WILMINGTON, Del., Nov. 19, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Navient, the nation’s leading loan management, servicing and asset recovery company, was recognized today by the Women’s Forum of New York for its advancement of women in the boardroom. The company, which has a representation of 54 percent women on its board, is among an elite group honored to achieve full gender parity.
“Our goal is gender parity in the boardroom by 2025," said Janice Ellig, Co-CEO of Chadick Ellig and Chair of the event. "So we are giving special recognition to Navient, one of the true leaders in making this a reality. We need more visionaries like them.”
Navient has more women independent directors than any company of its size, according to analysis of S&P 500 companies. Seven of its 13 directors are women, representing more than half of the board. Earlier this year, the New York Stock Exchange Governance Services presented Navient with the award for Best Board Diversity Initiative for successfully implementing a broad definition of diversity at the board level. Navient was also recognized with the "W" award from 2020 Women on Boards, a national campaign to increase the percentage of women directors on U.S. company boards.
“Diversity in all its forms—gender, ethnicity, and experience—is essential to our values and our value,” said Jack Remondi, Navient CEO and president. “Navient is proud to lead the way with our commitment to boardroom diversity.”
The award was presented to Katherine Lehman, a Navient board director, at the organization’s third biennial Breakfast of Corporate Champions. The event brought together an audience of more than 500, including CEOs and board directors along with business leaders, government officials, thought leaders and influential media in special recognition of forward-thinking companies.
Following the awards presentation, a CEO panel discussion on why and how top U.S. companies should strive for gender parity was conducted and moderated by Judy Woodruff of PBS NewsHour. Additionally, this year's breakfast expanded to include a follow-up symposium co-sponsored by the Committee for Economic Development of the Conference Board, which included moderated sessions by Moira Forbes of ForbesWomen, Cyrus Sanati of Fortune.com and Susanna Schrobsdorff of TIME magazine. The symposium closed with a luncheon keynote by Securities and Exchange Commission Chair, Mary Jo White, introduced by Michael Fucci, chairman of the board, Deloitte LLP.
To learn more about the Women's Forum of New York or the Women's Forum CEO-Sponsored Database, visit https://www.womensforumny.org/. Connect with @Navient on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Navient
As the nation's leading loan management, servicing and asset recovery company, Navient (Nasdaq:NAVI) helps customers navigate the path to financial success. Servicing more than $300 billion in student loans, the company supports the educational and economic achievements of more than 12 million Americans. A growing number of public and private sector government clients rely on Navient for proven solutions to meet their financial goals. Learn more at navient.com.
About the Women's Forum of New York
The Women’s Forum of New York is the city’s premier organization of women leaders. The invitation-only membership of more than 500 women, representing the highest levels of achievement across all professional sectors from finance to fine arts, is dedicated to the advancement of women’s leadership through programs which enrich members lives personally and professionally, through The Education Fund which enables talented women whose potential has been disrupted by extreme adversity to resume their education, and through the Corporate Board Initiative, which extends and expands the contribution of women leaders through corporate board participation. Founded in 1974, the Women's Forum of New York is the flagship of the International Women's Forum, a global organization of nearly 6,000 outstanding women leaders in over 74 Forums around the world.