Women make up more than half of the nation’s managerial and professional workforce but represent only 16 percent of its corporate officers and a miniscule 1.6 percent of the country’s CEOs. The Network of Executive Women, Consumer Products and Retail Industry, is working to change that.

The Network approaches its mission from two directions: It educates industry leaders about the benefits of gender diversity and provides best practices to help achieve it; and it directly supports the career development of the senior-level and emerging industry leaders who comprise its membership.

Founded in 2001, the Network is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit educational organization with more than two thousand active members representing three hundred companies in the fast-growing consumer products and retail industry, including grocery, chain drug, mass retail, wholesalers, manufacturers, associations and trade media. The Network has more than 50 corporate sponsors representing the most influential organizations in the CPG/retail industry.

The Network promotes gender diversity, career development and networking online and face-to face at national leadership conferences, educational workshops, and regional networking events in more than 15 American cities. National events include the Network’s Annual Leadership Summit, Executive Leaders Summit and Multicultural Workforce conference. Other Network activities include research, mentoring and coaching programs, and the Network’s “Deep Dive Into Career Development” workshops.

Because nearly two-thirds of the nation’s workforce is comprised of women and minorities, NEW is interested in the broad spectrum of diversity management issues. The Network’s Women of Color and Multicultural Workforce task forces are an example of the Network’s leadership in this vital arena.