Excerpted from Diligent Institute's Developing a Board Meeting Agenda course.

A board meeting agenda is a carefully crafted document that outlines the topics and issues to be discussed during a board meeting. It serves as a roadmap for the meeting, ensuring that all pertinent subjects are addressed in an organized and efficient manner.

The purpose of a board meeting agenda is to ensure the board has adequate time to conduct routine business, discuss strategic issues and address new business and urgent matters.

Agendas are designed to be flexible. For example, a small start-up company may only need an hour or two for a board meeting, whereas large corporations may meet for one to three days. A well-developed agenda will accommodate the unique needs of the organization, while ensuring the board meeting is effective and productive.

In practice, the company secretary usually drafts the agenda in consultation with the board chair and the CEO, with input from committee chairs and key executives such as the CFO and general counsel (if the general counsel is not also the company secretary).

This collaborative approach helps to ensure that the agenda reflects the priorities and needs of the organization and that all relevant stakeholders are involved in the meeting’s preparation.

Stakeholders involved in setting the board meeting agenda include:

: Works closely with the secretary to finalize the agenda, set priorities and often has the final say on what items are included. The board chair guides the agenda’s focus and ensures it serves the board’s governance role.

 Primarily responsible for drafting the agenda. They coordinate with other stakeholders, compile necessary documents and ensure the agenda aligns with the organization’s strategic goals.

Supplies financial reports and insights that are crucial for informed decision-making during the meeting. The CFO and other executives provide the necessary data and reports for informed discussions.

 Advises on compliance, regulatory matters and any legal implications of the topics to be discussed. The legal counsel ensures that the board’s decisions are within legal frameworks.

 Offer updates and insights from their specific committees, which may include audit, compensation, governance, or risk management. Committee chairs bring in detailed reports and action items from their committees.

 Provides input on strategic matters and operational updates that need to be discussed at the board level. The CEO ensures that the board is informed about the company’s performance and strategic direction.

Boards that struggle with developing their agendas or meetings that run significantly over the allotted time might consider ending their meetings with a 

A Plus Delta is a process for boards to assess what they are doing well and where they need to make improvements. A Plus Delta evaluation frames questions from a positive perspective to incite collaboration and group problem-solving about how to streamline and improve board meetings.

It’s usually a simple tool comprised of a few short questions, such as:

Did you have enough time for discussion on each agenda item?

Did you receive your board pack early enough to review it?

Did the board chair allow discussion from many perspectives?

Did the meeting flow smoothly from one item to another?

Did the board chair manage the meeting time well?

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Crafting effective meeting agendas

AI in governance, risk and compliance (GRC) has advanced faster in the past decade than most leaders expected, and the pace continues to accelerate. In 2016, many teams utilized spreadsheets, email chains and manual board packs to manage audits, risks and compliance. Today, AI-powered workflows are reshaping how information reaches leaders, how risk is identified and how decisions are made.

How leading organizations are turning AI into action

That evolution is captured in the infographic below, 

“AI in GRC: A decade of change — and your next leap.”

 It traces the shift from manual processes to AI-enabled programs across board management, enterprise risk, audit, compliance, entity and legal operations, due diligence, education and platform integration — and looks ahead to what’s next as organizations enter the era of agentic AI.

If you want to turn these trends into practical skills, 

 offers a hands-on look at what AI-powered GRC looks like in practice. Taking place April 22–24, 2026, in Atlanta, Elevate is a three-day, in-person conference designed to help governance, risk, compliance and audit leaders apply AI across their daily work — from board preparation to frontline oversight.


The contrast with a decade ago is fascinating. In 2016, teams spent weeks assembling board materials, reconciling risk registers and manually sampling audit data. 

 have since consolidated those activities, creating the foundation for AI to deliver greater impact.

Today, AI in GRC is all about connected intelligence. AI can draft board-ready materials and minutes, benchmark large volumes of risk data, flag anomalies in audits, route compliance cases more efficiently and summarize complex records in seconds. When these capabilities operate on a unified platform spanning governance, risk, audit and compliance, leaders gain real-time visibility and can act with greater speed and confidence.

The next leap, highlighted in the infographic, is agentic AI: policy-aware, always-on agents that continuously monitor activity, surface emerging risks and keep oversight bodies informed — without adding burden to already stretched teams. This shift moves GRC from incremental efficiency to a fundamentally different model of oversight, accountability and decision-making.

Understanding this evolution is important. Seeing it in action, and learning how to apply it, is what Elevate delivers. At Diligent Elevate 2026, you’ll explore how AI is transforming GRC across industries, learn from peers and experts, and leave with practical workflows you can use immediately.

Over three days, Elevate combines hands-on training, live demos, customer stories and thought leadership focused on AI-enabled governance, risk, compliance and audit. You’ll deepen your proficiency with Diligent’s tools, explore emerging AI capabilities and benchmark your roadmap against peers facing the same pressures to move faster, manage risk more effectively and support better decisions.

As you review the infographic, consider what the next decade of GRC could look like in your organization — and what it would mean to have a connected, AI-powered platform supporting every critical decision. Diligent’s integrated suite of GRC solutions is built to help organizations move from manual processes to intelligent, scalable oversight.

 to join peers leading the next era of AI-powered GRC.

AI in GRC: A decade of change

This article originally appeared in our December 18th edition of the Diligent Minute Newsletter. For more insights like these, delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe 

As we close out 2025, I’ve been reflecting on what this year taught us and the word that comes to mind is “unprecedented.” Insights from the Diligent Institute’s research show how directors navigated multiple unprecedented challenges – often simultaneously – while also driving major change. The lessons we learned this year aren’t just a look back. They can be a compass pointing to the directional shifts boards will need to embrace as governance moves into a faster, more AI-enabled era.

Five governance shifts boards must prepare for in 2026

What will change: Boards will move beyond passive reporting and lean into more 

 Predictive analytics and scenario planning will become part of everyday conversations, helping directors navigate volatility before it hits.


Why? Director confidence hit historic lows in 2025. Our 

 conducted in partnership with Corporate Board Member, landed at just 4.8 out of 10, among the lowest since the pandemic. That’s a wake-up call for faster, smarter decision-making. If you’re curious whether sentiment is shifting, our Q4 results will be live by the time this issue hits your inbox. Check them out to see if optimism is making a comeback.

What will change: Dashboards won’t just summarize risks. They’ll surface them within hours, and crisis protocols will kick in during the first 72. AI-powered assurance will scan massive datasets to catch anomalies as they happen, and directors will be able to ask complex questions in plain language and get instant answers. Oversight will move from reacting after the fact to staying ahead of the curve, a fundamental change in risk management.

 7.9 out of 10. Quarterly updates aren’t enough anymore. Boards need early-warning systems and integrated intelligence to keep pace.

3) AI governance moves to the top of the agenda

What will change: Agentic AI is moving fast, from assisting to acting. Boards will need to build AI literacy, test for bias and keep humans in the loop to manage less visible risks.

Why: Two-thirds of directors used AI tools in 2025, but 

, 57% of respondents said their organizations had deployed AI in one or more areas of the business, but only 36% had audited usage.As AI deployment climbs higher on the priority list for 2026, closing this governance gap is critical.

4) Integration becomes a growth essential

What will change: M&A ambitions will stall without tech integration. Boards that prioritize scalable platforms will unlock faster, cleaner transactions and reduce risk during rapid growth periods as integration readiness becomes a board-level KPI.

 conducted in partnership with Wilson Sonsini and NetSuite, found only 4% of organizations had fully integrated GRC and financial systems.

What will change: Board agendas will shift toward forward-looking conversations powered by predictive analytics and cultural insights. Directors will widen their lens beyond financials to include culture and workforce resilience, using anonymized data to spot risks before they surface.

Why: The ability to anticipate, not just react, will define effective governance in 2026. Boards that lean on AI-driven scenario modeling and continuous feedback loops will stay aligned with fast-changing realities.

Turning 2025 board lessons into a 2026 action plan

2026 will reward boards that act, not just react. That means pairing human judgment with AI-driven foresight, embedding continuous assurance and integrating systems for scalability. Governance is moving from static to dynamic – and the boards that thrive will be ready to keep pace.

Check out the full blog on trends shaping governance in 2026.

From risk to strategy: The governance agenda for 2026 

Boardroom confidence surges in final quarter despite tepid 2026 expectations 

After three quarters at a five-year low, director confidence jumped 23 percent in December—yet the outlook for 2026 remains muted. One director's advice: 'Defend and survive.'

America's corporate directors ended 2025 on an unexpectedly optimistic note.

After languishing at a five-year low for three consecutive quarters, the Director Confidence Index—a quarterly poll conducted by Corporate Board Member and Diligent Institute among U.S. public company board members on their sentiment for business—surged 23 percent in December, climbing from 4.9 out of 10 to 6.0 and finally breaking into "Good" territory. 

A better understanding of how tariffs are impacting businesses and the economy, lower interest rates and increased CapEx spending are the most common factors directors shared to explain this rebound. 

“[There’s] an expectation that companies will be able to work through any tariff impacts without significantly raising prices,” explained one director participating in the poll.

It's a remarkable turnaround for a year that tested boardroom resolve. 

Yet even with the late rally, 2025's average confidence level landed at just 5 out of 10—well below 2024's 6.2 average and significantly short of the 6.9 that directors had predicted this time last year.

The 105 directors surveyed December 6-11 overwhelmingly point to one issue that slowed down business this year: tariffs. 

Three quarters cited it as a top contributor to lower-than-expected business conditions, well ahead of any other factor, noting that standard playbooks don’t work when the environment keeps changing.

“No matter how much you try to prepare for the unexpected, you can never truly assess all outcomes,” said one director on the board of a publicly traded tech company. “We did not see the substantial impact the ever-changing tariff environment (much of which was likely unconstitutional) would have on our customers CapEx spending plans.”

“I have never experienced what we are seeing in our industry in my 30+ years,” said one director at a Nasdaq-traded life sciences company. “Pharma/biotech has always been recession-proof and has not been impacted by which party was in power at the time.”

Despite December's surge, directors aren't banking on momentum carrying into the new year. Their forecast for business conditions by this time in 2026 sits at 6.0—essentially flat from today's level.

This is an interesting delta when compared to CEO sentiment. When polled by sister publication Chief Executive the first week of December, 

CEOs said they forecast conditions will improve by

 in 2026, to land at 6.4 out of 10 next December.

Overall, 44 percent of CEOs are optimistic that conditions will improve, vs. 32 percent of board members.

Among those directors who are optimistic, we observe a strong AI focus in their responses, far outpacing macro fears that are atop the list of concerns among directors who expect conditions to deteriorate in 2026. As for those neutral directors, the uncertainty they expect to continue in the year ahead rivals inflation as a key theme.

To navigate 2026 successfully, directors are prioritizing adaptability, deeper engagement and faster learning, recognizing that compounding risks demand boards connect dots more quickly than ever. "Work hard and smart, keep expenses tight, and survive until a rebound comes around," advised one director.

“Defend and survive,” concluded another.

The Director Confidence Index five years later

To mark our fifth year of running the Director Confidence Index, we asked respondents this quarter to reflect on how their roles had shifted since we first fielded this survey at the end of 2020. Directors say they are spending far more time on risk in a “more complex and faster‑moving” environment—cybersecurity, AI, geopolitical shocks, supply‑chain integrity and policy volatility are now routine board agenda items, not edge cases. 

Many describe a shift from “managing the present” to “understanding and planning for the future,” with scenario planning and strategic resilience now core to the role. Several also point to rising scrutiny from activists and a broader investor base, which has widened the mandate from overseeing financial performance to stewarding culture, human capital and corporate character.

Directors repeatedly flag the steep learning curve this entails. In their open‑ended comments, they emphasize the need to be more tech‑savvy on AI and cyber, more fluent in geopolitics and regulation, and more intentional about ongoing education just to remain effective in the boardroom. Committees are “very busy,” topics are broader, and some directors note a clear move away from informal business development toward disciplined governance, succession planning and risk oversight. 

While a minority insist the formal role has not changed, the weight of the written responses is unmistakable: being a director today is more time‑intensive, strategically demanding and consequential than it was in 2020, and possibly than it has ever been. 

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