Flipping the Script on Private Company Board Diversity
Apr
27
2021
Flipping the Script on Private Company Board Diversity
Flipping the Script on Private Company Board Diversity
April 27th, 2021 @ 12:00 ET
You’re invited to our upcoming web event in partnership with Bolster about the important role Independent Directors play on private company boards – and how we can ensure more gender and diversity on private company boards.
New research from Bolster, an on-demand marketplace for executive talent, has exposed the disparity of diversity at the highest levels when it comes to board director race, gender, and ethnicity. Through their self-reported survey from more 250 venture-backed CEOs, they found that nearly 56% of early stage private company boards have no gender diversity, 43% of startup boards have no race/ethnic diversity, and 86% of seats are held by men.
But there’s a silver lining for investors and CEOs looking to flip the script: Independent Directors. Today, only 11% of seats on boards are filled by non-investors or non-management directors — but more than half of companies expect to fill independent seats in the next 12 months. And early trends suggest that many CEOs are leveraging this opportunity to bring more diversity into the board room, which is good news. We hope to use this conversation to help move the gender and diversity focus forward.
In this session, we’ll cover:
-Bolster’s recently released Board Benchmark report of the latest findings on the state of private company boards when it comes to gender, age, and race/ethnic diversity
-How VC and PE firms can leverage diverse organizations to connect with board-ready talent to help their CEOs
-How the most diverse boards have been structured and built, and the role that investors play in this process
Moderator:
Bethany Crystal – Board Benchmark Study Research Lead, Bolster
Speakers:
Esther Aguilera – President & CEO at Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA)
Jeannie Diefenderfer – Lead Executive Advisor at Ascend Pinnacle, Ascend
Ana Dutra – CEO, Mandala Global Advisors; WBC and Corporate Board Member
Fabrice Houdart – Managing Director, Global Advocacy Initiatives, Out Leadership
Dr. Darlene Motley – Co Founder, African American Directors Forum (AADF)