The European Business Schools/Women on Board initiative has published a first list of more than 3500 board-ready women to bring Europe into the 21st Century and support European Commission Vice President Reding’s initiative to shatter the glass ceiling for women in Europe’s publicly listed corporation’s board rooms.
The European Business Schools Women on Board Initiative
The list includes individual profiles of 150 senior executive women who are publicly supporting Commissioner Reding’s initiative as well as European Business Schools who have culled their alumnae, faculty, and Board members to identify more than 3500 “board ready” women.
The group has also published five sets of criteria for board membership. These criteria were used as guidelines for the selection of the individual women and by the business schools for their selection of board ready women (see below).
The group includes Business Schools such as IESE (ES), EDHEC (F), INSEAD (F), Cambridge Judge Business School (UK), IMD (CH) , RSM (NL), Boston University Leadership Institute(BE), ESMT (D) and the business school association EFMD (European Foundation of Management Development) as well as professional organizations such as the GTWN (Global Telecom Women’s Network), WiTT (Women in Telecoms and Technology), WoB (Women on Boards), the FT Non-Executive Director’s Club, EPWN (European Professsional Women’s Network), IFA (Institut Francais des Administrateurs), TIAW (The International Alliance for Women).
By publishing this first list, the group believes it will do away with oft-cited remarks such as “there are not any qualified women” and “where can board ready women be found”. It also believes that such a list will help increase not only the gender diversity but also the international diversity of companies since many corporations may wish to avail themselves of the talent of senior executive women from other countries than where they are based.