January 2022 Report Summary

2022 continues the march towards parity, with women comprising 40.4% of appointments to the boards of public companies.

In January, public companies appointed 154 women to boards and 227 men to their boards.

This trend continues to build not only the number of women that sit on boards of public companies but the number of companies moving closer to parity. In January, we’ve also seen an increased amount of diversity on public boards. We are very excited to report that in the healthcare sector, and the real estate sector, we see women make up over 50% of the Russell 3000 Board appointments. This is a significant advancement for women.

While only 57 of the newly appointed female Board members (37% of new women appointments) chose to self-disclose their race, we continue to see increased diversification within this set. In January, we see Black/African American women take the lead in board appointments with 24 women being appointed to public boards, making up 42.1% of the 57 women. They are closely followed by 21 Asian/Pacific Islander women, 4 Hispanic women, 4 Middle Eastern / North African women, and 4 multi-racial women. Morgan Stanley, ThredUp Inc., and Ethan Allen Interiors Inc., are some of the companies that appointed this phenomenal group of diverse women to their boards.

Of the 154 women appointed the boards of public companies, 101 (65.5%) were first-time board appointments. Thus, the trend to build the pipeline and number of women on boards continues. In January, healthcare companies led the way in the appointment of women, followed by technology companies and financial services; with women appointed filling 28.5% of board seats at healthcare companies. In the technology sector, we see strides being made by women at companies like Seagate Technology Holdings and Insight Enterprises, Inc.

Equilar and WBC are tracking and analyzing the growth and rotation of board seats on public companies 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. Please, join us in celebrating, tracking, analyzing, and promoting women serving on corporate boards.