50/50 Women on Boards™ Calls for Balance in the Boardroom with The Global Conversation on Board Diversity™

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 50/50 Women on Boards™ (50/50WOB), the leading non-profit global education and advocacy campaign driving the movement toward gender balance and diversity on corporate boards, announced its annual Global Conversation on Board Diversity, streaming virtually on Nov. 3, 2021. The event will feature some of the most prominent and influential voices driving the campaign's vision for women to hold 50% of all the corporate board seats and women of color to hold at least 20% of all the corporate board seats. The Global Conversation on Board Diversity will kick-off 30 City and State Conversations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Greece, the U.K., and Spain from Nov. 4-19, 2021.

50/50 Women on Boards will share its Gender Diversity Index™ statistics acknowledging the progress public company boards have made from the previous year and address how to advance balance in the boardroom at a much quicker rate. 

"The Global Conversation on Board Diversity and the local events around the world that follow, create a dialogue among engaged senior executives and decision-makers who are committed to achieving balance in the boardroom," said Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire, CEO of 50/50 Women on Boards. "Last year, we attracted more than 7,000 registrants, and this year, we hope more will engage in the conversation to raise awareness and drive action for the business and human imperative of diverse and gender-balanced boards. With less than 10% gender-balanced Russell 3000 company boards, and diversity by race and ethnicity only accounting for around 10% of board directors, we are at a tipping point to propel the movement."

Attendees of The Global Conversation on Board Diversity will experience in-depth interviews with CEOs, corporate Board Directors, and expert analysts, prioritizing the importance of inclusivity in the boardroom and workplace culture to drive innovation and growth. The City and State events will include live panel discussions with influential leaders and voices in the community, followed by interactive networking sessions that align with an attendee's career path or interests. 

Confirmed Headline Speakers for The Global Conversation on Board Diversity, as of today, include: 

• Colin Angle, Chairman of the Board, CEO, and Co-Founder of iRobot Corporation. Angle serves as a Board Director for Ixcela, Chairman of the Board for Science from Scientists, Board Director, and Executive Chairman for Robots in Service of the Environment (RSE).
• Dr. Wanda Austin, CEO of MakingSpace, Inc., and Board Director for Chevron Corporation, Amgen Inc., and Virgin Galactic. Austin served as the former President and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation and the leading Architect for the Nation's National Security Space Programs.
• Anne Chow, CEO of AT&T Business, was named to the inaugural Forbes 2021 CEO Next list and one of the 2020 Most Powerful Women by Fortune. Chow is an Independent Board Director at FranklinCovey, a Dallas Mavericks Advisory Council member, and the President's Advisory Board at Georgia Tech.
• Tricia Griffith, President and CEO of Progressive Corporation, and Board Director for FedEx and The Children's Place, Inc. Griffith was the first woman to be named the Businessperson of the Year by Fortune and one of the Most Powerful Women in Business by Fortune for the past three years. 
• Whitney Wolf Herd, Founder and CEO of Bumble and Board Director for Imagine Entertainment. Wolf Herd was named the youngest woman CEO to take a company public and, in 2018, named to TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People, Forbes 30 under 30, The Bloomberg 50, and In Style's 50 Women Who Are Changing the World.
• Michael Hsu, Chairman of the Board and CEO for Kimberly-Clark Corporation. A 20-year veteran of the consumer products industry, Hsu is a leader whose passion and vision drive growth and value creation.
• Enrique Lores, President and CEO of HP Inc., is a global technology leader whose innovative product and service portfolio span personal systems, printing, 3D printing, and digital manufacturing. Lores serves as a Board Director for PayPal and volunteers on the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and ESADE Business School boards.

Expert Panelists joining the conversation include: 

• Liz Hilton Segel, Senior Partner and Global Leader for Industry Practices with oversight over 21 global sector domains for McKinsey & Company. Hilton Segel is a Board Director for the Partnership for New York City, the Conference Board, and the New York Central Park Conservancy.
• Adi Ignatius, Editor and Chief at Harvard Business Review. Ignatius oversees editorial operations for HBR magazine, the HBR.org website, and HBR's book-publishing division. He is also the publisher of HBR Press. Ignatius serves or has served on the advisory boards of DocuSign, Foreign Affairs, The Wire, Climate & Capital, and the SUNY Journalism School.

"It will take deliberate actions by corporations and institutional investors to achieve diverse and gender-balanced boards, and we applaud those that are helping us achieve our vision," said Stephanie Sonnabend, Co-founder, and Chair of the Board of 50/50 Women on Boards. "We welcome the distinguished leaders who support diversity in the workplace and thank our sponsors and supporters who make our global campaign possible."

Global Sponsors include BNY Mellon Wealth Management, EY, Bank of America, Knowledge Partner McKinsey & Company, Marsh, and Equilar. 

To learn more about The Global Conversation on Board Diversity or support the campaign, increasing your company's role in this important business issue, visit: https://5050wob.com/global-conversation. 

About 50/50 Women on Boards (50/50WOB)
50/50 Women on Boards™ (50/50WOB), a nonprofit 501(c)3, is the leading global education and advocacy campaign driving the movement toward gender balance and diversity on corporate boards. The campaign publishes its 50/50 Women on Boards Gender Diversity Index™ directory and research reports to track the gender composition of corporate boards on the Russell 3000 by board size, state, sector, and rating. Public awareness campaigns and educational programs produced by 50/50WOB include The Global Conversation on Board Diversity™; Get on Board! workshops for board-ready women; and Path to the Boardroom™ workshops for mid-career women aspiring to serve on boards. For more information visit: www.5050wob.com.

SOURCE 50/50 Women on Boards

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