As boards enter 2026, decision-making is shaped less by growth ambition and more by uncertainty, constraint and risk management.

The Nurole Board Barometer Q1 2026 captures how UK boards are thinking about the year ahead, drawing on responses from over 700 serving Chairs and Non-Executive Directors across listed, private and public organisations.

This report provides a rare, peer-level snapshot of board sentiment on:

• Business activity and pipeline expectations
• Workforce and capital investment plans
• Cost and pricing pressures
• The most significant risks facing boards in 2026
• Board agendas, composition and perceived effectiveness

It does not offer forecasts or prescriptions. Instead, it gives boards something more useful: context.

A way to sense-check assumptions, test judgment, and understand whether your board’s instincts align with, or diverge from, those of peers across sectors.