Stanton Chase Joins The 30% Club

Stanton Chase, a global retained executive search firm, has solidified its position as a leader in promoting gender-diversity on boards by being accepted for admission into the 30% Club.

Stanton Chase, with 73 offices in 46 countries, has signed a "voluntary code of conduct letter" acknowledging the important role search firms have in guiding boards and making them more effective through increasing the percentage of women who serve in this capacity.

"Search firms play a critical role in the formation of boards," said Mickey Matthews, International Chairman of Stanton Chase. "Boards require diversity in all levels if they are to be effective in managing their organizations and understanding their customers and future market needs. Our role is to convey to our clients the important perspective women bring to the process, and to continue to present qualified candidates for these positions."

The 30% Club was formed in the United Kingdom in 2010 and has since expanded with members in Hong Kong, East Africa, the United States, Ireland, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Italy and Poland. The organization's goal is to take voluntary steps toward reaching the goal of having 30 percent of women on boards by this year.

"Due to our global footprint, Stanton Chase will be an important member of this professional association," added Matthews. "The goals of this organization align strongly with our ongoing commitment to board diversity."

Stanton Chase formed a Global Diversity Practice several years ago.

"We have taken a leadership position by acknowledging that diversity positively influences corporate innovation, customer centricity and employee job satisfaction," said Lyn Cason, Co-Chair of the Stanton Chase's Global Diversity Practice and a Director in the Baltimore office. "By taking this global leadership position, we continue to educate corporations about how diversity can be enhanced through the executive search process. These efforts position diversity and inclusion efforts as a cornerstone of a corporate growth strategy. The goals of the 30% Club are certainly consistent with our corporate philosophy."

Beata Sokolowska-Pek is the Managing Director of the Stanton Chase office in Warsaw, and joins Cason as Co-Chair of the Global Diversity Practice.

"This is an important initiative, one that will be vital as we continue to help our clients grow through appropriate leadership development strategies," she said. "For businesses to succeed they must be open to opinions and strategies that can be gained by having senior-level executives from backgrounds that reflect an understanding of different ethnic, gender, cultural backgrounds. As the challenges of managing businesses in a global economy increases, this orientation will become more important."

The AESC is also a member of the 30% Club. Click here to read the announcement from November 2014.