The H&E Equipment Services Board of Directors moved to diversify its board last Thursday, changing the company’s bylaws to allow for a 10th board member and appointing the company’s first female board member, according to SEC filings.
The board appointed Mary Pat Thompson, who currently serves as the president of Idaho-based Titan Technologies Inc. Previously, she was the senior vice president of finance of the MWI Animal Health Division of AmerisourceBergen Inc. and before that the CFO of MWI Veterinary Supply Inc.
Thompson does not currently serve on any committees of H&E.
Executive chairman John Engquist says they wanted diversity on the board and that Thompson’s qualifications are “exceptional.”
“She was added because she’s had a very distinguished business career and she’s a very talented lady,“ Engquist says. “We believe in diversity. We’re not going to name anyone a board member who’s not highly qualified.”
Thompson’s addition to the board mirrors a growing trend among companies. Fifteen years ago, women held just 15.7% of board seats at Fortune 500 companies, today females comprise 25.5% of corporate board seats worldwide, according to Fortune. Read a recent story from The Network about the slowly increasing female representation on Baton Rouge boards.
