The number of large public companies with all-male boards has dwindled in recent years as investors have demanded more boardroom diversity. “Companies that don’t have women on their boards are outliers,” said Courteney Keatinge, senior director of environmental, social and governance research at Glass Lewis. Institutional investors, such as State Street Global Advisors and BlackRock Inc., have pressured major companies in their portfolios to add women directors, and in some cases have voted against directors on all-male boards. Glass Lewis and ISS telegraphed their boardroom-diversity policies months in advance to give companies time to prepare. In implementing its policy, Glass Lewis will take into consideration existing efforts at companies to recruit women directors, as well as any agreements companies have in place with significant investors.

Source: Wall Street Journal February 13, 2019 15:00 UTC