'Corporate champions' honored for their commitment to women directors.

• Author: Kristie, James
• Position: BOARD DIVERSITY

At its bi-annual "Breakfast of Corporate Champions" the Women's Forum of New York honored 174 U.S.-based Fortune 500 companies and 31 Fortune 1000 companies in the New York area which have corporate boards that are at least 20% female.

The event was held in November 2013 at the New York Stock Exchange in partnership with the Committee for Economic Development and the National Association of Corporate Directors. Founded ill 1974, the Women's Forum of New York is the flagship of the International Women's Forum, a global organization of nearly 5,000 women leaders in over 66 Forums around the world.

The ceremony attracted 300 attendees, including CEOs, nominating committee chairs, and directors -- "the change drivers that can increase the number of board seats held by women," said Janice Ellig, co-CEO of the executive search firm Chadick Ellig and chair of the event. She added, "We are celebrating the decision makers who know women atthe board level deliver bottom line results. Board-ready women are out there, and CEOs can play a vital role in sponsoring qualified women for board positions in their own companies and others." greater gender diversity on corporate boards and the tangible steps that can and should be taken by CEOs and their leadership teams to support continued progress on this critical issue. Panelists included:

* Roger W. Ferguson Jr., president and CEO, TIAA-CREF

* Jeffrey R. lmmelt, chairman and CEO, General Electric Co.

* Steven A. Kandarian, chairman, president and CEO, MetLife Inc.

* Ellen Kullman, chair and CEO, DuPont Co.

* Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president and CEO, Macy's Inc.

* Deanna M. Mulligan, president and CEO, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America

* Judy Woodruff, managing editor, PBS (moderator).

The Women's Forum also presented the inaugural Muriel E Siebert Champions Award to the Estee Lauder Companies, a company that has led its peers in advancing women to the boardroom and the C-suite. Siebert, who passed away in August 2013, was the first woman to buy a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, which she did in 1967, and the first woman to head one of the exchange's member firms. She was also a founding member and past president of the Women's Forum of New York.

Ellig set the stage for the program by playing a testimonial video produced for the event featuring Daniel F. Akerson, chairman and CEO of General Motors Co.; William G. Parrett, former Global CEO of Deloitte Touche and Tohmatsu Ltd.; and women...