Just 66% of HR directors think engineers have the necessary skills and attributes to make a valuable contribution on a board of management.

According to research carried out by Sainsbury’s Management Fellows (SMF), a not-for-profit organisation that helps UK engineers gain knowledge and skills to make the transition from a technical to a senior management role, the backgrounds most prized in the boardroom are accountancy, sales, marketing, HR and legal, with professional engineering coming way down the scale.

However, when asked if professional engineers with MBAs are suitably qualified for board positions, 80% of the HR directors agreed that they are.

The survey also shows 86% of those asked were open minded about recruiting directors with non-financial or legal backgrounds and where engineers have MBA qualifications and business experience, 80% of HR directors thought that engineers had the necessary skills to warrant a place in the boardroom.