Colleen Brown, Newport Board Group’s Managing Director for the Pacific Northwest, was recently interviewed on the National Public Radio affiliate in Seattle. The topic was one on which Colleen is an expert: the trend toward women directors of public companies. As host Marcie Sillman explained, Colleen is chairwoman of American Apparel and a past and present member of the board of a variety of companies.
Women on Boards
Colleen explained that the percentage of women on public company boards is currently at about 15%. She is involved in an organization called The Thirty Percent Coalition that is committed to doubling that percentage within the next few years.
In the interview Colleen explained that she and other advocates often face the following responses:
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“There aren’t enough qualified women.”
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“If there are enough qualified women, those responsible for filling board seats don’t know them.”
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“We know there are lists of qualified women but we don’t like to use lists.”
Colleen explained that she and other advocates are making some progress rebutting these objections so that companies can move forward.
On a humorous note, Colleen mentioned to the interviewer a slogan about women on boards: “'One Is A Token, Two Is A Clique, Three Is Progress.”
Encouragingly, she went on to cite some prominent companies in the Pacific Northwest like Nordstrom whose boards are comprised significantly of women.
To hear the entire interview click here. To learn more about Colleen’s background and get contact information for her, click here.
About the Expert
Colleen has achieved outstanding results as a business leader. As Director, President and CEO of Fisher Communications, an owner of TV, Radio Digital and Mobility assets, Colleen drove turnaround at this NASDAQ-listed company after it had experienced five years of losses. Under her leadership the company increased cash flow by 88%. Its market cap doubled in its last three years and she then led the sale of the company at a 44% pre-announcement premium. More background on Colleen’s experience as a business leader and advisor and information about how to contact her is available here.
