TS-BGS-07
Trust & Stewardship
Board Governance & Strategy
CORE
Compliance
v2.9.7
Board diversity threshold
Assesses whether the board meets specific, measurable targets for diversity in key areas such as gender and age, ensuring a breadth of perspectives and representation in the highest level of governance. Within Islamic governance, embracing diversity reflects the principle of Ta'aruf (mutual understanding) and enriches the process of Shura (mutual consultation). By incorporating varied life experiences, the board upholds Adl (justice) and prevents insular decision-making, ultimately fostering a more equitable, comprehensive, and resilient approach to corporate stewardship.
Assessment Questions
- Does the organization have a formal, board-approved policy on board diversity?
- Does the diversity policy include specific, measurable, and time-bound targets for key dimensions such as gender, age, and professional background/skills?
- What is the charity’s legal form and minimum trustee/director age in its governing document, and how was youth trustee eligibility verified?
- What UK GDPR lawful basis and Art.9 condition are used for collecting board EDI data, and where is this documented (privacy notice/APD/ROPA)?
- What anonymisation/suppression rules are used in public reporting to prevent re-identification (e.g., n<5 suppression)?
- How does the board nomination and selection process actively incorporate the diversity policy and its targets?
- Is the board's composition regularly monitored and reported against the diversity targets to internal and external stakeholders?
- How does the organization assess and leverage the benefits of board diversity (e.g., improved decision-making, enhanced Shūrā, better stakeholder representation) to achieve its strategic objectives?
- Are diversity targets time‑bound (with milestones) and who is the accountable owner (chair, nominations committee)?
- What specific recruitment actions (channels, outreach, adjustments) were taken in the last 12 months and what were the results (candidate pool diversity)?
Evidence Requirements
- Board Diversity Policy document (including succession mechanisms).
- Board Charter or Governance Manual referencing diversity.
- Minutes of board or nomination committee meetings where diversity targets and candidates are discussed.
- Annual reports or governance statements showing board composition data and analysis against targets.
- Board skills and diversity matrix.
- Strategic planning documents that link board diversity to fulfilling the organization's Amānah (trust).
- Appropriate Policy Document (APD) citing DPA 2018 Sch.1 condition.
- Record of Processing Activities (ROPA) entry for EDI monitoring.
- Data retention schedule for EDI data.
- EDI privacy notice.
- Anonymised board diversity dashboard (with suppression for small numbers).
- Recruitment adverts (showing ≥21 days duration) and channel list (≥5 channels).
- Candidate slate diversity monitoring (aggregated).
- Nominations committee ToR.
- Board evaluation report including inclusion findings.
Scoring Guidelines
| Level | Rating | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5/5 | ≥40% women and ≥1 youth, plus at least one additional tracked dimension (e.g., ethnicity or disability) publicly reported using anonymisation/suppression rules; evidence of inclusive culture in board evaluation. |
| 4 | 4/5 | Meets ≥30% women and ≥1 youth; targets embedded in nominations and succession plan (reviewed annually); annual public reporting. |
| 3 | 3/5 | Meets one target or within 10% of both; approved policy with time-bound plan and succession mechanisms (e.g., term limits). |
| 2 | 2/5 | Below both targets but some diversity and a draft plan. |
| 1 | 1/5 | Minimal or no diversity and no plan. |
Related Criteria
Version
2.9.7
2025-11-05
Discussion (1)
Administrator
2026-03-07 11:07:40.975541
📋 **Version updated: 1.0.0 → 2.9.7** **Changes:** Updated islamic_references from mizan-297.json
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