If Ryan Stokes really wanted to keep industrials hard-head Vik Bansal in charge of Boral for another year or two, surely he could have found a way.
If Bansal wanted a portfolio of non-executive directorships (which he said from the outset would be the next phase of his career), Stokes could have given him a seat on the boards of SGH-controlled WesTrac, Coates Hire, Beach Energy or Seven West Media.