Babes On Bay Street

Archives by Tag 'roadblocks'

Why do corporate boards still lean so heavily toward men?

I think there is only one answer to this question:  getting women on boards is not a priority for most companies. This is the only reason that can account for such minimal movement in the number of female directors in the last 20 years. There are highly qualified women. There are women who have been in the C-suite. There are women who want these positions.   If it was a priority or a goal – we would see many more women appointed to corporate boards.  Neither shareholders nor regulators are demanding this and so it doesn’t happen.   Editor's Note: This question was forwarded to each of the Babes.  I wanted their perspective on a recent column by Leah ...

Why do corporate boards still lean so heavily towards men?

My response to the question based on what I have seen is as follows. Most men don't proactively think about, or focus on this issue. So they typically just reach out to other men they know or know of, when looking to recruit new board members. The chair of the board or the governance committee (ideally both) need to be strong and vocal champions for board diversity. They need to ensure they have a matrix of skills outlining what is required to create the best possible board for the company.  Then they need to find the most qualified candidates. And in doing so, they must insist that the search surfaces talented men AND women that have the necessary skills and ...