PRESS RELEASE
Women Choose One of
Six Career Paths Into The Corporate Boardroom:
Research on “How
Women Directors Succeed” Debunks ‘Old Wives’ Tales’
SANTA MONICA, CA (March 1, 2007) – Women in leadership at California-based Fortune 1000 firms chose from among 6 possible paths to enter the corporate boardroom according to an article entitled “How Women Directors Succeed” in the March/April 2007 issue of THE CORPORATE BOARD. The article, written by Elizabeth Ghaffari, founder of Champion BoardsTM, a service of Technology Place Inc., is based on her study of the 114 women directors at California-based Fortune 1000 firms.
Ms. Ghaffari reports that the least likely paths into today’s corporate boardroom were the nonprofit, academic, and government career tracks. In contrast to the “shared beliefs” among women on board advocates, the current reality is that “The corporate ladder is the most likely path to the boardroom” (42%). “Almost nine out of every ten of the women studied chose to stay on the corporate path and also gain extra experience, either from the investment/securities path or from the entrepreneurial path.”
“We identified the 6 paths based on analysis of the biographies reported in annual proxy statements. We expanded that information with other online research about their experience, education, and career development. And, we are interviewing selected women directors representing each path, to understand the value and competence they bring to their board roles and to learn more about their highly diverse and complex careers.”
“Taken together, these talented women represent a complete picture of achievement and accomplishment which is, in fact, what qualified them to be chosen to serve on corporate boards, today. They are ‘outstanding’ women because of the contributions they made and continue to make in every sector of the economy where they are working. “
THE
CORPORATE BOARD
March/April 2007 -- Vol. XXVIII No. 163
HOW WOMEN
DIRECTORS SUCCEED by
Elizabeth Ghaffari
The most popular advice for women gaining a board seat is dead wrong.
Few governance topics are as hotly debated as improving the representation of women in corporate boardrooms. The author finds that this subject also suffers from misconceptions and misunderstandings that do not stand up to the statistics. For starters, the route into the boardroom that we most often encourage for women turns out to be one of the least effective.
“THE CORPORATE BOARD, now in its 28th year, is the nation's leading journal of corporate governance, providing directors and senior officers with information vital to the efficiency and success of their governance actions.”
Copies of the article are available from the Champion Boards web site: www.championboards.com. If other publications wish to reprint the article, THE CORPORATE BOARD requests that they be given advance notice and proper credit as the source of the article. THE CORPORATE BOARD will provide verbal or written reprint permission upon request to:
Judy Scheidt, President and COO of THE CORPORATE BOARD
Champion BoardsTM is a service of Technology Place Inc., providing the knowledge and information women need to prepare themselves for leadership.
Contact:
Elizabeth Ghaffari, Founder, Champion BoardsTM is a service of Technology Place Inc.,
tel: (310) 396-9863
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