Monthly Archives: October 2009

According to a recent study released by the Board of Directors Network (BDN), women have made little to no progress on the boards or in the executive suites of Georgia’s public companies.

The Board of Directors Network is a nonprofit research and advisory organization seeking to increase the number of women in executive leadership and on corporate boards.

For the past 17 years, the BDN has been tracking the status of women in corporate boardrooms and executives suites. During that time, the percentage of women named as corporate officers and directors has for the most part remained flat, despite the significant changes among Georgia’s publicly held companies over the years, as some organizations have gone private and others have been acquired.

The 2009 study shows that only 45 percent of Georgia’s 160 public companies have at least one woman on their board — the lowest percentage in seven years. In 2004 and 2007, that percentage was at 49 percent, the highest it’s ever been. The percentage of women-held board seats are: 7.6% in Georgia public companies, 9.7% in Georgia Top 50 public companies, and 15% in Georgia companies in Fortune 500.

Miriam Burgess, BDN’s 2009 president, said, “The lack of progress is very disappointing. Women directors and women officers are good for business.”

The BDN study also reported that among 160 public companies, only two have women as chairs, and only three have women as CEOs, a number that has remained unchanged since 2007.

Rona Wells, BDN’s executive director said, “The pace of change is pretty glacial. Unless we do something different, it’s going to stay at the pace we are in adding and losing women directors. It’s not ever going to move a whole lot.”

Sources: Board of Directors Network (www.boarddirectorsnetwork.org) and Atlanta Business Chronicle (October 23, 2009)

Colleen Reyerson is an Executive Resume Writer in Atlanta, GA. She is one of only 12 Certified Expert Resume Writers (CERW) in the U.S., and the sole CERW in the state of Georgia. Colleen is Managing Director of Executive Resumes Atlanta (www.ExecutiveResumesAtlanta.com), an Atlanta, GA executive resume writing service specializing in career marketing documents for senior-level job seekers. Executive Resumes Atlanta is a member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle is hosting a business expo at the Cobb Galleria on Thursday, October 29 from 7am-2:30pm. The event is expected to attract 3,000 executives seeking business growth insights, strategies and inspiration, as well as networking opportunities.

Events will include a Disney workshop (Disney’s Approach to Leadership Excellence), an Economic Forecast Panel Discussion, and a Customer Service Leadership presentation by Hal Becker (a leading national speaker on sales and customer service).

Tickets for the event are $49 (non-refundable).

Colleen Reyerson is an Executive Resume Writer in Atlanta, GA. She is one of only 12 Certified Expert Resume Writers (CERW) in the U.S., and the sole CERW in the state of Georgia. Colleen is Managing Director of Executive Resumes Atlanta (www.ExecutiveResumesAtlanta.com), an Atlanta, GA executive resume writing service specializing in career marketing documents for senior-level job seekers. Executive Resumes Atlanta is a member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.

LinkedIn is an online business networking site which connects executives and business professionals. A free service which allows members to create a professional profile that can be shared with other members, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool in your job search arsenal. By building online network of contacts, you increase your connections with professionals who can then recommend you and help you network your way into a target company.

Founded in 2003, LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) now has more than 48 million members in over 200 countries. Executives and business professionals from all Fortune 500 companies can be found among the membership.

Features include automatic notification to your network when you make a major change to your Profile (e.g., announcing an event in your professional life), posted job listings, and a search feature that allows you to not only research companies, but find information on target companies from other members (e.g. why they left a company and what they did / did not like about it).

Maintaining a LinkedIn Profile enables you to establish a professional online presence and create a personal brand, strengthening your overall credibility and providing a vehicle for others to easily access information about you. For example, more than 70% of recruiters Google candidates to find out more about them.

Other online business networking sites include http://Xing.com, http://Ecademy.com, and http://Ziggs.com.

Colleen Reyerson is an Executive Resume Writer in Atlanta, GA. She is one of only 12 Certified Expert Resume Writers (CERW) in the U.S., and the sole CERW in the state of Georgia. Colleen is Managing Director of Executive Resumes Atlanta (www.ExecutiveResumesAtlanta.com), an Atlanta, GA executive resume writing service specializing in career marketing documents for senior-level job seekers. Executive Resumes Atlanta is a member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating.