SAN DIEGO--The Women on Boards Project, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing the representation of women on for-profit consumer brand boards, today announces that Madeline Haydon, entrepreneur, investor and founder of nutpods, the best-selling non-dairy creamer brand, made a $100,000 philanthropic contribution to the organization. The investment will support a new initiative designed to place women in board roles while strengthening the organization’s infrastructure to scale its impact.
“Boards are where some of the most consequential decisions in business are made,” said Haydon. “Supporting this initiative felt like a meaningful way to help create more opportunities for women to influence the companies shaping the consumer economy.”
A central component of the gift will fund the Madeline Haydon Board Access Initiative and Research Study, a program that will partner with companies to place women as independent directors or advisors. Through a structured selection process, the initiative will support at least five board placements, while providing governance education, placement support and program management.
The initiative will also support the development of educational materials for consumer brand founders, helping demystify the board recruitment process and expand the pipeline of women ready to serve. The remaining funds will be directed toward expanding the organization’s operational capacity, including building systems to support growth, developing educational resources for founders and board candidates, and expanding outreach to companies seeking board leadership.
“Boards are where some of the most consequential decisions in business are made,” said Haydon. “I’m inspired by the work the Women on Boards Project is doing to ensure that talented women have access to those rooms. Supporting this initiative felt like a meaningful way to help create more opportunities for women to influence the companies shaping the consumer economy.”
Haydon knows the landscape firsthand. While she was pregnant with her second child, she built nutpods from a Kickstarter campaign into a category-leading brand sold in more than 15,000 retail stores nationwide and the #1 non-dairy creamer on Amazon. Named Amazon Small Business of the Year in 2020 and an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Haydon has been candid about the barriers female founders face in accessing capital and reaching an exit.
After successfully selling a controlling stake in nutpods and transitioning leadership, she remains on the brand’s board and is now channeling that experience into expanding access for other women. Her connection to the Women on Boards Project is personal as well as professional. Haydon’s relationship with co-founder Kara Cissell-Roell, who passed in 2021, brought her into the organization’s orbit and ultimately inspired her to invest in its mission in a meaningful way.
Founded in 2020, the Women on Boards Project works to connect experienced female operators, founders and investors with board opportunities at consumer companies. To date, the organization has placed 75 women on boards, the majority of whom were first-time directors. Following their initial placements, those women have gone on to secure more than 50 additional board seats, significantly expanding the network of female leadership across the consumer sector.
“This investment from Madeline will have a direct and lasting impact on our ability to place more women into board leadership roles,” said Kierstin Rielly, CEO of the Women on Boards Project. “Her support allows us to launch a focused initiative that will place women on the boards of consumer companies while also strengthening the infrastructure needed to scale this work. Every placement represents not only greater representation, but stronger governance and better outcomes for the companies we serve.”
For more information on the Women on Boards Project and their mission to increase women’s representation on for-profit consumer brand boards, visit www.wobproject.com.
About Women on Boards Project
The Women on Boards Project is a national nonprofit organization committed to accelerating the representation of women—including women of color—on corporate boards. Through strategic partnerships, public awareness campaigns and board placement support, the organization helps companies build more inclusive and effective leadership teams. They have successfully supported the placement of more than 70 women to the boards of prestigious companies such as Simple Mills, Ancient Harvest, Humm, Honeypot, King Arthur Baking and many more. For more information on the Women on Boards Project or to learn how your company can get involved, visit https://www.wobproject.com/.