Director departures have ticked up over the past four years, and according to an Agenda investigation, there appear to be several factors behind the shift. Pressure from activists, investors focused on board refreshment and diversity and an overall reckoning with gaps in board skills have led to monthly spikes in director departures stretching back to 2015, according to data provided exclusively to Agenda and interviews with board search experts.

…Data from SEC filings analyzer MyLogIQ, which provided a more granular breakdown of resignations, retirements, terminations, medical leaves and deaths among Russell 3000 company directors for the months of January, February and March of the past three years, also shows increases in retirements and resignations, although the incline isn’t continuous.