The effect of board of director diversity on company performance and the mediating role of director remuneration: Malaysia public companies’ evidence

Abstract

Introduction: The board of director diversity plays a critical role in developing strategic options to improve company performance. The appropriate remuneration package for the director might bridge between the effectiveness of diversity of board and enhancing company performance.Objective: The study aims to examine the effect of board of director diversity on company performance, with a particular focus on the mediating role of director remuneration. Methodology: The nature of the study is quantitative. The current study focuses on the Malaysia public listed companies. The study used panel data from period 2015 to 2021 using secondary data which extracted from Bloomberg database and company annual report. The study utilized 601 sample observation. Result: Data was analysed through Stata software and the findings reveal a significant positive relationship between board diversity (gender, ethnicity, tenure) and company performance measured by Economic Value Added (EVA) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) scores. Additionally, director remuneration is found to significantly mediate the impact of board diversity on EVA, although its mediation effect of ESG performance is less pronounced. These results highlight the importance of fostering diverse boards and implementing fair remuneration practices to enhance both financial and non-financial performance in companies. Conclusion: this study provides valuable insights for policymakers, stakeholders and investors aiming to improve corporate governance practices in Malaysia public listed companies