Diversity
-
Inclusive Culture and DE&I: Gold Medal Boards Take the Lead [The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance]
•
2 min read
Around the globe, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) has grown to become a critically important boardroom topic given the increasing focus by legislatures, regulatory bodies, stock exchanges, investors, and the general public. Many of these stakeholders have enhanced their expectations around DE&I because of the growing body of research that shows improving DE&I results in…
-
Inclusive Culture and DE&I: Gold Medal Boards Take the Lead [Russell Reynolds Associates]
•
2 min read
Around the globe, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) has grown to become a critically important boardroom topic given the increasing focus by legislatures, regulatory bodies, stock exchanges, investors, and the general public. Many of these stakeholders have enhanced their expectations around DE&I because of the growing body of research that shows improving DE&I results in…
-
Despite years of research showing the importance of diversity and inclusion in the boardroom, boards are still failing to bring about meaningful change. Let’s look at the S&P 500. In 2020, one-third of their boards had two or fewer female directors, falling below the recommended minimum of three. A paltry 27.6 percent of board seats…
-
Few issues have risen to the top of boardroom agendas faster than diversity, equity, and inclusion. The growing awareness of how diversity enables innovation, and how diverse and inclusive organizations drive business performance has become hard to ignore. So too have the events that continue to elicit widespread societal outrage over the mistreatment of people…
-
The Board’s Oversight of Racial & Ethnic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion [The Corporate Governance Advisor]
•
1 min read
What motivates board oversight of racial equity: The following risks and opportunities motivated directors’ increased focus on racial and ethnic diversity, equity, & inclusion (DE&I): reputation, strategy, financing, regulatory and compliance, and human capital. Directors did not cite the potential economic impact of racial inequity as a key motivator. Read the full article, co-authored with…
-
What Your Board Needs to Know About Nasdaq’s Rule Change on Diversity Disclosure [Russell Reynolds Associates]
•
1 min read
On Friday, Nasdaq won Securities and Exchange Commission approval to implement rule changes for listed companies, requiring increased disclosure around board diversity. The likely result of this will be a growing competition for directors who are women, racial and ethnic minorities, or identify as LGBTQ+. While it is possible that the rule implementation will be…
-
The emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the boardroom is shaping up to be a permanent reframing of all that boards do and, more broadly, how companies approach corporate governance writ large. Though this emphasis has been steadily increasing over the past several years, the events of 2020 have accelerated ongoing discussions and…
-
What motivates board oversight of racial equity: The following risks and opportunities motivated directors’ increased focus on racial and ethnic diversity, equity, & inclusion (DE&I): reputation, strategy, financing, regulatory and compliance, and human capital. Directors did not cite the potential economic impact of racial inequity as a key motivator. Oversight in practice: Directors referenced one…
-
The Board’s Oversight of Racial and Ethnic Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion [Russell Reynolds Associates, et.al.]
•
2 min read
In summer 2020, State Street enhanced its commitment to advancing racial justice both inside and outside the organization. As part of this effort, the company launched “10 Actions Against Racism and Inequality” and made these commitments public to increase accountability and motivate peer companies to take action too. Commitment #7 tasked the Asset Stewardship team…
-
The Swiss government’s gender guidelines, which mandate that large companies have a minimum of 30 percent women at the supervisory board level, and 20 percent at the executive level, or explain why not, has so far resulted in little improvement in gender diversity. The twenty companies comprising the Swiss Market Index (SMI) are currently 21…
-
Maintaining Diversity & Inclusion During Workforce Reductions [Russell Reynolds Associates]
•
2 min read
The COVID-19 pandemic has been incredibly disruptive to organizations, with many having to make the difficult decision to reduce their workforce as a result of lost revenue. Companies that are going through layoffs have to contend with a multitude of complicated issues, and often neglect to take into consideration the impact those actions will have…