Public-company boards can boost their effectiveness by embracing key strategies from the private equity playbook

McKinsey (Jul 2025) reports that PE-backed companies are four times more likely than public companies to rate their boards as very effective. PE-backed-company directors spend 55% more time engaging with shareholders, 41% more time with management, and 19% more time with customers and employees compared with public-company directors. The piece also argues smaller, more deliberate boards are often more effective, recommending public-company boards rethink composition as a strategic advantage rather than a compliance obligation, and base equity compensation on a mix of short- and long-term performance targets with longer share-holding periods. Direct read-across for SEA mid-market boards that have grown to 12+ seats.