ICGI Women on Boards

Women on Boards

GBRW - Global Board Ready Women Searchable Data Base
	The European Business Schools/Women on Board initiative of which INSEAD is a member supports the European Commission Vice President Reding’s initiative to shatter the glass ceiling for women in Europe’s publicly listed corporation’s board rooms and is launching a Global Board Ready Women network of board-ready women to bring Europe into the 21st Century. This is an international network of women qualified to sit on a board.
All women on the list have at least five years’ experience in one or more of the following roles: Chair and/or NED of listed/private corporations CEO, COO, CFO or other C-suite exec/director level in listed/private corporations Family member and controlling shareholder of boards of large family companies Director of government agencies Director of non-profit orgs Institutional investment community senior professional Professional firms senior partner serving boards and their committees as clients Entrepreneur Senior academics with relevant experience This list is hosted on LinkedIn as a professional LinkedIn Group. This group is a closed group, meaning only members are allowed to access it. However, temporary membership are granted to headhunters, Chairs and boards who are looking to short/long list or appoint women to their boards. For more information: To read the Business Schools Press Release - click here To access the European Commission website on the topic - click here To join the GBRW: INSEAD Alumnae, contact us If are not an INSEAD alumnae, contact your school or click here Boards and Search firms, click here to request information
INSEAD Events and Reports
Women in Economic Decision-Making Panel World Economic Forum, Davos, 25 January 2013
	INSEAD Professor Herminia Ibarra, The Cora Chaired Professor of Leadership and Learning and Professor of Organizational Behaviour, INSEAD, France; Global Agenda Council on Women's Empowerment, chaired the session. Panelists: Drew Gilpin Faust, President, Harvard University, USA; Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Heidrick & Struggles, USA; Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington DC; World Economic Forum Foundation Board Member Lubna S. Olayan, Deputy Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Olayan Financing Company, Saudi Arabia; INSEAD Board Member Viviane Reding, Vice-President and Commissioner, Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, European Commission, Brussels; Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Board, Facebook, USA; Young Global Leader Alumnus
To view the WEF Panel Webcast - click here
INSEAD supports the EU effort on gender diversity and answers EU Call for Public Consultation
	INSEAD answers EU call for public consultation on"Gender Imbalance in Corporate Boards in the EU" Mirjam Staub-Bisang, INSEAD Board Member, participated in the luncheon with Viviane Reding with leaders of Europe's business schools and industry on 19 June 2012.
To download ICGI's Report and Answer to the EU - click here To read the EU Press Release on the luncheon with B-Schools - click here To view INSEAD Knowledge's interview with Viviane Reding- click here
ICGI Webinar: Women on Boards 13 December 2012
	This webinar was devoted to the topic of women in senior business leadership roles, both at executive and board levels. The representation of women in senior business ranks has virtually not changed for years, despite considerable organizational investment in diversity initiatives. Professor Herminia Ibarra started the discussion by sharing her latest research on the question on how women get fewer of the game-changing roles that lead to the executive director level. Then Professor Ludo Van der Heyden turned to the issue of gender diversity at board level, which is an issue that also suffers from the poor percentage of women in senior leadership roles. They also discussed the evidence on board performance and gender diversity. The session was closed with an open discussion with webinar participants, inviting questions and suggestions on prescriptions on what men and women might do to increase gender diversity at the corporate top.
To read ICGI's Webinar Report - click here
Women for Supervisory Boards Conference ERT, London, 24-25 October 2012
	The European Roundtable of Industrialists organized a two-day conference specifically designed for women holding senior positions in the frame of their initiative for the advancement of women in Business. ICGI was in charge of the programme. Professors Herminia Ibarra and Stanislav Shekshnia hold sessions respectively on leadership at the top and corporate governance, while Professor Van der Heyden moderated a panel composed of representatives of Ernst & Young, Russel Reynolds Associates, and Spencer Stuart. The day was opened by Gerard Kleisterlee, Chairman of Vodafone. This was an opportunity for women to follow coaching sessions with the faculty, be interviewed by executive search firms, and network.
Diversity at Board Level, INSEAD Governance Meeting, Medef, Paris, 15 June 2011
	This third Governance Meeting, hosted by the MEDEF and INSEAD, provided an opportunity for exchange on the practical issues around leveraging diversity in the boardroom. Participants included various established board members and high-profile academics with established reputations in the leadership and governance fields, INSEAD Faculty Herminia Ibarra, Jean-François Manzoni and Ludo Van der Heyden.
To download the IGM Meeting Report - click here
The Corporate Gender Gap Report INSEAD and World Economic Forum, 2010
	The global report, co-written by Saadia Zahidi, WEF and Herminia Ibarra, INSEAD, surveyed the heads of human resources at 600 companies in 20 countries, and found that leading companies are failing to capitalise on the talents of women in the workforce. The Corporate Gender Gap Report is the first study to cover the world’s largest employers and benchmark them against gender equality policies.
To download the Corporate Gender Gap Report - click here To read more on WEF and Women Leaders and Gender Parity - click here

From our Faculty

The EU's Boardroom Quota Battle Is Over, But Women Cannot Yet Rest INSEAD Knowledge INSEAD Professors Annet Aris and Herminia Ibarra respond to the passing of a European law that requires women to represent 40 percent of company board members by 2020.
Struggle in the Boardroom INSEAD Knowledge Comments by Prof. Van der Heyden, Director of the Corporate Governance Initiative The prospect of mandatory quotas for women on European company boards seems to have receded, but European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding’s campaign for quotas has pushed the issue of gender diversity firmly to the forefront of public debate. What happens next will depend as much on corporate leaders as on politicians.
Locked out of the boardroom INSEAD Knowledge An interview with Herminia Ibarra, The Cora Chaired Professor of Leadership and Learning, Prof of Organisational Behaviour. When new rules mandating seats for women on corporate boards go into effect in Europe next year, on which side will you be sitting?
To Close the Gender Gap, Focus on Assignments INSEAD Blog, 23 May 2012 Professor Herminia Ibarra comments on the new McKinsey study (PDF) which reports statistically what we already knew from personal experience: that mid-career and senior women tend to be found disproportionally in staff jobs, or “pink ghettos,” relative to men. The report tells us that 50% to 65% of women at the vice-president level and higher are in staff roles, compared with only 41% to 48% of men, who are more likely to be in the line jobs that lead to the top.
First diversity INSEAD Knowledge An interview with Strategy Professor Annet Aris For companies to be competitive, they should think strategically and unconventionally about the composition of their board.
For more interviews from our faculty and alumni, connect to INSEAD Knowledge's special section on Women in Business

In the News

Davos Women Diminished as Male Discussion Skips Key Views

Bloomberg, US, 28 January 2013

INSEAD Professor, Herminia Ibarra, sees the “cliff at the mid-career level” as one of the biggest barriers to progress for women in climbing to the top of organisations. Panel on Women in Economic Decision-Making with Viviane Reding, Christine Lagarde.

Do more women on boards lead to more women in Senior Management?

Business Review, China, 23 January 2013

INSEAD Professor, Annet Aris, examines whether board gender quotes efficiently increase the representation of women in Senior Management? - In Chinese

Boards face more work in today's volatility

The Strait Times, Singapore,19 June 2012

More frequent review of strategy, diverse expertise crucial says Professor Jean-François Manzoni. Boards need to include specialists with expertise in diverse areas such as having skills crucial to the business or being able to connect directly with specific stakeholders. This may entail having more younger people or women as board members.

Le Genre et le Pouvoir

Les Echos, France, 6 March 2012

Deloitte, Essec and EPWN (European Professional Women’s Network) launched a guide for women wishing to be on boards which includes a description of existing programmes for Directors taking place in France. The INSEAD International Directors Programme is described, and commented by one participant of the programme, Marie-Laure Pochon, EVP at Lundbeck. "Administrateur(e) au féminin", www.europeanpwn.net

How to Lift Women Leaders out of the 'Pink Ghetto'

Bloomberg Businessweek, USA, 23 May 12
INSEAD Professor Herminia Ibarra talks about why mid-career and senior women tend to be found disproportionally in staff jobs, or "pink ghettos," relative to men.

Schools promote Women on Board

FT.Com, 2012

Prof. Ludo Van der Heyden was interviewed following EU VP Viviane Reding’s call for more Women on Boards (30% by 2015 and 40% by 2020) and talks about INSEAD's alumnae potential

Where Final Step is hardest to reach: The Female Factor

International Herald Tribune, 2011

Companies struggle to put women at the top. They realize that it’s really about changing the culture, says Prof Herminia Ibarra.

Women and Leadership - Why aren’t women viewed as visionary?

Chief Executive, December 2009

Professor Herminia Ibarra and INSEAD PhD student Otilia Obodaru asked why so few women succeed as business leaders. Their results suggest that “the vision thing” plays a bigger role than one might think.

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