(PRESS RELEASE) DULUTH, GA — National Vision Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYE), one of the nation’s largest optical retailers providing quality, affordable eye care and eyewear, announced that it has received two recent awards for gender diversity. National Vision has been named one of Forbes’ Best Employers for Women in 2021 and received the highest ranking given by 50/50 Women on Boards for balanced gender representation among the independent members of the company’s Board of Directors.
“Achieving gender balance among our independent board members is a powerful substantiation of National Vision’s commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our company. Being named to the Forbes list of Best Employers for Women is a validation of our efforts to make National Vision a great place to work for everyone,” said Reade Fahs, National Vision CEO. “Both recognitions honor the success that is possible when many different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences are represented and respected in our work, whether in our boardroom or our stores and exam rooms.”
According to 50/50 Women on Boards’ Gender Diversity Index quarterly report on data available as of March 31, 2021, National Vision is one of only 169 companies on the Russell 3000 Index to have a gender-balanced board. Women are supported in leadership roles throughout the company: in 2020, 76% of National Vision’s employees were women, and women held 67% of the company’s management positions at the store manager level and above.
“National Vision is championing diversity and supporting women’s success in a field that for a long time was very male-dominated – so receiving these recognitions is truly meaningful,” said Jacqueline Grove, Senior Vice President of Talent Development; Culture; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; and Philanthropy. “It puts in perspective how much progress we’ve been able to make by leading with a company culture that honors diversity, and it encourages us to keep pushing towards a more inclusive future for our associates and across the optical industry as a whole.”
These awards follow several other recent achievements by National Vision in its efforts to advance diversity and inclusion. Forbes included National Vision in its 2021 list of Best Employers for Diversity, and earlier this year, Reade Fahs joined more than 2,200 corporate leaders as a signatory of the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion pledge, making National Vision the first optical retailer represented.
The Forbes Best Employers for Women were chosen based on an independent survey of 50,000 employees working for companies employing at least 1,000 people in their U.S. operations that also considered factors such as women’s representation at the executive and board levels and company initiatives to improve gender equity. The complete list can be viewed here.
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50/50 Women on Boards is a nonprofit global education and advocacy campaign driving the movement toward gender balance and diversity on corporate boards of the Russell 3000 Index companies. For more information, visit www.5050wob.com.
