NEW YORK, June 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global travel deals
publisher Travelzoo® (NASDAQ: TZOO) today announced it has become
the only U.S. listed company to have 80% of its board of director
seats held by women—the highest female-to-male ratio of any NASDAQ
or NYSE-listed company. The landmark event will be commemorated
today with a Travelzoo sponsored discussion featuring an all-female
panel moderated by Tina Brown,
C.B.E, founder and CEO of Women in the World Media and creator of
the Women in the World Summit. Today's event spotlights the ongoing
issue of lack of gender diversity within listed
companies.
Underscoring the cultural diversity of the company's
board, female Travelzoo board members hail from New York, San
Francisco, London and
Shanghai. The two new Travelzoo
board members recently elected, which brought the ratio to 80%,
include Rachel Barnett, based in
New York, and Carrie Liu, based in Shanghai. Other existing female board members
include Mary Reilly, based in
London, who has been a member of
Travelzoo's board of directors since September 2013. Beatrice
Tarka is based in San
Francisco and has been a member of Travelzoo's board of
directors since August
2015.
The women will be featured panelists in a discussion about
strategies for improving female-to-male ratios in executive
leadership, and how to address the challenges that hinder progress.
Panel moderator Tina Brown
commented: "In order for women to take their rightful place
in the C-suite, they need a seat
at the table—the boardroom table to be exact. I salute Travelzoo
for not only recognizing the invaluable contributions women can
make by appointing them to its board, but doing so with such
whole-hearted, ground-breaking enthusiasm."
Lack of Board Gender Diversity Remains a Persistent and
Global Problem
Today's event serves as a
reminder that despite advances, female representation on listed
company boards remains low around the world. Consider
that:
- According to board intelligence experts Equilar, who
publish the Gender Diversity Index, 23% of Russell 3000 companies, representing the 3,000
largest listed U.S. companies, have zero female representation on
their boards.
- Aside from Travelzoo, just four other NASDAQ or
NYSE-listed companies have boards composed of over 60%
women.
- In the UK, only 27% of FTSE 100 directors are
women.
- Several European countries, including Belgium, Iceland, Italy, the
Netherlands and Spain, are
trying to drive change through mandatory female quotas for boards.
For example, Norway instituted a
40% quota for female representation on boards for the largest
publicly traded companies.
- In Hong Kong, several
recent reports state that 11% of Hang Seng-listed companies have
women on their boards.
"A board of directors should consist of the most qualified
individuals being elected. Furthermore, having different
perspectives is very important," said Ralph
Bartel, founder and chairman of Travelzoo. "I find it
disconcerting that only 5 of more than 4,000 U.S. listed companies
have 60% or more female board members. I look forward to seeing
many more listed companies around the world re-define their
boards."
Esteemed fashion designer and business woman Diane von Furstenberg commented: "Travelzoo is
making a commitment to women and is leading the way with its 80%
women on its board! And its landmark achievement is a starting
point for many other businesses to follow."
Note to Editors
Media
interested in more information or in arranging an interview with
Travelzoo board members should contact Travelzoo directly
at cjordan@travelzoo.com. The female
board members will selectively be available for panels and
interviews globally for the remainder of 2017. Images can be
downloaded at press.travelzoo.com.
About Travelzoo
Travelzoo® provides
our 28 million members insider deals and one-of-a-kind experiences
personally reviewed by one of our deal experts around the globe.
With more than 25 offices worldwide, we have our finger on the
pulse of outstanding travel, entertainment, and lifestyle
experiences. For over 15 years we have worked in partnership with
more than 2,000 top travel suppliers—our long-standing
relationships allow us access to the very best deals.
Travelzoo and Top 20 are registered trademarks of
Travelzoo. All other names are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.
Travelzoo
590 Madison Avenue
37th Floor
New York, NY
10022
Media contact:
Cat Jordan
+1 (212) 484 4982
cjordan@travelzoo.com
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SOURCE Travelzoo