Director Characteristics and Firm Performance

Abstract

The traditional methodology examining optimal boards relates a simple board variable� (e.g., independence or board demography) to firm performance, however, ig- noring other board characteristics.� This paper investigates how the education and business� experience of directors affect firm� performance. The sample consists of 1,574 directorships from 224 listed firms� in Switzerland.� Using� OLS� and including control variables, the results show that graduates of minor Swiss universities are negatively related to Tobin’s Q, and industrial knowledge and Tobin’s Q are nega- tively� correlated if the firm� has more divisions.�� In� addition, director fixed effects (or unobserved characteristics) are significant, but improve the explanatory power of the models only by 5 percent.Corporate governance: Board of directors; Director characteristics, Education and business experience