WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD), the largest organization of women board members worldwide with more than 3,500 members in 70 global chapters, has announced a new collaboration with Diligent Corporation to drive best practices in corporate governance. Diligent and WCD will work together to shape regional and global WCD events and to develop thought leadership programs that encourage greater diversity among top executives and highlight the accomplishments of women directors.
“Diligent brings unparalleled expertise in many of the hot-button issues that directors care about today,” said Susan Stautberg, CEO, global co-chair, and co-founder of WCD. “Boards need an intuitive platform that not only facilitates global collaboration and decision-making but also supports corporate compliance and security concerns – something that Diligent understands and makes possible. Diligent’s commitment to boards and directors makes them a perfect match for WCD.”
Diligent provides a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based platform for the secure electronic production, distribution, and collaboration of confidential information to boards, committees, and leadership teams. Used by more than 3,300 companies across more than 60 countries, Diligent works with more than a third of the Fortune 1000.
“WCD possesses deep knowledge of the vanguard issues that today’s board members face and is raising the standard for board service with programs for directors that highlight smart governance with global vision,” said Brian Stafford, CEO of Diligent. “Sponsoring WCD and its programs allows Diligent to collaborate with the world’s most influential leaders and explore solutions to evolving corporate governance challenges. In addition, we look forward to contributing to the expanding body of knowledge that recognizes diversity of gender, ethnicity, age, and experience as vital drivers of internal innovation, creativity, and business growth.”
In this collaboration, WCD and Diligent will work to advance best practices in corporate governance with thought leadership programs and initiatives, including conducting surveys among Diligent’s more than 100,000 users to shed light on how directors think about issues such as board diversity and the gender gap among leading executives. WCD and Diligent will also team up on projects that underscore the challenges and successes faced by individual women in top corporate positions.
In addition, Diligent will provide consultation, research, and other content for the WCD “Institutes,” a series of conventions in which top executives and policy experts gather to discuss solutions to problems ranging from contemporary cybersecurity to guiding companies during an era when technology is driving corporate, political, and cultural transformation.
“So many of our members use the Diligent Boards solution every day for their board meetings,” said Stautberg. “It’s a strong, valued brand that simplifies our lives and makes us more effective directors.”