Hong Kong boards lack AI and cybersecurity expertise, report says
A Grant Thornton review of 100 major Hong Kong-listed companies found that fewer than 1 per cent of directors had dedicated AI or cybersecurity skills. Although 59 per cent of companies identified those areas as principal risks, only 11 per cent had specialised board committees overseeing them.
Hong Kong’s largest listed companies have limited board-level expertise in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity despite identifying both areas as major business risks, according to Grant Thornton Hong Kong. The firm’s annual Corporate Governance Review examined 100 companies on the Hang Seng Composite Index. It found that 59 per cent viewed cybersecurity or AI as principal risks, but only 11 per cent had specialised board committees for digital threats and technology integration.
Just 0.56 per cent of directors had cybersecurity expertise and 0.26 per cent had specialist AI skills. Grant Thornton said nearly two-thirds of large-cap companies had no director with technical information technology or cyber expertise. The report said 37 per cent of board seats were held by executives with traditional finance, accounting, business or economics backgrounds.
Grant Thornton officials warned that boards designed around conventional risk management were not sufficiently prepared for autonomous AI systems and sophisticated cyber threats. Board turnover is increasing ahead of a Hong Kong exchange rule imposing a nine-year cap on independent non-executive director tenures. Average tenure fell from 6.8 years in 2025 to 5.8 years in 2026.
The firm urged companies to use the turnover to recruit digital specialists.
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