Quotes and Backgrounds

Interview Quotes:
"Your board bio should be more about the impact you have had."
"Does not understand why it's so hard to get on private company boards."
"We need a refresh on the George Floyd etc. commitments made by companies."
"Wants to be on a board that values her skill set."

Interview Quotes:
"Increasing diversity cannot purely be left to chance."
"People will see if you play well in the sandbox and then think maybe you might be good for other boards."
"Lawyers aren't often people who populate boards."
"You can bring some helpful background information that wouldn't have been considered."

Interview Quotes:
"It’s all about the ability to be the best that you can be at something. The first you need to do is be well respected."
"The recent Supreme Court decision regarding diversity in education will spread over into employment."
"When you go on a board, only 10% probably of the things discussed are going to be your domain experience. You must be a continuous learner."
"One of the best things to do is to go out and vote. Vote for the board of directors of the country."

Interview Quotes:
"Do not count on the others to lead the diversity fight while we largely sit silent. We are our best advocates."
"Opportunity in terms of board service is distributed differently than talent."

Interview Quotes:
"You can be and do anything; just be twice as good."
"The smart companies are going to do the right thing on diversity. 90% of my boards have come through referrals from relationships developed over time."
"I learn from everybody I come in contact with. It's important to listen and learn from others."
"With more diverse views, you come to better conclusions."

Interview Quotes:
"Key is to develop allies and know what fellow directors think about you."
"Need to focus on how to develop the next generation of board candidates in the pipeline."
"Institutional investors could be impactful for diversity but they first need to better know the quality of the pipeline."
"Talent will make the case for diversity itself. The market will then respond."

Interview Quotes:
"First public company board was a result of serving on a nonprofit board, it's important to get exposed to people currently sitting on boards."
"Important to define how this person would contribute to the board. Learn how to influence the direction of the company."
"He always joins the audit committee to learn about a company and exposes a personal term limit of 10 years for board service."
"Contribute at points where people are ready to hear what you have to say, not merely when you have something to say."

Interview Quotes:
"Black representation on boards is highly dependent on the number of Blacks in the executive suite."
"After a certain number of years, you need a more current version of yourself."
"During your first year, new directors can focus on making a contribution based on their domain expertise and then expand from there."
"Nobody expects you to be an expert in everything. The audit committee will best tell you about the business model."