Companies Welcome Women Corporate Directors
A global survey of senior management by Cornerstone International Group shows a surge in acceptance of women corporate directors
STOCKHOLM, SE – April 23, 2014 — Corporations are embracing women as directors and business leaders at an unprecedented rate, recent surveys suggest.
The annual global survey of senior management by Cornerstone International Group shows a marked increase in the number of corporations with female directors as well as growth in the number of women in executive roles.
“The fastest growth in our latest survey is among women corporate directors,” says Göran Jansson, Marketing Communications Director for Cornerstone International Group. “Over 65% of respondents have female directors compared with 56% in 2013, the first year we had a majority return. And we’ve been doing this for nine years.”
Cornerstone International Group is a global retained search and leadership development organization with member-owned offices in 30 countries.
“The acceptance of women is more widely seen in management positions,” continues Jansson, who operates four Cornerstone offices in the Nordic countries. “Our latest survey shows that companies without women in a leadership capacity are now fewer than 18% of our respondents.”
You can download the Cornerstone 2014 survey here.
Globally, women make up less than 10% of corporate board memberships, according to the Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, but a 2013 study offers reasons for the increasingly warm reception they are receiving.
“We’ve known for some time that companies who have women on their boards have better results,” says Chris Bart, professor of strategic management at De Groote School of Business in Canada. “Our latest studies show that having women on the board is not just the right thing but the smart thing to do.”
Bart found that male directors, 75% of his study, prefer to make decisions using rules and regulations. Female directors are less constrained and tend to see more possible solutions.
“Female directors are more likely to be asking questions than nodding through the proceedings,” says Bart.
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INFORMATION
Tami Fitzpatrick
tami-fitzpatrick@cornerstone-group.com
ABOUT
Cornerstone International Group is a world leading organization of retained executive search and recruiting specialists. Members are equity owners of their firms who share business and best practices, giving clients reliable and personal access to highly qualified service both locally and in over 70 locations around the world. Cornerstone maintains head offices in Shanghai, China and in Atlanta, USA and is a member of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), the official body representing
retained executive search consulting firms worldwide.. Information on Cornerstone is available through the global website at www.cornerstone-group.com