Russell Reynolds Associates: Diversity on Fortune 250 Boards & Executive Teams

In the last decade, corporate boards and executive teams have faced increased scrutiny from regulators, shareholders and corporate social responsibility advocates. Research by Russell Reynolds Associates examined minority and female representation on Fortune 250 boards and executive teams.

The key findings include:

• 84.4% of board seats are held by white directors
• Representation of Hispanic, Asian and female directors has grown, while Black directors maintain their level of representation
• Minority and female directors are less likely to conform to the classic CEO profile, boards may need to be more open-minded about their credentials
• Greater level of scrutiny and attention leads to better diversity outcomes
• As minority representation on boards increases, so does minority representation in C-suite
• Fortune 50 companies—which operate under a particularly high level of public scrutiny—have boards with the highest levels of racial and gender diversity

The full report is published on Russell Reynolds Associates’ website. Read the full report.