e.l.f. Beauty Expands Board Diversity Initiative to UC Berkeley
Event summary
- e.l.f. Beauty launched a 12-week Change the Board Game course at UC Berkeley on September 2, 2026.
- The course aims to prepare students for future board leadership roles, focusing on executive leadership, board service, and professional development.
- e.l.f. Beauty's board is 60% women and 40% diverse, placing it in the top 1% of U.S. publicly traded companies for board diversity.
- The initiative has grown to include nearly 500 leaders committed to advancing board representation.
- 58% of graduates from the Accelerate program are now serving on boards.
The big picture
e.l.f. Beauty's expansion of its Change the Board Game initiative to UC Berkeley underscores a growing emphasis on diversity and inclusion in corporate governance. The program aims to address the disparity in board representation, where women hold only 28% of public company board seats and 74% of directors are white. By investing in education and mentorship, e.l.f. Beauty is positioning itself as a leader in shaping the future of inclusive leadership.
What we're watching
- Pipeline Development
- Whether the UC Berkeley course can effectively build a pipeline of diverse board-ready talent.
- Industry Adoption
- The pace at which other companies adopt similar initiatives to promote board diversity.
- Impact Measurement
- How the initiative's success will be measured and its long-term effects on corporate board composition.