The pace of change at the board level has been unacceptable. It’s been less than 1% a year for the last 20 years, and it is not nearly what it needs to be. I’m an incredibly firm believer that in many instances, what makes the difference is setting the tone at the top of an organization, whether at the board level or within companies and senior leaders, have to do this, and have to be the catalyst for change going forward, otherwise this glacial pace is just going to continue, and that is just unacceptable. The single most important reason for diversity on boards is performance. The more diverse a board is, the better the performance is going to occur at the board level, but most importantly at the company, there is no pipeline issue here. It’s a demand issue, and it is the responsibility of every chairman and CEO to take advantage of that opportunity and change the composition of their boards. Going forward, the talent is there. We can continue to do it, and need to keep doing it going forward. This is a relentless move towards equality and parity at board levels, and it is up to us as CEOs and chairmen to make that difference and make it happen.
Interview with Janice Ellig - President Women’s Forum of New York (2017)
