Kathleen Graham

Founder and Principal of The HQ Companies, Inc.® & 2020 Women on Boards Chicago Chair

Eileen Kamerick

NACD Board Leadership Fellow, CFO, Advisor

Kathleen Graham is the Founder and Principal of The HQ Companies, Inc., a group of four firms focused on strategies for board, career, and corporate growth in this digital age. Graham has been the 2020 Women on Boards Chicago Chair since 2017, growing the event in size and content each year. Graham earned an MBA in Analytic Finance, Econometrics, and Statistics from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Business Administration with a Marketing concentration from North Central College. She has combined her experience of observing how professionals through C-Suite executives actually progress or not in their careers with her academic knowledge to create the content, programs, and successful outcomes that are the hallmark of The HQ Companies.

Eileen Kamerick consults and lectures on corporate governance and compliance matters and is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow. She previously served as CFO of such leading companies as BP Amoco Americas, Leo Burnett, Heidrick & Struggles, and Houlihan Lokey. She began her career as a lawyer at the law firm of Skadden Arps and she holds a JD and an MBA, with honors, in Finance and International Business from the University of Chicago. She holds a BA from Boston College where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was valedictorian. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Associated Banc-Corp, AIG Funds, Hochschild Mining, plc, and 23 closed end Legg Mason mutual funds.

How do you define Board Inclusion?

EK: Boards have to be willing, given how much business is changing and how much disruption there is in the marketplace, to consider looking at people whose backgrounds are not what would be traditionally considered for Boards. That is the broader definition of diversity…including a range of opinions and experiences…other lenses through which to look.

When you are in a business that serves customers, [you need to ask] does the Board make-up include the people you are serving, based on gender, background, race and ethnicity. I think a lot about thinking outside what has been the traditional norm. There is a significant advantage to Boards when they include different experiences and perspectives.

Board inclusion is opening a board to others of different backgrounds. I work a lot with people who are joining Boards, so I often think about people with a non-traditional background joining Boards when they are the “first.” What is important is what these non-traditional board members can do to become part of the group, because that is what inclusion is all about.

In your own words, what is the mission of Women on Boards 2020 in Chicago and worldwide?

EK: To raise the profile of the women who are available and Board ready and to make people who are in positions of power on Boards, including Nominating Committees, Governance Committees, Board Chairs and others, understand that there is a whole pool of women who are available and ready and accomplished who can provide value on Boards.  

Our goal is to raise awareness that we do not need a pipeline. We have a pool of women already. We can be helpful in making the connections between the Board opportunities and those women.

KG:  Eileen got the purpose correct. Unfortunately, many people can develop an unconscious bias when it comes to selecting Board members. Unless you are seen or are aware of people outside of your scope, you would not be aware that they exist. The mission of 2020 globally is to engage all parties (corporations, Boards and potential and existing Board Directors) in more than 30 cities, in one national conversation on corporate Board diversity. It is all about networking and education. This is the reason we are having a pre-launch event on Networking As™ Board Inclusion. We aim to provide an opportunity for people to get to know each other and like each other and talk about these issues, because once people are aware of each other and like each other and are educated as to what the opportunities are and what to do to be considered or what people on Boards can do to create an environment so that diverse candidates are included, the needle will continue to move.

EK:  What Kathy described is right. The mission is to raise awareness and to push people towards being more open minded about adding women to Boards. The fact that in advance of the objective date, the goal has been reached doesn’t mean the work is over. This means the work is effective and we have to continue doing what we are doing. Having that kind of tangible objective and putting a number out…helped us to achieve the goal. What is measured is managed. Having what at the time was an aggressive objective was a good idea.

Finally, what would you like readers to know about you, about Women on Boards 2020,  about networking, about Networking 
as Board Inclusion, or anything else?

EK:  Two things: First, there is a business imperative here. A very strong business imperative. Michelle Hooper, Board member of the NACD Chicago Chapter, United Airlines, and United Health Group, wrote an article asserting that three or more women on a Board correlates with better financial performance. Additionally, Catalyst put out a study in 2015 called “The Bottom Line” that proves that companies with more diverse boards perform better, further demonstrating that there is a business imperative for pushing for diversity on Boards. I think the reason why is because those Boards have a different range of voices…i.e., diversity of opinion and viewpoint.

At the core of it, Boards need to be willing to challenge themselves in diversity of opinion and diversity of viewpoint.

Second, women should be willing to be the first and only woman Director. There are advantages to doing so. They should be willing to take that jump and be the sole female voice on the Board and make a difference. They are pioneers. There is value in learning how to be the only and being the first Woman on the Board. Women should take a risk and bet on themselves that they can do it and that it will all work out. I have done that and found it gratifying. It is always difficult at first, but it works out positively.

KG: There are now so many women who have been the first. There is a network of coaches, and the women themselves who have been the first…so you are not alone. Being on a Board is an excellent way to continue to grow personally in your skills by taking on that challenge. Plus more women are needed on Boards. Somebody has to be the first. Serving on Boards is rewarding and connects you to a network of women you wouldn’t have met before who did it before you.

keepwith® Tips for Board Members seeking to foster Board Inclusion:

1. Take an exceedingly open-minded approach to thinking about who is in your network and whom you would like to meet (including prospective Board members).
2. Network with fellow leaders who believe in moving the Board inclusion needle.
3. Encourage your nominating and governance committees to thinking outside-the-box when it comes to determining desired Board competencies and backgrounds.
4. Engage in networking opportunities (events, programs, gatherings) that are a bit different from the usual events you attend. You never know when you will meet a prospective Board member who brings diverse perspectives and a diverse background to the table.

About

Networking As™

Networking As™ is a recurring series of articles, blog posts and videos highlighting how networking is integral to a particular topic (for example, Networking As™ Board Inclusion). Networking As™ publications may be accompanied by in-real-life networking events. Future issues will include Networking As™ Mentorship, Networking As™ Business Development, Networking As™ Parenting, Networking As™ Career Development and Networking As™ Ambition, among others.

Why

Board Inclusion

At keepwith®, we know that strategic relationship building (aka networking) is necessary for prospective Board members looking to obtain Board positions. We also know that networking is critical for Board nominating and governance committees looking to fill Board seats. As Boards continue to be more inclusive and to bring more diverse candidates to the Board table, building and maintaining strong and strategic networking relationships within the Board, with Board stakeholders, and amongst Board members’ and prospective Board members’ networks is important. As 2019 comes to a close and we look ahead to 2020 and beyond, Board Inclusion, as Eileen Kamerick said, “is a business imperative.” At keepwith®, we know that Board Diversity and Inclusion is expected, required and at its very essence is the right thing to do.

Megan Burke Roudebush

Megan Burke Roudebush

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