Uncovering the Process of Board Growth

From Antonio Garza, Former Ambassador to Mexico and Board Director at Kansas City Southern


In your experience, what are the main factors that are considered when recruiting a Latino/a Board Director?

You know, there’s been a tendency to look at current CEO’s for the boardroom and, while that’s a very important set of skills to have at the table, it does limit your pool when looking for more diverse candidates. What I’ve been seeing is an openness to candidates whose experiences may be, as in my case, in government, and others whose backgrounds are in academia, entrepreneurship or the military. When you cast more widely with Latinos in mind, you’d be surprised at the amazing people out there, many of which bring a perspective and a way of looking at the marketplace that your company was lacking and will benefit from having.

What needs to be done to make Boards more diverse and inclusive?

More than anything else, the company and board need to have a commitment to diversity in the boardroom and a nominating and governance committee chairperson willing to show leadership on the issue. Truth is, there are plenty of good Latino candidates in the marketplace, but if directors limit themselves to who they know, there’s a high likelihood they’ll find someone that looks a lot like the boardroom they already have. I think investors and share- holders expect to see Latinos in the boardroom, because it’s good for business, and the right thing to be doing for the company.

What should Latino Directors do once they’re part of a Board to open doors for others, with- out risking their reputation or crossing lines?

I think it’s the responsibility of every director to offer good suggestions as to candidates when filling openings on the board. Part of doing that means getting out and meeting people who may not be part of your network, but would be great directors. Also, encourage people seeking board seats to get known. For example I’ve been involved with the Latino Corporate Directors Association (LCDA) and I think that one of the things the LCDA has done well, particularly as relates to publicly traded company boards, is expose Latino candidates to opportunity, advocate on their behalf and worked on building a solid pipeline of candidates for the future.

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