The Women’s Forum of New York salutes Ursula Burns and Xerox as corporate champions for advancing women on corporate boards and inspiring other companies to follow suit. Ursula Burns, former Chairman of Xerox, believes it is essential to have women on boards to provide a different point of view in the decision-making process. “We are 50% of the population in the world. We are as educated, as talented – we should be able to carry that through to the heights of governance in corporate America.”
Ursula states, “You have to turn down men that you know, that you think are talented and good, and literally lean towards a woman choice.” She encourages companies to use The Women’s Forum of New York as a valuable resource to find professional women. “If you’re that purposeful, then we will be able to get to parity by 2025.” The Women’s Forum of New York has a database of CEO-sponsored, board-ready women available at no cost to companies and search firms. As Ursula states, there are plenty of qualified women out there – but it is the company’s responsibility to utilize these resources and be focused on gender equality.
To learn more, join us in New York this November for the 2017 Breakfast of Corporate Champions, where we honor companies who are making it happen and hear leading CEOs share why gender balance in the boardroom is just smart business.
