Can European Boards Help Europe Compete Again?
Originally published on Digoshen on August 19, 2026, as part of the Beyond the Old Playbook podcast and reflection series.
Europe’s competitiveness challenges are often discussed in terms of regulation, fragmented markets, investment and the widening innovation gap with the United States and China. Yet Europe’s future is also shaped by decisions made every day in corporate boardrooms.
This reflection explores how European boards can move beyond protecting existing value towards actively contributing to innovation, renewal and long-term competitiveness. Inspired by a Beyond the Old Playbook podcast conversation with Fernanda Torre and Sylvia Robben, it examines how boards can strengthen resilience while embracing opportunities emerging from AI, sustainability and technological transformation.
Reflections
Boards have traditionally placed considerable emphasis on oversight, risk management and protecting shareholder value. These responsibilities remain essential, but they are no longer sufficient in a world where standing still can be as risky as moving forward.
Perhaps one of the most important shifts in corporate governance is recognising that boards must govern not only the risks of change, but also the risks of inaction. This requires greater attention to emerging opportunities, investment in new capabilities and the courage to support experimentation before outcomes are fully predictable.
The challenge is not simply to respond to Europe’s competitiveness gap, but to recognise how individual board decisions collectively influence Europe’s capacity for renewal. Every choice about innovation, technology, talent and long-term investment contributes to shaping what comes next.
The Message
Europe’s competitiveness will not be determined by policy alone. It will also depend on the courage, judgement and ambition exercised in its boardrooms. Boards must balance protecting today’s business with creating tomorrow’s opportunities, recognising that resilience and renewal are not competing priorities but mutually reinforcing responsibilities.
A question worth bringing to every board meeting: How much of our attention is devoted to protecting today’s business, and how much to creating tomorrow’s?
Read the full reflection here
Can European Boards Help Europe Compete Again? — Digoshen
About Liselotte Engstam, Digoshen & Novisali
Liselotte Engstam is an explorer of perspectives, an adventurer of ideas, a pathfinder of meaning, and a guide of timeless transitions. She bridges the worlds of board leadership and art, helping organizations and individuals navigate disruption while nurturing creativity and reflection.
As founder of Digoshen, she works with boards and leaders to expand future insights and reduce digital and sustainability blindspots. Through research, networks, and executive programs, Digoshen supports responsible value creation in the digital and sustainable age, contributing thought leadership via books, articles, events, Digoshen Exploring Leaders podcast, and blogs.
She also serves as Chair of the Boards Impact Forum in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and the Climate Governance. The Forum convenes board members, thought leaders, and experts in dialogues, webinars, and collaborative events, accelerating action on climate, AI, and sustainability.
Through her artistic practice as Novisali, Liselotte explores creativity and meaning. Her watercolors, digitally reimagined, invite reflection and renewal, offering perspectives that connect head, heart, and hand, and complementing her work with leaders and boards.
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