Canada’s first research of its kind:

The state of governance wellbeing in 2026

What does it actually feel like to do governance work? For the first time in Canada, we asked—and over 140 board directors and governance professionals answered.

About the research

We spend a lot of time thinking and talking about what boards do. We haven’t yet talked about what it’s like to do it.

This is Canada’s first governance and wellbeing pulse check: a survey of board directors and governance professionals run in April 2026, exploring whether the work is meaningful, sustainable, and supported.

The short answer: the work is meaningful for the vast majority of people who do it. But the structures around it have not caught up with the human realities of the people in them. Neither group is being adequately supported by the institutions they serve when it comes to stress and burnout. Governance professionals face an additional structural problem: accountability without authority.

Key findings:

Two populations. One system. Different experiences.

Board directors

7.79 / 10

average life satisfaction

find meaning and purpose in board work

96%

say their board does not address stress and burnout in directors

53%

are serving organizations in some state of change, uncertainty, or crisis

87%

Governance professionals

6.95 / 10

average life satisfaction

find meaning and purpose in board work

81%

say they lack the authority they need to succeed in their role

32%

say their governance work has a negative effect on their wellbeing

36%

Learn more and be part of the conversation:

Download our one-page overviews of the key findings, designed for sharing in boardrooms and conversations.

Read the findings: directors
Read the findings: directors
Read the findings: governance professionals
Read the findings: governance professionals

Join us for future discussions on governance and wellbeing: