1. Join Global Board
Ready Women
Are you looking to improve business performance?
Are you planning to improve gender diversity on
your board?

2. How Global Board Ready
Women can benefit your
organisation
Women are underrepresented in leadership roles, holding less than
20% of top board and government positions in many countries,
yet companies with more diverse boards have proved to be highly
successful. Women’s participation in decision-making leads to
greater equality and can significantly impact on business growth and
economic development.
Global Board Ready Women is an international initiative to identify senior women
executives and professionals and improve business performance through promoting
diverse corporate governance.
Started by the European Business Schools/Women on Board Taskforce, Global
Board Ready Women is supported by the European Commission, Forte Foundation
and the Financial Times Non-Executive Directors’ Club.
The Commonwealth is working in partnership with Global Board Ready Women to
increase the visibility of women business leaders from its member countries.
The Global Board Ready Women
Searchable Database can help boost
your business success.
Why join?
• Searchable database of 8,000 vetted
women executives and professionals
• Easy access to the skills your
organisation requires
• Free membership while searching for
candidates
• Current information on pre-screened
candidates
• Representation from across the
Commonwealth including small
states and developing countries
• Increased visibility for your
organisation as part of this
Commonwealth-wide initiative
About the Global Board Ready Women
Searchable Database
This searchable database on LinkedIn
provides executive search firms and
organisations looking to make board
appointments with a list of qualified
women. Companies and recruiters can

3. easily search and identify those whose
experience most closely matches their
requirements and can contact them
directly.
Quality candidates
All women registered as part of the
Global Board Ready Women searchable
database on LinkedIn must meet
certain eligibility criteria. In compiling
the database of Global Board Ready
Women, candidates are reviewed
against a robust selection process.
Candidates should have at least
five years’ experience in one or a
combination of the following roles:
• Chair and/or non-executive director
of a listed or private corporation;
• Chief Executive Officer, Chief
Operating Officer, Chief Financial
Officer or other C-suite executive or
director-level appointment in a listed
or private corporation;
• Family member and controlling
shareholder of board of a large family
company;
• Director of a government agency;
• Director of a non-profit organisation;
• Senior professional in an institutional
investment community;
• Senior partner in professional
company serving a board and
committee as a client;
• Entrepreneur;
• Leading academic with relevant
experience.
The value of women on boards
Improved corporate performance
Companies with the highest gender
diversity teams see a much higher return
on equity (10%), a higher operating result
(48%) and a stronger stock price growth
(70%) (McKinsey 2007).
Better corporate governance
Companies with more women on
their boards see better corporate
governance and ethical behaviour
(Franke 1997).
Competitive advantage
Women can drive up to 70% of
household spending decisions and can
therefore bring knowledge to create
products and services better tailored
to customer need (Commonwealth
Secretariat 2013).
Investment in the ‘Third Billion’
A billion women will enter the global
economy by 2020 and have the ability to
add significant value (Booz Co 2012).
Improved socio-economic status
Investing in women leaders has a major
impact on a country’s GDP and the
welfare of subsequent generations
(Booz Co 2012).

4. Contact us
To gain access to the database to
view long and short listings and for all
enquiries, please contact the Group
Manager: Heidi Gains, heidi.gains@
ft.com
This group is administered by the
Financial Times Non-Executive
Directors’ Club. For more information
about the group and how to join,
please visit:
http://www.linkedin.com/
groups/Global-Board-Ready-
Women-4677558/about
We are particularly interested
in hearing from the following
companies:
• Listed companies
• Non-listed private companies
• Public corporations
• Non-governmental organisations
If you are a business school,
university or professional
organisation and would like to
support this initiative through
promoting the Global Board Ready
Women searchable database to your
alumni or by becoming a vetting
institution please contact the Group
Manager.
Approved organisations will receive
a unique code to give to women
among their alumni to use when
applying to the Global Board Ready
Women searchable database.
Supporting organisations will also
be listed on the website www.
globalboardreadywomen.com
Companies may be contacted after
securing a candidate to monitor the
progress of this initiative.
This leaflet has been produced in
conjunction with the Commonwealth
to increase women’s leadership
for economic empowerment
and gender equality www.
thecommonwealth.org
Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX United Kingdom