Thu March 01 2007

GENDER BALANCE WITHIN BOARDROOMS - IT’S FAIR. IT’S SMART!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO/CALGARY—March 1: International Women’s Day is chosen as the launch date for In Balance International (IBI), to initiate its grassroots campaign toward establishing greater gender balance within the boardrooms of Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. IBI founder, Alexander Strachan, announced that this non-profit organization will begin “organizing for balance” by leveraging women’s consumer and economic powers to demand that boards of directors better reflect the gender of their clientele. He has long-believed that women have a unique point-of-view that must be heard if we’re to discover fresh solutions to today’s complex issues.

Strachan, who has had a business career that has taken him from file clerk to senior executive, to resort-owner says, “Boards of directors are decision-making bodies that impact everyone in almost any way we can think of: careers, health, education, and everything we purchase. By ensuring women are fairly represented on boards, society will benefit enormously from a female perspective; and women as well as men, will make decisions about how society operates. Currently this means substantially increasing the number of women on boards.”

Women account for 80 percent of all consumer purchases, which translates into power in our market-driven society. IBI will harness this power by creating a grassroots network through which members who share its vision, will use economics and activism and provide the leverage—by virtue of its numbers—needed to instigate change within the structure of public and private corporate, non-profit and public sector boards. Institutions already recognize the power of women consumers, and will stand to gain a competitive edge by partnering with IBI to support its goal.

Andrina Lever, president of Lever Enterprises, Organization of Women in International Trade’s (OWIT) 2006 “Woman of the Year”, and long-time advocate and champion for the advancement of women’s entrepreneurship internationally, sees the potential opportunities that IBI creates. Ms. Lever said, “Imagine a world where we actually harness the brainpower, purchasing power, intellectual power as well as the sheer influential power and energy that women share; and what the world could look like. All over the world, women meet to raise money, organize charitable events and perform volunteer work. Imagine if these women came together to be leaders in change. It’s exciting to see an organization such as IBI recognize that vision and act on it.”

Visit http://www.inbalanceinternational.com and take steps toward a world that is in balance.
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For further information, please contact:
Founders: Alexander Strachan:  (519) 927-0157, astrachan@inbalanceinternational.com; Joni Cooper: (403) 988-2234, jcooper@inbalanceinternational.com