February 2021 Report Summary

The 40% Trend Continues

In February, women comprised 40.89% of all public board appointments. US public companies appointed 137 women to boards and 198 men to their boards.

Women appointed to fill board seats continue to self-identify as diverse with 27 women in February. Of those women, 51% or 14, identified as African American, closely followed by 11 Asian/Pacific Islanders and only two women identifying as Hispanic. This trend towards including diverse voices in leadership is one that continues and is mirrored by a statement of the Business Roundtable March 8 announcing it is joining with the WBC and its partners to reaffirm its commitment to gender and diversity across businesses.

Of the 137 women appointed the boards of public companies, 67 were first time board appointments. Kohls Corp, Equifax and Tyson Foods Inc appointed women to their boards. We will continue to watch and monitor this trend to ensure that the number of women occupying board seats across all industries continues to grow and the pipeline remains/stays/is strong.

In February, healthcare companies led the way in the appointment of women followed by the technology sector and the financial services industry. United Airlines Inc, AMETEK Inc, and American Airlines are some companies that had women appointed to their boards. In the technology sector we see strides being made by women at companies like Accenture PLC, Qualtrics International, and Luminar Technologies.

The overall trend across companies continues to hold steady near 40% and approximately 20% of the women identifying as diverse. Equilar and WBC are tracking and analyzing the growth and rotation of board seats and the expanding candidate pool. We will continue to track not only the women in terms of numbers, diversity and profile; but the companies and industries in which female board members are present and how many of the overall board seats are held by women. The time is now for women to show their impact in all corporations, boards, and industry sectors. Please, join us in celebrating, tracking, analyzing, and promoting women on boards of public companies.