Things will be a lot more frosty when Ryan Stokes eventually re-enters the Boral boardroom after a self-imposed exile while the Seven Group’s nil-premium takeover offer is still on foot.

After much to-ing and fro-ing by Boral - and angst from other shareholders after the Kerry Stokes-controlled Seven Group built up a meaningful stake in the troubled building products company - it was decided that only one board seat should be granted to Seven. Seven wanted two seats and a compromise solution was hammered out late last year.