COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) today announced it will be recognized by the Women's Forum of New York for advancing gender parity in the boardroom. The 2019 Breakfast of Corporate Champions, hosted by the Women's Forum of New York, will take place on November 7, 2019 in New York City and will honor companies actively promoting board diversity with female board representation of 30 percent or more. Big Lots' board composition of 44 percent women significantly exceeds the national average for female-held board seats of 23 percent.
Commenting on today's announcement, Bruce Thorn, President and CEO of Big Lots stated, "We're proud to be honored by the Women's Forum of New York once again this year. Big Lots is committed to diversity, inclusion, and advancing women's leadership through gender-balanced boards. Our board is currently comprised of eight independent directors, and four of them are exceptional female leaders. Having a board that reflects our society and our customers leads to better decision-making and stronger performance for our associates and shareholders."
Founded in 1974, the Women's Forum of New York is the flagship of the International Women's Forum, a global organization of over 6,500 outstanding women leaders in 74 Forums around the world. The 2019 Breakfast of Corporate Champions will bring together more than 600 thought leaders and change-makers including CEOs, Board Directors, and government officials in support of one shared goal – achieving 50/50 gender parity in the boardroom by 2025.
Janice Ellig, CEO of the Ellig Group and Chair and Founder of the Breakfast of Corporate Champions said, "On behalf of the Women's Forum of New York, we salute Big Lots for actively enhancing its boardroom diversity. Big Lots is part of a growing number of forward-thinking companies which are raising the bar and accelerating the U.S. towards the goal of gender parity in the boardroom."
The 2019 Breakfast of Corporate Champions will take place on November 7, 2019 at Cipriani 42nd Street, in New York City from 7:30 – 10:30am. To learn more about the event, visit: www.womensforumny.org.
About Big Lots
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) is a discount retailer operating 1,418 BIG LOTS stores in 47 states with product assortments in the merchandise categories of Furniture, Seasonal, Soft Home, Food, Consumables, Hard Home, and Electronics, Toys & Accessories. Our mission is to help people Live BIG and Save Lots. We strive to be the BIG difference for a better life by delivering unmatched value to our customers through surprise and delight, being a "best places to work" culture for our associates, rewarding our shareholders with consistent growth and top tier returns, and doing good in our communities as we do well. For more information about the Company, visit www.biglots.com.
SOURCE Big Lots, Inc.
![](https://rt.prnewswire.com/rt.gif?NewsItemId=CL28987&Transmission_Id=201911061605PR_NEWS_USPR_____CL28987&DateId=20191106)
Share this article