Women currently hold only 14% of U.S. board positions. Partnership seeks to change that.
Originally found at Yahoo
Today, 6sense, in partnership with the Athena Alliance, launched The Empowered CMO Board Book aimed at propelling female Chief Market/Marketing Officers (CMOs) to leadership positions where they can have the most impact: in the boardroom. The book provides venture capital, private equity, and corporate board executives with a curated list of more than 60 women CMOs who are qualified and ready to serve on boards.
With thousands of board members serving Fortune 1000 companies, just 26 of them (or 3%) are marketing professionals according to Spencer Stuart, and only 14% of total board positions are held by women.
At the 2021 Empowered CMO Retreat, Latané Conant, Chief Market Officer at 6sense, announced a commitment to drive the advancement of distinguished women CMOs by opening doors and creating opportunities. Recognizing the importance of sponsorship, 6sense invested in more than 100 women CMOs to join the Athena Alliance to accelerate their board readiness and develop their board candidate resume for inclusion in the Board Book.
"I really love that 6sense recognizes an issue and is taking action to address it. We saw a need for women CMOs in the boardroom and an opportunity with our Empowered CMO community, and we knew we had the right relationships to influence the next generation of board candidates," said Conant. "We're addressing both the lack of gender diversity and market expertise in boardrooms that are proven to hold companies back from the growth they deserve. It's only our first step, but it's a big one."
Leaders at thriving companies can attest that a deep understanding of the "market" at the executive and board levels is critical. As more board chairpersons and CEOs recognize how important marketing, messaging, positioning, and the customer experience are to their companies' growth trajectory, corporate boards seek to include those voices in the boardroom.
Continue reading the original article at Yahoo.
Read the original research in Academy of Management Journal.
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