Winning DE&I Practices: Lessons from the 2022 DEI Awards

Does your company have a formal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) program? What about your board? Since the impetus of greater DE&I discussions and commitments in 2020 following George Floyd’s murder, more and more companies are implementing DE&I into their business by creating impactful DE&I programs fully supported by their boards.

According to NACD’s 2022 Public Company Board Practices and Oversight Survey, more than half (58%) of respondents believe that their board’s understanding of DE&I issues has signifcantly improved since 2020; 59 percent of respondents agreed that their board understands how DE&I is connected to other board issues such as strategy, human capital, and technology. Research suggests that a board and employee culture that leverages DE&I leads to greater innovation, increased productivity, and reduced employee turnover—as well as a positive impact on long-term fnancial performance.

For years, NACD has recognized the power of DE&I to enhance board governance and create long-term value for companies and their stakeholders. In 2018, NACD launched an annual awards program—the NACD DE&I Awards—to highlight the cutting-edge practices of companies that are either nearing or in the advanced stages of implementing DE&I initiatives and shine a spotlight on these forward-thinking boards.