Inaugural theboardiQ Pride Hall of Fame List

Shining the spotlight on board ready as well as the next generation Top 100 LGBTQ+ in Corporate America

SANTA CLARA, CA, UNITED STATES, December 1, 2021/EINPresswire.com/ -- On a mission to create Inclusive Boards for Businesses

theboardiQ, an early stage enterprise B2B SaaS startup, headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, this morning released theboardiQ Pride Hall of Fame Top 100 Leaders List, ahead of the onset of Christmas and the festive season..

The genesis of theboardiQ Hall of Fame began with the clear and humble intent to move the needle by raising awareness to increase representation of all slates of inclusion for board and executive roles in Corporate America.

This particular edition of the Hall of Fame is an effort to encourage and amplify LGBTQ+ top talent to pursue their dream roles and realize their ambitions in all spheres of economic development of Corporate America - people, planet, principles of governance and prosperity.

“As we did the research, it is incredible to profile LGBTQ+ Hall of Famers making such a huge impact, whether at the forefront of science, technology, generating patents, building apps, indigenizing gaming, doing core research on preservation of natural resources and the environment, engaging in grassroots activism, creating companies, the list is a revelation! As per a recent research done by Visibility Counts, the current status is stark. Of the 5,670 board seats in the Fortune 500, only 25 seats (0.4%) are held by out LGBTQ+ people, and some of those seats are held by the same individuals. Moreover, ONLY five Fortune 500 companies have any LGBTQ+ policies within their proxy statements,” says Smitashree Menon, Founder and CEO, theboardiQ.

"This edition has a whopping 73% gender representation of women including 34% at the forefront of technology and innovation!"

The Hall of Fame uses the following framework to spotlight board-ready and next-generation leaders, making an impact at the intersectionality of
a) Inclusion - Gender | Person of Color | Race & Ethnicity | Sexual Orientation | Country of Origin | Differently Abled.
b) Sustainability - Significant Impact on UN's 17 SDGs and support Zero Emission Goals' Metrics.
c) Transformation - Business Resiliency during the Pandemic.
d) Technology Innovation - Demonstrated ability in bringing new ideas, technology, products and platforms to market with business success.

“The Research Team at theboardiQ identified 100 stellar individuals that are at three stages of maturity for board roles”, says Smitashree Menon, Founder & CEO at theboardiQ. “CXOs, CTOs, VPs, EVPs, CIOs, CISOs, CFOs, startup CEOs who are seasoned and board ready. Then there are subject matter experts, exemplar in their own fields - domain experts, doctors, academicians, inventors who need to get some more exposure with shadow board roles and immersive experiences before assuming board responsibilities. And the third category are those individuals making a social impact – be it in the areas of sustainability, human rights, geo-political influence and government relations, influencing policy and legislation that impact our daily lives.”

Minority representation on Boards continues to be a problem – with racial and ethnic minorities making up 40% of the United States’ demographic population and yet accessing only 12.5% of Board Seats. Something that theboardiQ hopes to move the needle on, with its moonshot mission of creating inclusive boards for businesses.

"It is estimated that 5.6% of the US population identify as LGBTQ+. The lack of adequate representation on boards stems from many reasons as per the Visibility Counts report. This is on account of the following reasons - a) Lack of inclusion in diversity recruiting efforts, b) Perceived “lack of demand” among major search firms for LGBTQ+ board representation from their corporate clients, c) Perceived “lack of offer” for LGBTQ+ board representation, d) Gaps in data collection and reporting, e) Anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in policy and practice, f) Self-exclusion, and g) Low turnover and long tenure of board members
” says Smitashree Menon.

Recently theboardiQ published the Hall of Fame Top 100 Native American / Indigenous Peoples List - Read the press release

Smitashree Menon / Roopa Mahendra
theboardiQ LLC
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theboardiQ Pride Hall of Fame Honorees