Diversifying the boardroom: It starts at the top.(Industry Trend or Event)(Abstract)

Companies can shift strategies, but CEOs must lead the charge

Corporate CEOs are increasingly aware that it is both essential and beneficial to assemble a varied board of qualified directors. Companies have a lot to gain from differing perspectives, experience, and communication styles -- not to mention the value of representing the diversity within their industry and customer base.

Thus, many companies are more actively recruiting women to director positions. In 1998, approximately 16 percent of newly appointed corporate directors recruited from outside a company were women, according to the 1998 Board Index from Spencer Stuart, a global executive research company in New York. This is a significant change, says Julie H. Daum, the co-managing director of U.S. Board Services Practice at Spencer Stuart. Yet despite this progress, only 12 percent of all board seats in Standard & Poor's 500 companies are held by women, the index states.

It is clear that the challenge is no longer simply creating awareness of board-diversity …