Alliance for Board Diversity Report

Despite modest gains, women and minorities see little change in representation on Fortune 500 Boards.

 
 

In a multi-year study titled “Missing Pieces Report: The 2016 Board Diversity Census of Women and Minorities on Fortune 500 Boards,” we see the progress that has been made for women and minorities on corporate boards, though overall representation remains low at 30.8%. 

The report says that Asian and Pacific Islanders only account for a total of 167 or 3.1% of the Fortune 500 seats and 38 seats or 3.2% in the Fortune 100. This is due to workplace issues that negatively affect APIs, specifically the “model minority” myth that excludes APIs from leadership consideration. 

Below is an infographic of LEAP's findings on API representation:

 
 

Founded in 2004, the Alliance for Board Diversity is a collaboration of four leadership organizations: Catalyst, Inc., the Executive Leadership Council (ELC), the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR), and Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP). Diversified Search, an executive search firm, is a partner of the Alliance and serves as advisor and facilitator. The ABD’s mission is to enhance shareholder value in Fortune 500 companies by promoting inclusion of women and minorities on corporate boards. More information about ABD is available at http://theabd.org/.