I just read an article on the subject of women on corporate boards in Norway I found interesting.
Norway proposed a law requiring list or main companies to have 40 percent women as directors. Mimi Berdal, a former corporate lawyer was contacted by many of the 500 company boards that had to comply with the new law. She now sits on 12 boards. Ms Berdal is just one of many women who have found themselves suddenly being pursued by Norwegian businesses. Many like Berdal have become full-time non-executive directors. However, as time passes and more women are moving up as powerful executives in corporations, they are developing a much broader base of potential director candidates. Many nominating committees have discovered there are more competent women to select from than they originally thought.

     One thing I really liked about Norway’s system is that they separate their boards from the management of the company. Its nomination committee, which chooses only directors and not executives, better, represents shareholder views. The country now has the world’s highest proportion of female board members. Other European counties with very high proportion are the Netherlands and the UK, both with 12 per- cent.

     In the US, companies, boards that have more women are more profitable. Gender diversity provides a wider variety of ideas and views that are necessary in today’s business environment. It is also widely believed that the current financial crisis might have been averted if more women were in positions of power.