NEW YORK, JULY 23, 2018 – An unprecedented five VIP Members of Women in the Boardroom (WIB) have successfully secured board seats in the last few months as a result of the organization’s notification process that links members with corporate board openings.
“A significant number of corporate boards reach out to us to help fill open seats through our successful notifications process as demonstrated by these five WIB members. This confirms that even with the somewhat stagnant number of board seats being filled by women on Fortune 500 boards, there is a shift in the number of women securing board seats that has been happening at small, medium and large private and public-company boards,” said Sheila Ronning, founder and chief executive officer, Women in the Boardroom. “There are many reasons for the shift, which include an increased interest by qualified women, the realization that diversity of thought is good for the bottom line and the continual scrutiny of boards. I am pleased to report that many of our openings are coming from men who serve on these boards.”
These five WIB VIP Members were elected to the following boards: Sandra Yeager, President of Hanoverian Capital to the board of Columbia Threadneedle; Ann Arnold, CFO of H Arnold Wood Turning Inc. to the board of Mr. T Carting; Emily Liggett, to the board of Kaiser Aluminum (NASDAQ: KALU); Maureen Mitchell, Senior Advisor for BCG to the board of Sterling National Bank (NYSE: STL); and Teresa DeLuca, Physician and Managing Director of NY Life Science Venture Fund to the board of North Bud Farms.
Women in the Boardroom, the organization that provides senior-level executive women with tools, knowledge and connections for corporate board service has assisted in the creation of over 640 board connections on behalf of its members in the last few years from their board opening notifications.
“As a VIP Member of WIB one of the many benefits of membership is being notified of various board openings. One of the board openings that came through was for a mutual fund, Columbia Threadneedle, and I am thrilled that I am now on their board of directors,” said Sandra Yeager, President of Hanoverian Capital. “I am extremely grateful to WIB for making this possible. I would not have known of this opportunity nor been able to apply for the position had it not been for WIB. In addition, the advice from Sheila Ronning and the board and executive coaches, and the knowledge provided through their webinars really helped me. I will continue to be a VIP Member and I encourage anyone else seeking a corporate board seat to join as well.”
Additionally, WIB assists corporations in their board search through streamlining what can often be a very lengthy vetting process. “When I learned that my board needed to recruit for a board member, I felt it would be important to involve WIB even though we were also working with an executive search firm. I wanted to insure we received the most talented women possible to enhance the slate that we would receive from the executive search firm. The WIB board opening notification process was very straight forward; I just needed to include a description of the company; board position description and key requirements for the position,” stated Pam Carlton, Governance Committee Member for Columbia Threadneedle.
With over 15 years of experience and more than 40 percent of their VIP Members serving on corporate boards, WIB is the authority in preparing women for their corporate boardroom goals. WIB provides numerous tools to its members from webinars to coaching, as well as a customized step-by-step approach to getting on the first, second or third corporate board that includes exclusive programs, such as its Matchmaking Program ™, Annual Board Assembly and proven networking.
Sheila Ronning founded the organization in 2002, with the goal of creating an environment where women could assist other women in achieving their leadership and corporate board service goals. In more than 15 years, WIB has grown from a concept to a successful membership organization with global reach across multiple industries, and influence in private and public boardrooms, including Fortune 100 companies.
About Sheila Ronning, CEO & Founder of Women in the Boardroom
Leadership and board strategist expert, Sheila Ronning is a trailblazer in working toward gender equality in the boardroom. Sheila has built an impressive track record in connecting influential female executives with the people and tools they need to succeed in business and the boardroom. She uses her powerful network to help women achieve their goals of obtaining board membership, sharing over 150 board openings with Women in the Boardroom VIPs. Sheila’s accolades and accomplishments include a spot on the prestigious “40 Under Forty”, membership in Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Insider network, and features in The Washington Post, Forbes Woman and The Wall Street Journal. Sheila is also a sought-after speaker who, with characteristic candor, advises women to always “show up, stand up and speak up.”
