There are too many ‘Dicks’ in the boardroom

There are too many ‘Dicks’ in the boardroom

The beauty brand E.l.f. found that men named Richard, Rick, and Dick claim a disproportionate number of boardroom seats. Now, E.l.f. is on a mission to change that.

BY Jeff Beer

Out of the more than 4,200 publicly traded companies in the U.S., few have a corporate board that could be considered diverse. E.l.f.’s board is two-thirds women and one-third diverse—only one of four companies in the U.S. that can make that claim—and it has just launched a clever new campaign to convince more companies to join its ranks.

A study E.l.f. conducted with the agency Oberland found that men named Richard, Rick, or Dick (the “Dicks” in question) serving on these public-company boards outnumbered women and diverse groups. In fact, across the 36,957 existing board members for 4,429 publicly traded U.S. companies, the campaign study found that there were 566 men named Richard, Rick, or Dick. It also found that Black women (806) and Asian women (774) barely outnumber men named Dick, and that there were only 283 Hispanic women (which should be a whole other conversation).

E.l.f. Beauty chairman and CEO, Tarang Amin, said in a statement that he believes the company’s unique board of directors has helped it report 20 consecutive quarters of net-sales growth, and 1,500% stock growth in the past five years. “One of the most important things a diverse board does is bring in multiple viewpoints to make better decisions. At E.l.f. Beauty, empathy is part of our business model because it brings us closer to our community and the things people in the community care about,” Amin says. “A diverse board also helps us stay culturally relevant among multiple affinities. It’s the unique combination and diverse school of thought that helps us lead innovation and brand demand in the industry.”

The new ads, featured on billboards and online, invite other companies to get in touch to find out how a diverse board can help drive profitability. E.l.f. Beauty’s “Change the Board Game” initiative began earlier this year via a partnership with the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and its sponsorship of 20 women and/or diverse board-ready candidates through NACD Accelerate, a two-year program that creates a pathway for executives to prepare for board service. 

 

“Change the Board Game” also includes a partnership with tennis legend Billie Jean King, who stars in a series of video shorts aimed at spreading awareness that women make up only 27% of U.S. corporate boards, and the average board is only 12% diverse.

 

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Beer is a senior staff editor covering advertising and branding. He is also the host of Fast Company’s video series Brand Hit or Miss.


 

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