Talking Board Diversity - Q&A with Olivia Morgan, California Partners Project

We are delighted to bring you the fourth episode of our podcast series on Board diversity and how it has progressed over recent years. In this episode, Emma Bartlett, Partner at CM Murray LLP and Teresa L. Johnson, Partner at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP in San Francisco, interview guest speaker Olivia Morgan, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the California Partners Project (CPP), a renowned figure in the US in creating, developing and leading innovative programs to recognise unmet social needs and marginalised voices in US public policy and society. In this next episode in our joint podcast series on Board Diversity, our partner Emma Bartlett and Teresa L. Johnson, Partner at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP in San Francisco, talk with Olivia Morgan of the California Partners Project about: - How the California board diversity law has played out to date, in particular: - The significant increase in the number of women on Californian boards since its introduction; - If all companies were to fully comply with the California board diversity law, there would be over 2,000 women on boards across California in 2022; - Previously around 30% of boards in California were all male, this has decreased to approximately 1%; - Approximately 50% of Californian companies have already met the 2021 gender requirements on boards. - Incredibly valuable commentary from Olivia on findings from CPP focus groups looking at barriers preventing increased board diversity; - Why California focused on mandates rather than disclosure requirements in respect of diversity targets; - The role of institutional investors and investment banks in encouraging diversity on boards; - How to move away from insular networks, focus on titles in recruitment, and miscalculations of risk of a more diverse board. For more information on the topics covered in this recording, please contact our Partner Emma Bartlett, who specialises in employment and partnership issues for multinational employers, senior executives, partnerships and partners.