Detroit Free Press: Marick Masters on GM board diversity
General Motors is adding two high-profile executives to its board of directors and expanding its commitment to diversity in the process. Meg Whitman, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Mark Tatum, deputy commissioner and COO of the National Basketball Association, are joining GM's board effective Thursday, GM said. With the election of Whitman, 64, and Tatum, 51, GM now has 13 directors, seven of whom are women, making GM the only automaker with more than half its board comprised of women, according to website 50/50 Women on Boards, which tracks the gender composition of corporate boards in the Russell 3000 Index. “This is very much an effort at diversity," said Marick Masters, professor of business at Wayne State University. "Obviously, these people bring high qualifications to the table. But the more GM can move to have a diverse profile at the board level, the better off they are. It signals their commitment to that goal for the workforce.”
