Board Ready Women

Over the past five years, women's representation on boards has increased significantly. On Alberta-based companies, the percentage of seats held by women has risen from 12% to 25%; in Canada it has increased from 17% to 27%!

Since its inception in 2018, Board Ready Women has achieved significant milestones and made a lasting impact in advancing gender diversity on Boards.

In the last 5 years, Board Ready Women has:

- Promoted 710 board positions on our website: including 43% Notfor-profit, 45% Crown and 12% For-profit organizations.

- Assisted 127 companies with searches for 257 positions and shortlisted 1,182 Board Ready Women members, where over 60% of those organizations choose a Board Ready Women member to become a director.

- Successfully hosted 26 educational and networking events, attracting over 2,500 attendees.

- Mentored over 100 Board Ready Women members – a big shout out to our BRW mentors.

“Creating opportunities for women on boards.”

Q &A With Jennifer Koury, Director of Board Ready Women.

Jennifer Koury has more than 35 years of professional experience including CSuite leadership roles and international experience, with the worlds largest mining company, BHP Biliton, as well she has worked as a senior executive for more then one company.

Jennifer has experience and skills in human resources, business leadership, governance both locally and globally.

Currently she sits on the Board of Directors for Crescent Point Energy, chairing their HRC and member of the Governance, Board Director & Chair of HR Governance Committee for Bird Construction, Toronto Ontario, Chair of the Board, Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo and Co-Founder of the Board Ready Women.

Why is it important for women to get involved in Boards?

The facts/reference is in: Those Companies with “diverse Boards” perform better…. Period. Having diverse opinions on the Boards helps Management teams think about their business differently and thus perform better. A group of diverse people can/should respectfully and professionally debate the challenges of the Company such that the outcomes /results are pressure tested from a variety of perspectives. -

What challenges do Board members face?

There are many challenges coming at Board members today. ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) are all areas that stakeholders of Companies are interested in hearing about. For example, “What is the environmental footprint of the Company? Do they have emissions targets? Water targets?” For social, “Does the Company have a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy?” Regardless of whether the Company is a For Profit, Not for Profit, Crown Corporation, all Boards are dealing with these types of challenges.

What is the most important thing people should consider when joining a Board?

The most important thing is to ask yourself if you feel like you can contribute, given your skills and abilities and, as important, do you have time and passion to commit to the work. Before joining any Board, you should do your due diligence regarding the amount of time and effort it will take.

Board Ready Women PURPOSE:

Our core mission is to connect highly accomplished individuals with extensive professional backgrounds, diverse experiences, and notable achievements to recruiters and various board opportunities. We firmly believe that these individuals are exceptionally suited for numerous board positions, and BRW is committed to facilitating the essential connections that empower these women to assume roles where they can make a substantial impact, drawing upon their wealth of experience, skills, and character.