How does your organization measure up?

The minimum threshold for representation of women in C-suite and board of director roles is 30%.

The Data on Diversity

Companies with diverse senior leadership teams perform better.

In a study of 22,000 publicly traded companies across various industries in 91 countries, it was determined companies whose leadership was least 30% female were 6% more profitable.

Source: Peterson Institute for International Economics: “Research on over 21,000 Companies Globally Finds Women in Corporate Leadership Can Significantly Increase Profitability.”

Companies with gender-diverse executive teams in the highest quartile outperformed male-dominated companies by 21% in terms of EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) and 27% in terms of creating long-term value.

Source: MicKinsey & Company: “Delivering through Diversity.”

Moving to a 30% female share in corporate leadership (C-suite & board) is associated with a one-percentage-point increase in net margin – which translates to a 15% increase in profitability for a typical firm.

Source: Harvard Business Review: “Study: Firms with More Women in the C-Suite Are More Profitable.”

Companies with diverse talent and
executives are more likely to retain the
best talent and engage in decision-
making that accounts for orienting to
larger varieties of customers than
companies with a more monolithic
customer base.

Source: Harvard Business Review: “Study: Firms with More
Women in the C-Suite Are More Profitable.”

Companies with diverse talent and executives are more likely to retain the best talent and engage in decision-making that accounts for orienting to larger varieties of customers than companies with a more monolithic customer base.

Source: Harvard Business Review: “Study: Firms with More Women in the C-Suite Are More Profitable.”

Having women on the board results in
better acquisition and investment
decisions and in less aggressive risk-
taking, yielding benefits for shareholders.

Source: Harvard Business Review: “Research: When Women
Are on Boards, Male CEOs Are Less Overconfident.”

Having women on the board results in better acquisition and investment decisions and in less aggressive risk-taking, yielding benefits for shareholders.

Source: Harvard Business Review: “Research: When Women Are on Boards, Male CEOs Are Less Overconfident.”

GenZ is already the most diverse generation in our history, with high expectations for a transformed society. If companies want to be relevant in today’s marketplace, leadership must reflect these diverse perspectives.

Source: Pew Research Center: “Early Benchmarks Show ‘Post-Millennials’ on Track to Be Most Diverse, Best-Educated Generation Yet.”

Industry Insights

Citi GPS: “Closing the Racial Inequality Gaps”

Bloomberg: “Dell Aims to Make Women Half of Workforce in Diversity Push”

DIgiday: “How PepsiCo is addressing advertising’s problem with race”

FY21 NIKE, Inc. Impact Report: “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion”

Netflix: “Our Progress on Inclusion: 2021 Update”

Salesforce: “Building a Workplace That Reflects Society”

Industry Insights

No more lip service. The time for change is now.

Dell: “Dell Aims to Make Women Half of Workforce in Diversity Push.”

Digiday: “Digiday makes $170 million investment to increase Hispanic middle management representation and build a network of Hispanic-owned companies.”

Nike: “2020 Representation & Pay.”

Netflix: “Netflix’s First Inclusion Report Cites Progress, Acknowledges Need to Improve Recruitment of Hispanics.”

Salesforce: “Salesforce makes commitment that 50% of its U.S. workforce will be made up of underrepresented groups by 2023.”

Words matter.

Your guide to defining key NxtWork terms.

NxtWork

Pronounced “next work.” A coined name derived from next + executive + network.

Women+

NxtWork is not exclusive to people assigned female at birth. The term women+ is intended to capture the full range of underrepresented genders.

WOC

Shorthand for women+ of color.

BIPOC

Black, indigenous, (and other) people of color.

Representation

Representation matters deeply at NxtWork and is central to why we exist. For us, meaningful representation is not just a concept but a lived reality. It is when diverse people are not only present within an organization but are truly heard and valued. We expect our business partners to amplify the voices of our NxtWork members and empower them with the tools and resources necessary to drive real change within the organization.

Senior Leadership

At NxtWork we define senior leadership positions as roles in the C-suite and on the board of directors.