A public company board director opportunity was recently circulated to one of my legal networks. The requirements were around a paragraph long. The company was looking for a “female finance expert and/or general counsel” with “deep international” experience in a handful of broad topics. It also mentioned that a “No. 2 person” of a larger company could fit the role, if she met the requisite expertise.

The initial email replies were positive. After all, a board director role with a public company is not often distributed to a community of lawyers. One general counsel noted that as companies push for diversity, she had yet to be approached with such an opportunity.