The CEO of DaVita HealthCare Partners is making it a priority to make its board of directors “majority diverse” within 24 months, a move that could make the Denver company a bellwether among Fortune 500 companies.
Chairman and CEO Kent Thiry disclosed his goal Wednesday to about 1,800 people attending the annual luncheon.
“Having a more diverse board actually leads to a , a more diverse set of debates and, I think, more thoughtful outcomes,” Thiry said in an interview after the event.
The company has identified potential independent director candidates to expand the diversity of the 10-member board, which now includes two women, a Latino man and a black man.
“Being 50 percent would be an accomplishment, but being a majority would be great,” Thiry said. “I think it would help create more of a momentum through the rest of health care and the Fortune 500.”
In 2014, 19 percent of board seats at Fortune 500 companies were filled by women, , an organization with an aim to increase the percentage of women on corporate boards to 20 percent by 2020. Last year, women held 22.2 percent of board seats at Fortune 100 companies.
The — the most recent data available — roughly 26 percent of Fortune 500 board members were women and minorities
DaVita’s majority diverse board goals align with other efforts in place to increase diversity among the kidney care giant’s ranks, Thiry said. When recruiting from colleges and universities, DaVita sends interview teams that are “highly diverse.” The company also requires executive recruiters to search for diverse candidates before presenting male Caucasian prospects, Thiry said.
Within the past three years, 50 percent of the vice president promotions in DaVita’s kidney care business have been minorities or women, he said.
Alicia Wallace: 303-954-1939, awallace@denverpost.com or @aliciawallace
