Executive search consultants and company decision makers are important gate keepers when diversity of boards and top management is determined. In this qualitative explorative research, we interviewed 22 executive search consultants and 22 company representatives in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary to discover how they consider diversity and how they enhance or hinder the diversity of executive teams. Our findings show that most interviewees had a generally positive attitude towards diversity, and only a small proportion were explicitly against it. At the same time, they elaborated that meritocracy has priority over diversity, and they would only give preference to minority candidates when they outperform or, in some cases, equally perform as the majority candidates. Beyond that, a few “accidental activists” were also among the interviewees who actively moved forward with the issue of diversity, and they were willing to select minority candidates and challenge their business partners. At the same time, their initiatives failed when the other party preferred the traditional candidates. This is why diversity is contested in the region.