2020 Women on Boards - Chicago Event Was a Huge Success

Chicago, IL, December 05, 2018 --(PR.com)-- Illinois Corporate Boards Lead in Comparison with Their Peers Nationally in Diversity.

The Chicago Campaign of 2020 Women on Boards – a national campaign to increase the percentage of women on US company boards to at least 20% by the year 2020 – brought together a powerful group of speakers to address how we collaborate with public companies in Chicagoland to help them increase the number of women on their board.

November 15th saw over 250 attendees at the 7th Annual National Conversation on Board Diversity in Chicago. While nationally in 2018, women hold 17.7% of the board seats of Russell 3000 companies that now comprise the Gender Diversity Index (GDI); Illinois sits at 19.3%. To foster the important conversation of diversity on boards, the Chicago Campaign of 2020 Women on Boards has curated a program that allows for knowledge sharing among attendees.

This year’s conversation on board diversity included awarding Abbott (NYSE), the global healthcare company, an Ambassador Award for having greater than 20% women on its board for the entire seven years that 2020 Women on Boards has been tracking nationally these statistics via its Gender Diversity Index. Abbott’s award—recognizing its nearly 40% women board representation - was accepted by Abbott Board Director Sally Blount, the Michael L. Nemmers chair in Strategy at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, where she served as dean for the past eight years.

Blount was also a 2020 Women on Boards Chicago Campaign Keynote Speaker for The 7th Annual National Conversation on Board Diversity. This National Conversation on Board Diversity is a signature annual event that takes place on the same day in cities across the country. Over the last six years, the event was held in 37 cities (four international) with more than 8,500 people attending and thousands more participating on social media.

Other noted awardees included Ariel Investments (Private) accepted by CEO & Founder John Rogers, Jr; CDW (NASDAQ) accepted by CDW Board Director Donna Zarcone, who is the CEO of The Economic Club; and Federal Signal (NYSE) accepted by CEO Jennifer Sherman. 2020 Women on Boards Chicago Campaign also awarded its first Lifetime Achievement Award to Ilene Gordon, Board member: International Paper (NYSE), Lockheed Martin (NYSE), and the first female director for 5 different public companies.

The evening was ended with data being shared from the 2020 Women on Boards Chicago Campaign Co-Chair Hajara Al Amodi sharing statistics on 2020 WOB Latest Research that can be found at www.2020wob.com, and a great share of major insights from Rodrigo Garcia, Chief Investment Officer, Illinois State Treasury and a Board Director with the Thirty Percent Coalition.

The attendees included more than 40 corporate board directors across a broad spectrum of industries including technology, medical devices, energy, consumer packaged goods, retail and more to share “What is most important for corporate board directors to know?” The Mid America Club of Chicago served as the host location for the event.

Media Contact: Kay Graham, 2020 Women on Boards Chicago Campaign Committee Chair, hqs1@juno.com, (630) 466-7095

About 2020 Women on Boards:
Founded in Boston in 2010, 2020 Women on Boards is the national campaign to increase the percentage of women on U.S. company boards to 20 percent or greater by the year 2020. 2020 Women On Boards is known for its research on the gender composition of boards of directors, including its proprietary 2020 Gender Diversity Directory, which ranks nearly 2000 companies on a “W” (winning) to “Z” (zero) scale. The list of Z companies with no women on their boards currently or for the past 5 years is available by contacting info@2020WOB.com. 2020 Women On Boards leverages its research with its annual National Conversation on Board Diversity, which will take place in November in cities across the US. For more information visit www.2020wob.com.