Chamber Achieves Goal of Board Gender Parity Two Years Before Deadline

 Chamber Achieves Goal of Board Gender Parity Two Years Before Deadline

Women on Chamber Board of Directors increased to 50%

 

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce today successfully achieved a significant goal as part of its continuing efforts to promote business community equity and inclusion.  With its vote today adding three additional women to the Chamber Board, women now represent 50% of Directors.

Not only has board gender parity been achieved, but the Chamber has reached this goal two years early.

 

The Chamber’s journey to create a diverse Board began in 2017 when we established the first ever five-year diversity goals.  After meeting those goals a year early, in 2021, the Chamber issued a call to action to the business community to commit to Board diversity with intention and action. And in 2021, the Chamber Board publicly committed to a new ambitious set of 5-year diversity goals for itself: a board that is 50% women and 37% people of color, including 17% Black, 10% Asian, and 10% Latinx by 2026.  The Chamber is well on its way to achieving its racial diversity goals by 2026 as well, with people of color holding 30% of the Board seats.  

 

The Chamber’s immediate past Board Chair, Micho F. Spring, strategized and launched the new 5- year diversity goal plan and the broader call to action to the entire regional business community.  During his term as Board Chair over the past fifteen months, current Chamber Chair and State Street CEO Ron O’Hanley has embraced and led the implementation efforts.

 

“This important milestone took diligence and a firm commitment by our Board to recruit new leaders. I hope this progress encourages our members to redouble their efforts to make Boston’s business community more inclusive, which is key to our future economic success,” said Micho F. Spring, former Board Chair, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.

 

“Advancing Board diversity is one of the most significant ways to champion a more representative, equitable, and inclusive economy. Building inclusive commerce demands intentionality, urgency, and action.  With this momentum, our Board will continue this important work to build a more inclusive future,” said Ronald P. O’Hanley, Chair and CEO of State Street.

 

“Our Board’s impact will be even stronger and more meaningful because of the diverse voices and life experiences that have joined us.” said James E. Rooney, President & CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. “I am grateful to our Board of Directors for their leadership and efforts to help us meet these goals, especially the Nominating and Governance Committee Co-Chairs, Yvonne Garcia of State Street and Paul Ayoub of Nutter, who as a former chair oversaw the effort in 2017 to create the first Chamber board diversity goals.