The 2018 Netherlands Spencer Stuart Board Index is a review of 50 mainly AEX and AMX companies listed on the Dutch segment of the NYSE EuroNext. It provides detailed information on the composition and structure of boards, committees, board tenure and directorships.

In this edition we identify trends in Dutch governance practices and provide data on the boards of each of the 50 featured companies. A detailed chart compares data from leading companies across Europe and the US.

We are grateful to Hélène Vletter-van Dort, a Professor of Financial Law and Governance at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and experienced board member, who has contributed an article titled "Improving the diversity pipeline requires a more active approach".

Highlights of the 2018 Netherlands Spencer Stuart Board Index include:

• 42.6 % of directors on the boards of leading Dutch companies are foreign
• 21.3 % of supervisory board directors are women
• The total average fee for all non-executive directors in our sample is € 71,878
• 4.2 years is the average tenure of non-executive directors
• The average age of non-executive directors is 60.7 years, down from 62.5 in 2016
• 96% of boards conducted some form of evaluation during the last year