The Leaderboard

What The Leaderboard does

The Leaderboard is a U.S. nonprofit national network, founded in 2004 as the Interorganizational Network (ION) and rebranded in 2023, that connects corporations and executive search firms with qualified female board talent. The organization aggregates nine regional women's executive member organizations spanning Maryland, New York, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Virginia, collectively representing over 2,000 board-practiced female directors and 6,000 board-ready candidates with a broader reach of more than 50,000 contacts across the alliance. Its core service is a consultative board candidate search process in which The Leaderboard engages CEOs, board chairs, committee chairs, or executive recruiters to define required strategic skills and then provides warm introductions to qualified candidates from the network.

The business model is a recurring subscription structure built on member organization fees, supplemented by a Corporate Sponsorship Program launched in 2023 for organizations funding board diversity initiatives. The organization also publishes recurring research reports tracking women's representation on corporate boards, including Russell 3000 analysis, as a thought leadership asset. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery relies on direct engagement, member organization referrals, and a marketing website (leaderboardwomen.com) where corporations initiate contact through inquiry forms. Go-to-market is community-led and consultative, relying on the regional member organizations for sourcing and referrals and on the national brand for thought leadership and demand generation.

The customer base consists of two primary segments: corporations of all sizes seeking board diversity and executive search firms seeking qualified female candidate slates. There is no evidence of external investment, funding rounds, acquisitions, or a global operating footprint; ownership is member-governed via an Executive Committee composed of leaders from member organizations. The organization sits in a niche services category defined by social mission rather than technology, with its competitive position anchored in the breadth and depth of its member organization network.

Name

The Leaderboard

Legal name

The Leaderboard

Website

https://leaderboardwomen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Leaderboard is a U.S. nonprofit national network of nine regional women's executive organizations that connects corporations and executive search firms with over 2,000 board-practiced female directors and 6,000 board-ready candidates for corporate board placements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Board of Directors Recruitment & Diversity Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector, Education & Nonprofit Leadership Search (BPACAAAI)

Keywords

• Board candidate search
• Board diversity services
• Women executive network
• Corporate governance talent
• Female board placement

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Organization Fees: The Leaderboard generates revenue through membership fees from affiliated women's executive organizations that join the network. Member organizations pay to be part of the national alliance and access shared resources, best practices, and collaborative platforms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Leaderboard is a national network that connects corporations and executive search firms with qualified female board talent, drawing on a pool of over 2,000 board-practiced directors and 6,000 board-ready candidates across affiliated regional women's executive organizations. Its primary service is a consultative board candidate search in which staff meet with CEOs, board chairs, committee chairs, or executive recruiters to determine strategic skill needs and then arrange warm introductions to vetted women candidates.

Product overview

The Leaderboard is a national network (formerly Interorganizational Network/ION, rebranded in 2023) focused on the advancement of women to the corporate boardroom. The organization offers a suite of services including a Board Candidate Search Service that connects organizations with qualified female board talent, a National Network of Member Organizations aggregating thousands of board-ready women, Research Reports tracking women's progression on corporate boards, and a Corporate Sponsorship Program for companies seeking to support board diversity initiatives. The core value proposition is connecting exceptional executive women with exceptional companies seeking to strengthen their boards through diversified female talent.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Board Candidate Search Service A consultative matching service for corporations and executive search firms seeking qualified female board talent. The process involves meeting with the CEO, board chair, committee chair, or executive recruiter to clarify strategic skill needs for open board positions, then tapping the national network to identify qualified women candidates and providing warm introductions.
• National Network of Member Organizations A national alliance of regional women's executive networks representing major U.S. metropolitan areas (Maryland, New York, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, Virginia), which collectively aggregate thousands of board-ready women and provide a forum for member organizations to leverage best practices, share research, and expand influence nationally in support of gender-balanced corporate boardrooms.
• Research Reports on Women on Corporate Boards Periodic published research reports tracking the progression of women's representation on U.S. corporate boards since 2004, including analyses such as the Russell 3000 board representation figures (e.g., 29.2% of Russell 3000 board seats held by women as of September 30, 2023, and 36.5% of 455 new directors who joined boards in Q3 2023 being women), used to inform advocacy, education, and outreach on board diversity.
• Corporate Sponsorship Program Sponsorship program for organizations aligned with the mission of advancing women to corporate boards, providing sponsors visibility and association with the board diversity movement while funding The Leaderboard's collaborative platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 29.2% of Russell 3000 board seats held by women as of September 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Executive AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaryland-based women's executive organization representing accomplished women to expand impact and influence through advocacy, education and mentorship. Lynne Durbin serves as The Leaderboard leadership representative.
• Financial Women's Association (FWA) of New YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1956, FWA promotes professional development and advancement of women in finance through education, training, mentorship, and networking. The DCGC committee advocates for gender-balanced corporate boardrooms.
• InforumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichigan-based 501c3 nonprofit founded in 1962 focused on building careers for women and strengthening talent pipelines. One of the largest women's business forums in the U.S. Terry Barclay serves as The Leaderboard leadership representative.
• OnBoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgia-based 501(c)3 nonprofit seeking to increase women in executive leadership and corporate boards. Since 1993, the OnBoard Annual Study has tracked progress on gender parity in executive leadership.
• OnBoardNCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Carolina nonprofit founded in 2015 focused on shrinking the boardroom gender gap. Identifies and onboards highly qualified, board-practiced female executives from Research Triangle Park NC region. Suzanne Miglucci serves as Chair.
• The Boston ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMassachusetts community of 400+ women focused on advancing women into top executive and professional leadership positions across all sectors of the economic landscape.
• The Forum of Executive WomencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPennsylvania membership organization of over 600 women holding senior-most positions in corporations, not-for-profits, and public sector entities driving the regional economy. Mission to expand impact and power of professional women.
• Women Executive Leadership (WEL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlorida not-for-profit founded in 1999 committed to accelerating women's leadership role. Focuses on advocating, educating, and connecting women leaders for C-Suite and Boardroom gender parity.
• Skylight InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirginia-based not-for-profit collective of accomplished women executives united to elevate women in the boardroom and beyond. Focuses on connecting, preparing, advocating for, and propelling women in board and life journeys.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Women in the Boardroom: Organization focused on advancing women to corporate boards through education, networking, and a database of board-ready women. Direct peer in mission and member-network model serving similar corporate board diversity outcomes.
• 50/50 Women on Boards: Nonprofit organization specifically focused on increasing gender parity on corporate boards; referenced in The Leaderboard's research as the source of Russell 3000 statistics. Highly comparable as a mission-aligned nonprofit advocacy and education organization.
• OnBoard (Independent nonprofit): Georgia-based nonprofit (actually a member organization of The Leaderboard) focused on increasing women on corporate boards. Listed here separately because it operates as a standalone peer with its own regional network and board placement services overlapping The Leaderboard's offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Heidrick & Struggles: Global retained executive search firm with a dedicated Board of Directors practice and DE&I advisory. Directly competes with The Leaderboard for corporate board search mandates but serves a much broader leadership talent mandate across all executive levels globally.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Board & CEO Advisory practice. Comparable as a direct competitor for corporate board placements and governance advisory work.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a strong board practice. Directly competes for high-end corporate board mandates and has invested in DE&I leadership advisory.
• Korn Ferry: Major global organizational consulting firm with a Board & CEO Services practice that includes board recruitment, succession, and assessment. Comparable in serving corporate governance clients for director search.
• Spencer Stuart: One of the leading global executive search firms with a renowned Board Practice that has tracked director trends for decades. Comparable as a direct competitor for board placement mandates with established corporate governance relationships.

Emerging players

• DirectorQuest: Board placement firm focused on placing diverse directors, particularly women and minorities, on corporate boards. Emerging tech-enabled peer with overlapping candidate pool and corporate client base.

Others

• Equilar: Provider of executive and board data, analytics, and recruiting tools used by corporate governance teams and executive search firms. Comparable as an ecosystem participant serving the same corporate buyers and search firms The Leaderboard works with.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leaderboardwomen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Leaderboard