Gender diversity on corporate boards of directors is inching upwards as more women join boards than depart, according to a Jan. 25 report by the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Women represented 41% of the new director appointments to Russell 3000 Index companies in 2022 and only 17% of those leaving, the 2022 Inside the Public Company Boardroom report found.

"By producing this annual report, we provide valuable insight into the critical shifts and trends impacting boards today and what we can expect to see in 2023," Peter Gleason, president and CEO of the National Association of Corporate Directors, said in a news release. 

Board independence is gradually increasing, as well. In 2020, 15% of boards were 90% composed of independent directors.This climbed to 17% in 2021 and 18% in 2022, according to the report. 

The report also identified shifts in the skills directors have, such as an increase in those with technology skills joining boards and directors with financial and strategic vision skills leaving. More “nonstandard committees,” too, have been formed in the past two years, including risk, technology and sustainability. 

Information for the report was collected by Pearl Meyer, Main Data Group and MyLogIQ.