Media Center Press Releases

DirectWomen Joins the Equilar Diversity Network

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REDWOOD CITY, CA (January 27, 2017)— Equilar is proud to announce that DirectWomen has joined the Equilar Diversity Network (EDN) as its newest partner.

EDN is a consortium that advances diverse representation in boardrooms across the globe. EDN is accessible exclusively through Equilar BoardEdge, and is the “registry of registries” of board-ready executives from leading ethnic and gender diversity partnerships, organizations, and publications.

DirectWomen joins other EDN partner organizations representing qualified, board-ready individuals for public board service. With the addition of the DirectWomen membership, EDN continues to expand the pool of diverse candidates for corporations to consider through their board succession processes. Founded in September 2016, EDN now consists of 13 partners and nearly 3,000 diverse board candidates, supplementing more than 150,000 profiles already in the Equilar BoardEdge database.

“DirectWomen is focused on advancing opportunities for women in corporate board service, and its mission is directly aligned with that of the Equilar Diversity Network,” said Belen Gomez, Director of Board Services at Equilar. “We couldn’t be more proud to partner with them on this critical initiative.”

Founded in 2007 as a project of the American Bar Association (ABA), DirectWomen works to increase the representation of women lawyers on public company boards. DirectWomen’s network has grown to include over 150 Board Institute alumnae, 35 Sandra Day O’Connor Board Excellence Award honorees, and a vibrant group of volunteers, including CEOs, directors of large public companies, executive search firm principals and other leaders of the business community. Twenty-two percent of DirectWomen alumnae currently serve on at least one large corporate board. In addition, Catalyst and the ABA’s Commission on Women in the Profession continue to be important strategic partners for DirectWomen.

“DirectWomen is excited to be a part of the Equilar Diversity Network, an important resource to identify board-ready women candidates,” said Bobbi Liebenberg, Advisory Board Chair for DirectWomen. “EDN’s work will help to move the needle on increasing diversity in the boardroom and refute the myth that there are not enough qualified women to serve on the boards of public companies.”

Equilar Diversity Network Partners Include:

• 30% Club
• Ascend
• CalPERS and CalSTRS’ Diverse Director DataSource (3D)
• Catalyst
• Committee for Economic Development
• Directors & Boards
• DirectWomen
• Stanford Women on Boards
• WCD Foundation
• Wellesley Business Leadership Council
• Women2Boards
• Women’s YPO

About Equilar

Equilar is the leading provider of board intelligence solutions. Companies of all sizes rely on Equilar for their most important boardroom decisions, including 70% of the Fortune 500 and institutional investors representing over trillion in assets. Equilar offers data-driven solutions for board recruiting, executive compensation and shareholder engagement that bring together business leaders, institutional investors and advisors to drive exceptional results while ensuring sound corporate governance. The Equilar suite of solutions includes industry-leading board education symposiums, comprehensive custom research services and award-winning thought leadership. Founded in 2000, Equilar is cited regularly by Associated Press, Bloomberg, CNBC, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other leading media outlets. Learn more at www.equilar.com.

For more information, contact:

Amit Batish
Director of Content & Marketing Communications
Equilar, Inc.
abatish@equilar.com
650-241-6697

About DirectWomen

The mission of DirectWomen is to increase the representation of women lawyers on public company boards. DirectWomen identifies, develops, and supports a growing group of accomplished women attorneys who provide the experience, independence and diversity required for good corporate governance. Partners of the program include Catalyst, the leading nonprofit membership organization expanding opportunities for women and business, and the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession.

For more information, contact:

Lisa Passante
Interim Executive Director
abatish@equilar.com
484-746-9354