Women Serve On Boards

According to recent data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, 24 Fortune 500 companies currently have no women on their boards.

I started a petition movement that makes a fiscal and social case for taking initial steps toward gender equality on boards. My first two petitions – to Land O’Lakes and Discovery Communications, two companies on the list of 24 – requests these companies to add at least one woman to its board of directors. I hope that others will join me and start petitioning the other 22 companies on this infamous list, using my petitions as a template or as inspiration to create their own compelling calls to action.  

Adding women to boards makes business sense for each company on this list: it will significantly increase profits, boost its competitive advantage, and put the company on the right side of the issue. Taking steps toward gender equality on boards is also the right move socially. Companies that aim to improve and shape society can’t do so unless they reflect society. Upcoming generations need a future where gender inequality is a thing of the past, not a status quo to accept or even a hurdle to overcome. So please join me in signing the petition, and asking these 24 companies to step into modern times and commit to gender equality.

I am a founder of Women Serve on Boards (#WomenServeOnBoards), a General Counsel at a leading technology company and an enthusiastic advocate for women and gender equality. As a female professional and mother of two daughters, I would like to see more relatable female role models and leaders at every level. The change must start at the top. I hope the next generation of women will benefit from a more equal society and that the 24 companies on the list can lead the charge in getting us there. After all, this is 2016. Why should one’s gender make it impossible to serve on the board of directors these 24 companies?

I genuinely hope that you join me in urging these 24 companies to take steps toward gender equality on their boards. Together, we can pave the way to a more equal future.