Midwest Investors Diversity Initiative

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About

The Midwest Investors Diversity Initiative (MIDI) is a coalition of Midwest-based institutional investors dedicated to increasing racial, ethnic, and gender diversity on corporate boards, given the correlation between diversity and long-term outperformance.

With over $1 trillion in assets under management and advisement, the coalition uses corporate engagements and shareholder rights to protect shareholder value and maximize returns.

How MIDI Supports Better Board Diversity and Governance

The Midwest Investors Diversity Initiative (MIDI) gives companies practical tools and guidance to strengthen board diversity, board composition, and long-term performance. By working with nominating and governance committees, MIDI encourages companies to improve their processes for identifying, evaluating, and selecting board candidates.

MIDI supports companies by encouraging them to:

  • require third-party search firms to include a broad candidate pool from the start
  • expand the pipeline by considering qualified candidates from nontraditional sources
  • publicly disclose board diversity each year through a board matrix that includes director gender and race or ethnicity

Since 2016, MIDI has engaged 97 companies on board diversity. As a result of those efforts, 162 women and people of color have been appointed to corporate boards, including 123 women, 83 people of color, and 47 women of color. In addition, 66 companies now publicly disclose board diversity data.

MIDI relies solely on the capacity and expertise of its members and receives no external financial support.

Members

  • Ariel Investments
  • City of Chicago’s Treasurer’s Office
  • Illinois State Board of Investment
  • Illinois State Treasurer’s Office
  • Legal and General Investment Management
  • Minnesota State Board of Investment
  • Ohio Public Employees Retirement System
  • Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation School Employees
  • School Employees Retirement System of Ohio
  • SEIU Master Trust
  • Segal Marco Advisors
  • Seventh Generation Interfaith
  • Trinity Health
  • UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust
  • Wespath Benefits and Investments

Press Releases

Portrait of an elected official wearing a blue suit, smiling, with the Illinois flag behind them.

“We know that diversity is good for business. We also know that change is hard, especially inside our nation’s boardrooms. Many corporate leaders agree that diversity benefits their operations and board performance. Our focus is to help them navigate this change.”

Michael Frerichs

Illinois State Treasurer

Explore opportunities with the Illinois Treasurer’s Office

The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office is committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion across financial services and investment partnerships.

For questions or inquiries, contact MWVD@illinoistreasurer.gov.