How to get more women of color into the boardroom

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Women of color are still the most underrepresented group in Fortune 500 boardrooms. As of 2020, only 5.7% of Fortune 500 board seats in the US were held by women of color, despite women of color making up nearly 20% of the US population. That is one of the findings in the Missing Pieces Report: A Board Diversity Census of Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards, a multiyear study published by the Alliance for Board Diversity (ABD), in collaboration with Deloitte. (Catalyst is one of the four leadership organizations that make up ABD.) While White women gained 209 board seats in 2020, women of color gained just 71, and the report found it will take until 2074 until the number of Fortune 500 board seats held by people of color reaches ABD’s aspirational 40% board-representation rate.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Meesha Rosa, Vice President of Corporate Board Services, leads the Catalyst Women On Board™ initiative, which works to increase the number of women, particularly women of color, on corporate boards through practical solutions that address key barriers women board candidates face. In an interview with Catalyst’s Karina Schroeder, Rosa discussed the actions companies can take to increase board diversity—and how women of color can propel their careers into the boardroom.

Q&A

Is your organization interested in Catalyst Women On Board™ resources? Contact Meesha Rosa at [email protected].