WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) today released the Report of the NACD Blue Ribbon Commission on the Diverse Board: Moving From Interest to Action, detailing the strategies directors and boards can implement to advance boardroom diversity in the evolving economic environment. The report was unveiled at the annual NACD Board Leadership Conference.
This report is the first to identify not only the structural, social, and habitual barriers that prevent directors from advancing diversity in the boardroom, but also the ensuing actions that directors can take to overcome them to increase company competitiveness.
Members of the NACD Blue Ribbon Commission include representatives from the director community, CEOs, and other corporate governance experts. The Commission was co-chaired by: Curtis Crawford, president and CEO of XCEO, Inc., director, DuPont, ON Semiconductor, and Xylem; Hon. Cari Dominguez, director, ManpowerGroup Inc., Triple-S Management Corp., Calvert SAGE Fund and former chair, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; William McCracken, CEO, CA Technologies, director, NACD; and Kathi Seifert, director, Eli Lilly and Co., Lexmark International, Revlon, Supervalu, and Appleton Papers.
"The diverse board, comprised of a well-informed and thoughtful group of individuals, can provide the varying perspectives needed as directors fulfill their fundamental responsibility to advise senior executives and oversee their work," said Ken Daly, president and CEO of NACD. "This report is a practical approach to NACD's ongoing comprehensive efforts in advancing boardroom diversity. It provides directors and boards with a critical resource for exploring new ideas and solutions to expanding gender, racial, age, ethnic, and skill-based diversity, ultimately enhancing their ability to address operational and marketplace challenges."
At the NACD Board Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., this week, Barbara Hackman Franklin, chairman of NACD; director, Aetna; and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, led a panel discussion where commission co-chairs, members, and governance experts engaged in a discussion on how diverse boards are uniquely suited to overcome the challenges presented by today's corporate environment.
Since 1995, NACD has issued Blue Ribbon Commission reports on a variety of topics, updating them as necessary. The Report of the NACD Blue Ribbon Commission on the Diverse Board: Moving From Interest to Action is NACD's 19th original Blue Ribbon Commission report, and is available at www.NACDonline.org/DiversityBRC.
About NACD
The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) is the only membership organization focused exclusively on advancing exemplary board leadership. Based on 35 years of experience, NACD identifies, interprets, and provides insights and information that corporate board members rely upon to make sound strategic decisions, confidently confront complex business challenges, and enhance shareowner value. With more than 13,000 corporate director members, NACD provides world-class director education, director training, and proprietary research about leading boardroom and corporate governance practices to promote director professionalism and bolster investor confidence. Furthermore, to create more effective and efficient corporate boards, NACD provides independent board evaluations and custom-tailored in-boardroom education and training programs, as well as director-led conferences, forums, and peer-exchange learning opportunities to share ideas about current and emerging issues. Fostering collaboration among directors and governance stakeholders, NACD is shaping the future of board leadership. To learn more about NACD, visit www.NACDonline.org. To join, please contact Kelly Dodd at kkdodd@nacdonline.org or 202-380-1891.