On June 6, 2019, MoFo’s San Francisco office welcomed over 30 legal professionals and corporate senior leaders to Out Leadership’s Board Fit Workshop. Since 2014, MoFo has been a member of Out Leadership, a global LGBTQ+ business network dedicated to helping leaders and organizations realize economic growth and talent dividends derived from inclusive business.
This is the second year in a row the firm has hosted an Out Leadership Quorum event, which provide programming and advisory services to increase LGBTQ+ representation in boardrooms. This year’s Quorum workshop provided “A Window into the Work of the Board.” The panel discussions centered on how boards of privately and publicly owned companies differ and how those differences affect hiring decisions and corporate governance.
Partner and co-chair of MoFo’s Social Enterprise and Impact Investing Group Fredo Silva kicked off the program with a few opening remarks and also provided some insights during the “What Boards Look For” panel. Among other things, he pointed out that companies have changed the way that they list their board membership in their financial statements, making it easier to identify places where a board lacks someone with a particular skill or background. Diverse board candidates can take advantage of these charts by marketing themselves to companies that are missing traits they may have.
Other members of the panel included Boardspan CEO and founder Abby Adlerman, and TPG partner and global head of human capital Ben Holzemer. The panel was moderated by KPMG Board Leadership Center senior advisor Susan Angele.
Additional panels included:
- Non-profit Board Leadership
- Voices of Experienced Directors, followed by a Q&A
There was also a Board Positioning Workshop at the end of the day for participants to talk about their own profiles and get advice about how best to position themselves to join corporate boards. The event closed with a networking reception.
Out Leadership has three cross-industry talent accelerator programs designed inspire Out Leaders and multinational companies to grow business through inclusion: OutNEXT, OutWOMEN, and Quorum.
Learn more about MoFo’s commitment to diverse professional development.
