Which board members when you innovate? Board selection as a strategic change for innovation

Firms with high innovation intensity hire directors with specific skills, and different forms of innovation require different profiles of directors. Board members may bring human and social capital that support the innovative strategies of firms. In a sample of 735 French companies, firms with high innovation intensity hire directors with specific skills, while the profiles of directors required on boards are different according to the forms of innovation implemented. Board human capital is important for innovative firms and gives them benchmarks concerning board appointment criteria.