NEW YORK, NY March 27, 2018 – Today Ward Howell International, in partnership with the Paradigm for Parity® coalition, announced its commitment to achieving gender parity throughout its corporate leadership structure by 2030.

“We are proud to partner with the Paradigm for Parity® movement and work towards fully addressing the gender imbalance prevalent in corporate leadership positions,” said Kimberly Bishop, Chairman Ward Howell USA Advisory Board. “We are committed to catalyzing change through implementing the 5-Point Paradigm for Parity® Action Plan, which lays out proactive steps for companies to take in order to curb workplace inequality. We look forward to working with the coalition and the other companies that have joined the movement to accelerate the pace of achieving gender parity.”

Ward Howell has committed to:

• Eliminating or minimizing unconscious bias in the workplace;
• Significantly increase the number of women in senior operating roles, with the near-term goal of at least 30% representation in all leadership groups;
• Measuring targets and maintaining accountability by providing regular progress reports;
• Basing career progress on business results and performance, rather than physical presence in the office; and
• Providing sponsors, not just mentors, to women well positioned for long term success.

“This initiative builds on the inclusivity and diversity goals that have been a priority for our firm and for most of our clients for quite some time,” said Asad Haider, President – Americas, COO and Member of the Board. “Aligning forces and joining the Paradigm for Parity® movement is very exciting and meaningful to Ward Howell as we strive to accelerate gender equality in leadership roles.”

“Hershey’s focus on diversity is central to its recruiting strategy, which Ward Howell understands implicitly,” said Chris Scalia, Chief Talent Officer, The Hershey Company (a Paradigm for Parity® member company). “What draws me most to Asad and the firm is that they do not think of diversity as just another box to check. Diversity is an important means by which we drive our business forward — and he, and his team, understands that.”

As of March 14, 2018, the CEOs of the companies that have committed to achieve gender parity in corporate leadership positions by 2030 and follow the Paradigm for Parity® Action Plan include: 72andSunny, Accenture, Adecco Group, ALOM, American Electric Power, Anthem, Inc., APCO Worldwide, Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), AstraZeneca, Bank of America, Bloomberg, Broadway Angels, Burson Marsteller, Cargill, Center for Talent Innovation, Co: Collective, Coca-Cola, DSC Logistics, Eastman Chemical Company, Edison International, Egon Zehnder, Ernst & Young, Equinix, Farient Advisors, First Source, LLC, Frontier Communications, HealthHelp, Heidrick & Struggles, Henry Schein, Inc., Hershey, Huffington Post, Ingersoll Rand, Juniper Networks, Kantar, KeyCorp, Lieberman Research Worldwide, Linkage, LinkedIn, Manpower Group, MassMutual, McKinsey & Company, Meredith Corporation, MetricStream, Monsanto, NeoGenomics, Newmont Mining Corp., Nordstrom, Out & Equal, The Perkins Fund, Principal, Project Glimmer, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, SAP, Silicon Valley Bank, Skillsoft, Spencer Stuart, Synchrony Financial, TDIndustries, Inc., Thrive Global, United Technologies, VF Corporation, Voya Financial, Walmart, Ward Howell International, Willis Towers Watsonand Yum! Brands, Inc.

Click here to learn more about the Paradigm for Parity® coalition and become a part of the movement.

About Ward Howell International

Ward Howell is a global boutique search firm with a network of more than 130 partners across 31 offices. As one of the pioneers in the search industry, Ward Howell works with corporate boards and senior leadership to deliver immediate and impactful performance gains through better leaders, teams and organizations. For more information about Ward Howell USA, please visit www.wardhowell-usa.com.

About the Paradigm for Parity® Movement

The Paradigm for Parity® coalition is comprised of CEOs, senior executives, founders, board members and business academics who are committed to achieving a new norm in corporate leadership: one in which women and men have equal power, status, and opportunity.

The coalition created the Paradigm for Parity® 5-Point Action Plan for corporations to accelerate the pace of gender equity in senior executive roles. This unique agenda defines bold and specific actions that, taken together and simultaneously implemented as a package, will catalyze change and enable today’s business executives to secure the best leaders of tomorrow. Visit www.paradigm4parity.com or follow us on Twitter using @p4parity to learn more about this exciting initiative.