Are Massachusetts Companies Doing Enough to Put Women on Boards and in the C-Suite? Lessons learned
02/27/2024 05:30 PM - 07:00 PM ET
Admission
- Free
Description
Are Massachusetts Companies Doing Enough to Put Women on Boards and in the C-Suite?
Lessons Learned from 2023 Corporate Census
Lessons Learned from 2023 Corporate Census
Part of the Perspectives on Ascending to the Boardroom and C-Suite Series
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Tuesday, February 27, 2024
via Zoom
5:30 - 7:00 pm
Data from the latest Boston Club/Bentley University Census of Women Directors and Executive Officers of Massachusetts Public Companies shows that, although trends remain positive, progress in advancing women onto corporate boards and into the C-Suite is losing steam. At the currently pace, gender parity at the board level will not be achieved for another two decades. Greater C-Suite representation is lagging even further behind, as is progress for women of color at both levels.
The Boston Club team that brought you the 2023 Census will discuss the key findings, their implications, the business practices and policy shifts that may be contributing to these trends, and lessons learned. We will invite participants to share their experiences and offer recommendations for improving the outlook in the Commonwealth and across the U.S. We encourage participants to review the 2023 Census report in advance. Click here to download the report.
Data from the latest Boston Club/Bentley University Census of Women Directors and Executive Officers of Massachusetts Public Companies shows that, although trends remain positive, progress in advancing women onto corporate boards and into the C-Suite is losing steam. At the currently pace, gender parity at the board level will not be achieved for another two decades. Greater C-Suite representation is lagging even further behind, as is progress for women of color at both levels.
The Boston Club team that brought you the 2023 Census will discuss the key findings, their implications, the business practices and policy shifts that may be contributing to these trends, and lessons learned. We will invite participants to share their experiences and offer recommendations for improving the outlook in the Commonwealth and across the U.S. We encourage participants to review the 2023 Census report in advance. Click here to download the report.
Speakers:
Renee Knilans
Renee retired as a Senior Tax Partner with KPMG LP serving a variety of financial services, private equity and manufacturing clients. Her specialty was buy/sell structuring, tax SEC reporting and tax controversy with various federal and state examiners. She serves as the chair of the Finance and Audit Committee of the Animal Rescue League of Boston for which she is a member of the Board of Directors. She is a long-standing member of The Boston Club and the Corporate Board Committee. She recently co-lead the 2023 Census of Women Directors and Executive Officers of Massachusetts Public Companies.
Ann LaFrance
Ann is a former corporate executive and law partner with extensive international business experience and a focus on regulated industries. Over a long and varied career, Ann has counseled corporate boards and senior management on business-critical issues involving regulatory strategy, risk, and compliance across multiple sectors including health care and life sciences. She chaired the global Data Privacy & Cybersecurity practice of Squire Patton Boggs and is an adjunct professor of comparative privacy law, information security and responsible AI. Ann currently serves on the boards of BAMSI and WorldBoston and, from 2016-2023, she was vice-chair of the board of the International Institute of Communications. Ann is a member of The Boston Club’s Corporate Board Committee, co-chairs the the Corporate Directors Affinity Group and played a leading role on the team that delivered The Boston Club/Bentley University 2023 Census of Women Directors and Executive Officers of Massachusetts Public Companies.
Toni Wolfman
Toni Wolfman
After retiring as a litigation partner at Foley Hoag LLP, Toni helped create the Center for Women & Business at Bentley University and assisted the Smith College Development Office in the completion of its last comprehensive campaign. During the 30+ years that she was an active member of The Boston Club, Toni served two terms as Chair of the Corporate Board Committee, co-founded and was a director and President of ION (now Leaderboard), co-founded and was a director of the Thirty Percent Coalition, and co-authored TBC’s annual Census report from 2003 through 2022. Toni has served on the boards of numerous non-profits, ranging from local legal services organizations to Smith College, often chairing the nominating and governance committee and serving on the audit committee. A graduate of Smith College and the University of Pennsylvania’s Carey School of Law, Toni also received an MA degree from Columbia University. Among the awards she has received from bar associations and the Boston Business Journal are The Boston Club’s President’s Award and Deane Laycock Award.