Puhleeze, not here! Quotas, no; targeted development programs, yes.

• Author: Flannery, Thomas T.
• Position: Brief article

I am surrounded by women and I love it. The gender ratio in our office is 77% women to 23% men, and among senior management it is 50/50. If we had more women running countries on this planet, there would be fewer wars and far less mayhem.

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That said, I am opposed to quotas. Increasingly, women are reaching the senior positions that prepare them for board service. It will be another 10 or 20 years before there is any kind of gender balance. Until then, finding and recruiting qualified and available female directors will continue to be a frustrating process ... though, thankfully, not an impossible one.

Shareholders expect nominating committees to make first-rate selections when recruiting directors. The rush to meet the deadline of a mandated quota will surely dilute...