed ESG into their core governance mindset.
As part of our commitment to advancing dialogue around corporate governance and sustainability, we commissioned a new survey—conducted in partnership with EDHEC Business School—to better understand how French board directors perceive their responsibility for ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) oversight.
This in-depth study gathered input from 76 board directors across companies of all sizes. The respondent group included a nearly equal representation of leaders from CAC 40 companies (24% of the sample) and from intermediate, small, and medium-sized enterprises (25%). The survey, administered by EDHEC Junior Etudes (EJE), combined both quantitative data and qualitative reflections on ESG challenges, expectations, and boardroom dynamics.
The findings offer valuable insight into how directors are thinking about ESG today—and how that thinking is evolving. We’ve explored these themes in a three-part editorial series written by our expert journalist, Felicia A. Henderson, highlighting key perspectives and tensions shaping ESG oversight in French boardrooms.
The first article in the series explores how directors are approaching ESG oversight primarily through a compliance-driven mindset—underscoring the need for deeper, internalized board engagement that goes beyond regulatory obligation.
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