Janice Ellig, CEO of the executive search firm Ellig Group, talked with Fast Company’s Stephanie Mehta about how corporate boards have sharpened their focus on gender and racial diversity when considering CEO candidates. “The surge in women CEOs is no coincidence“ was published May 1, 2023.
GRAY RHINOS, NOT GLASS CLIFFS
Preparation may not be the only reason women are finally gaining ground. Ellig believes women are getting the nod specifically because companies are facing challenging times. “I think the demonstrated rise of women to lead companies during the pandemic shows they did well as leaders without a playbook, which is often how women lead their personal lives, juggling the unforeseen but having contingency plans in place to cover those ‘gray rhino’ situations,” she says, referring to author Michele Wucker’s term for obvious risks leaders often ignore.Stephanie Mehta, FastCompany, The surge in women CEOs is no coincidence, May 1, 2023
James Lam –widely recognized as the world’s first corporate chief risk officer– teamed up with Michele Wucker to write an article for Directors & Boards Magazine “Wrangling the Gray Rhinos of 2023,” published January 18, 2023. Together, gray rhino theory and James Lam’s seven-stage scenario analysis framework are a great pair of tools for thinking in greater depth about the global macro gray rhinos stampeding the world in 2023 –and about how well positioned you are to head them off or even better, harness their power.
The DCRO Institute announced on January 18, 2023, that it has recognized the accomplishments and contributions of nine individuals – each an exemplar in their dedication to advancing the best in risk governance practices and the connection between better governance and value creation.
DCRO Exemplar Award honorees are chosen based on the key areas of Integrity, Innovation, Leadership, and Service with an emphasis on a long history of, or positive and important changes to, risk governance and sustainability practices in their work.
“I have worked with each of these individuals and can attest to their commitment to the highest standards of risk governance and service to others,” said David R. Koenig, President and Chief Executive Officer of the DCRO Institute. “We’re pleased to honor them and hope that this recognition of their work will inspire others to likewise innovate and pursue high ideals in this area.”
Named as individual DCRO Exemplar Award Winners are:
• Antonius Alijoyo, Indonesia
• Moorad Choudhry, United Kingdom
• Ursuline Foley, United States
• Rachael Johnson, United Kingdom
• Bartley J. Madden, United States
• Cristina Martinez, Spain
• Nada Rizkallah, Lebanon
• Alex Sidorenko, Spain
• Michele Wucker, United States
Read the full press release HERE.
- The Gray Rhino Wrangler on Substack - January 1, 2025
- Gray Rhino Risks and Responses to Watch in 2024 - January 10, 2024
- In the Media 2023 - December 31, 2023
