Critics take issue with lack of diversity on Apple Board of Directors

Posted:
in General Discussion edited August 2014
Apple's primarily male Board of Directors is under the microscope, as critics contend that the iPhone maker should do more to diversify its governing body beyond white men.

Andrea Jung
Andrea Jung is currently the only female member of Apple's board. Photo via Makers.com.


The company recently made a small tweak to its corporate charter vowing to diversify its board, following criticism from shareholders Trillium Asset Management LLC and the Sustainability Group, according to Bloomberg. Specifically, the groups have taken issue with the fact that only one woman, former Avon CEO Andrea Jung, serves on Apple's board.

The two groups reportedly met with Apple representatives a number of times in the past few months, and were planning to bring their concerns to the company's Feb. 28 shareholder meeting for a potential vote. Those plans were nixed, however, after Apple revised its corporate charter to say it would consider women and minorities as board candidates.

"The nominating committee is committed to actively seeking out highly qualified women and individuals from minority groups to include in the pool from which board nominees are chosen," the new language in the company charter reads.

Outside of Jung, the entirety of Apple's board of directors are all white men, including Chief Executive Tim Cook, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, board chairman Arthur D. Levinson. Remaining members of the board are Intuit Chairman Bill Campbell, J. Crew Chief Executive Millard Drexler, Walt Disney Company CEO Robert A. Iger, and former CEO of Northrop Grumman Ronald D. Sugar.

Ahrendts
Angela Ahrendts will become Apple's SVP of Retail and Online Stores in 2014. | Source: The Times UK


Of course, a lack of diversity among Apple's top brass is not a situation unique to the Cupertino, Calif., device maker. Bloomberg noted that just 17 percent of Fortune 500 board seats are held by women, while 15 percent of chief executives are female.

Apple will officially add a woman to its executive team this year, when Angela Ahrendts takes over the company's newly created position of Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores. The new role will make Ahrendts the only woman in a senior leadership position at Apple, joining the likes of other senior vice presidents Jony Ive, Eddy Cue, Craig Federighi, and Phil Schiller.
«13456789

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 180
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member

    No one with any intelligence whatsoever gives a flying frick. Apple isn’t going to hire “minorities” to fill some magical quota. They’ll hire who can do the job, whoever that may be.

     

    AI, don’t perpetuate this nonsense.

  • Reply 2 of 180
    Those who can't, complain. Loudly.
  • Reply 3 of 180
    bilbo63bilbo63 Posts: 285member

    "No one with any intelligence whatsoever gives a flying frick. Apple isn’t going to hire “minorities” to fill some magical quota. They’ll hire who can do the job, whoever that may be.

     

    AI, don’t perpetuate this nonsense."  – Tallest-Skii

     

     

    Zactly. Well said.

  • Reply 4 of 180
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    I hope this sideshow stuff isn't diverting Tim Cook from what he really needs to be focused on. And I hope this doesn't cause him to make some token hire or board placement just to appease some group.
  • Reply 5 of 180
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    I don't know, Apple have even been known to have had a back stabbing, two faced, IP stealing, 'in need of thermo nuclear treatment' type once in a while. That seems pretty diverse to me.
  • Reply 6 of 180
    Who cares!!!
  • Reply 7 of 180
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    No one with any intelligence whatsoever gives a flying frick. Apple isn’t going to hire “minorities” to fill some magical quota. They’ll hire who can do the job, whoever that may be.

    AI, don’t perpetuate this nonsense.
    Heh, and Apple was just downgraded to sell by some boutique firm because they don't think Foxconn workers get paid enough. I get the feeling this will be a rough week for Apple stock, especially with CES happening and all the hype that goes with it.
  • Reply 8 of 180
    Why don't women and racial minorities create their own Apple Inc. and hire one or two white guys? How is diversity served by hiring a handful of glamorous, over-privileged, wealthy white women? It just makes you feel tired all over.
  • Reply 9 of 180
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

    No one with any intelligence whatsoever gives a flying frick. Apple isn’t going to hire “minorities” to fill some magical quota. They’ll hire who can do the job, whoever that may be.

     

    AI, don’t perpetuate this nonsense.

     

    +1000. Amen. Nobody cares about who's on Apple's board. You make decisions on the best available talent at the time, not to fill arbitrary checkboxes based on race and gender.
  • Reply 10 of 180
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    No one with any intelligence whatsoever gives a flying frick.

    "The company recently made a small tweak to its corporate charter vowing to diversify its board..."

    Apple gives a flying frick. :\
  • Reply 11 of 180
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    This Fast Company profile on Angela Aherndts is much more interesting.

    http://www.fastcompany.com/3023591/angela-ahrendts-a-new-season-at-apple
  • Reply 12 of 180
    mac95mac95 Posts: 26member
    Only people who are all too well off and have too much time at hand come up with criticism as that. Too bad they got a forum here at all.
  • Reply 13 of 180
    rerollreroll Posts: 60member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post

     

    No one with any intelligence whatsoever gives a flying frick. Apple isn’t going to hire “minorities” to fill some magical quota. They’ll hire who can do the job, whoever that may be.

     

    AI, don’t perpetuate this nonsense.


    It's good to see someone who understands so well the challenges of this world.

  • Reply 14 of 180
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    gatorguy wrote: »
    "The company recently made a small tweak to its corporate charter vowing to diversify its board..."

    Apple gives a flying frick. :\
    Hopefully just to pacify this group so they don't make a stink at the shareholders meeting. I want Apple to hire based on the qualifications to do the job, not to fill some race or gender quota. I don't think they hired Angela Ahrendts because she was female but because they felt she was the best person to do the job.
  • Reply 15 of 180
    Can you imagine if they applied this logic to all sports?

    Sorry, you can't have an all black basketball team, you must now draft and play at least 1 caucasian, 1 hispanic, 1 eastern european, and one South American. One must also be a woman.

    Also, you must have at least 2 players under 5' 7" as having them all taller than that is height discrimination.

    Now lets get started on hockey....


    PS: your last, well every President of the US, has been a male, so next election we are mandating that it must be a woman of minority that is obese.
  • Reply 16 of 180
    onhkaonhka Posts: 1,025member

    If I am not mistaken, Bloomberg has only one woman on its Board. And how many times have we seen an AppleInsider article written by a woman?

     

    As the saying goes, "People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" 

  • Reply 17 of 180

    The comments here? #everydaysexism



    The idea that Apple can't find qualified board members who aren't white males is ridiculous.

  • Reply 18 of 180
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    satorical wrote: »
    The comments here? #everydaysexism


    The idea that Apple can't find qualified board members who aren't white males is ridiculous.
    It's not that they can't, it's that they shouldn't be forced to. Same nonsense with Twitter. Anyone with half a brain knows Apple is neither sexist nor racist. They hire who they feel was most qualified for the job, that's how it should be.
  • Reply 19 of 180
    rerollreroll Posts: 60member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Satorical View Post

     

    The comments here? #everydaysexism



    The idea that Apple can't find qualified board members who aren't white males is ridiculous.


     

    Yeeah! We had to wait post 18 to have a sensible comment.

  • Reply 20 of 180
    And short people, and people with speech impediments, and lactose intolerant people, and people with peculiar surnames, and left handed people and people who use Wintel computers, and children, oh the children....

    Good God, people, grow up.
Sign In or Register to comment.