Women on Boards: Binders Full of Women

#sxsw #WomenInBIZ

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Research has shown that increased gender diversity on boards leads to better boards and more productive companies with higher earnings. Only 11 women serve on the boards of Fortune 500 companies, even though in many categories women are the primary customers. At this rate, it will be at least 2070 for gender parity. There is not a supply issue, "there are binders full of women" who are qualified. Instead there appears to be a combination of institutional and other barriers that prevent organizations from actively pursuing and elevating women to board service. A number of countries outside the US have implemented guidelines or mandates for quotas in the name of better board governance.

Presenters

Fran Maier

Dir

TRUSTe

Fran Maier is serial entrepreneur and brand builder with nearly 20 years experience in internet businesses. She currently serves as Founder and Chair of the Board of TRUSTe, the leading privacy trustmark and solutions provider as well as Senior Consultant (marketing) for GameChanger Products.

Fran's career, from co-founder to Match.com to CEO at TRUSTe, has made her an experienced agent of innovation and growth, particularly in companies that build brands and results by establishing trust with online consumers. In addition to her expertise in online privacy, she is also known for her expertise in social networking, brand building, business development, and marketing.

Fran serves on several for-profit and not-profit boards including SOLOMO Technology, San Francisco Children's Council, and Open Source Digital Voting Foundation. She also serves as an advisor and consultant for several start-ups. In 2012, Fran completed the Stanford Rock Center For Corporate Governance Director's College (2012).

She speaks widely on the subject of women in entrepreneurship and technology as well as the importance of marketing to the large and influential female market. Several of her advisory roles are with female led start-ups.

Jody Greene

Chic CEO

Jody Greene has been a professional marketer and entrepreneur for more than a decade. After leading a marketing team at a San Diego based technology company and launching her own personal shopping venture, she teamed up with business partner Stephanie Burns to become co-owner and Chief Marketing Officer of Chic CEO. Reaching an online community of more than 50,000 female entrepreneurs, Chic CEO provides a comprehensive set of "how-to" business resources and tools. Now serving as an advisor to Chic CEO, Jody continues to follow her passion for branding as the Director of Brand Authority at Project X, a San Diego based branding firm that specializes in re-branding legacy companies. Greene is the co-author of My Favorite Mistake, a book that uncovers the success stories behind critical errors made by female entrepreneurs, and is a regular contributor to Forbes.com on the topic of women in business.

Rachel Pike

Principal

Draper Fisher Jurvetson

Rachel Pike joined Draper Fisher Jurvetson in 2010 and invests in enterprise, biology, and consumer internet companies. Prior to joining DFJ, Rachel completed her Ph.D. in atmospheric chemistry and computer modeling at the University of Cambridge. During her time there, Rachel served as President of the Gates Scholars, worked on a field campaign in Malaysia, and delivered TED and TEDx talks on climate, technology, and innovation.

Previously, Rachel earned a B.A. in chemistry and a minor in African studies at Northwestern University. As an undergraduate, Rachel was a co-founder of Fusion Dance Company. She spent a year in Tanzania, where she studied at the University of Dar es Salaam and gained experience working on a Bus Rapid Transit planning project as an assistant consultant.

Theresia Gouw

Partner

Aspect Ventures

Theresia Gouw is an engineer, an experienced entrepreneur, and successful investor in the new mobility space, focused primarily on Consumer, Social Commerce, and Security opportunities.

Prior to co-founding Aspect Ventures, Theresia was a partner at Accel for 15 years, with a number of successful exits, including IPOs for Imperva (IMPV), PeopleSupport (PSPT), Trulia (TRLA), and acquisitions of Kosmix (WMT), Xoopit (YHOO) and Zimbra (YHOO). Theresia serves on the boards of several private and public companies and led the first investment rounds in the Consumer Internet/Mobile sector (Birchbox, HotelTonight, LearnVest, Trulia, Joyus) and Security sector (Imperva, ForeScout, TRUSTe).

As an entrepreneur, Theresia was founding VP of Business Development & Sales at Release Software, a venture-backed company that provided SaaS to enable digital rights management and payment technologies for the software industry. Earlier, she worked at Bain & Company and as a product manager at Silicon Graphics. Theresia holds a ScB in Engineering from Brown University, magna cum laude, and an MBA from Stanford University.

Theresia serves as a Fellow on Brown University’s Corporation Board, vice-chair of DonorsChoose.org and at Stanford co-teaches a course on Venture Capital at the GSB. She also serves on the GSB Advisory Council and DAPER investment fund. On the weekends Theresia is running around after her two children.