Women's Forum Of New York Symposium Highlights Why Good Governance Needs Great Women

NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Women's Forum of New York, a preeminent organization of women leaders representing the highest levels of achievement, yesterday hosted a business symposium "Why Good Governance Needs Great Women." The event, held at Bloomberg, highlighted the strategic business imperative of gender balance on corporate boards and brought together leading organizations and their executives to share why and how to advance gender balance from global, institutional investor and director perspectives.

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According to research from McKinsey & Company, there is evidence to suggest that greater diversity among corporate leaders is good business practice as "companies with higher numbers of women at senior levels are also companies with better organizational and financial performance.[1]"

"It's just good business for US Boardrooms to reflect the importance of women as key stakeholders," said Janice Reals Ellig, Chairman of the Women's Forum of New York Corporate Board Initiative. She added, "Women influence more than 85 percent of all purchases, are a majority of the US population and are increasingly important as employees and investors, yet hold less than 16.1 percent of Fortune 500 board seats. The Women's Forum wants to accelerate the inclusion of qualified women on corporate boards by showcasing how visionary companies are making it happen."