Swartz joins MGM board of directors
Travel exec becomes fourth woman on panel
MGM Resorts International appointed travel industry executive Jan Swartz to its board of directors amid growing scrutiny of board diversity in the United States.
The MGM board will now consist of 12 directors, including four women — a proportion above the national average.
Swartz oversees Princess Cruises and Carnival Australia for Carnival Corp., the world’s largest leisure travel company. She joined Princess Cruises in 2001.
She helped the companysetupcarnivaljapan,atokyo based marketing unit, and oversaw the launch of the Majestic Princess, a cruise ship specifically developed for Chinese guests, MGM said in a statement.
MGM is seeking a gaming license in Japan and generates about a quarter of its revenue in Macau.
“Swartz’s vast experience in sales and marketing and international expansion will bring important insights to our business priorities,” MGM CEO Jim Murren said in the statement.
U.S. corporations have been pressed to diversity their boards, including boosting the number of women, amid the #Metoo movement and allegations of sexual harassment at many companies.
Catalyst, a nonprofit advocacy group, said last month that the boards of Las Vegas’ six largest gaming employers had eight women among their 57 directors, and only two of the boards had female representation higher than the 21.2 percent average for S&P 500 companies.