Women Deliver’s Board of Directors has selected Cader Adams LLP to conduct the independent investigation that was announced on Tuesday 16 June. Yasmin Cader, a partner with Cader Adams LLP, will be the lead investigator. The investigation will commence immediately and is estimated to take two months to complete.
In our search for an investigation firm, the Board looked for candidates that were women-owned and diverse; had experience with similar investigations and that had experience working with the non-profit sector.
Cader Adams LLP is an African-American and women-owned law firm, comprised of seasoned attorneys with impeccable credentials. The firm has extensive experience conducting complex, high-stakes internal investigations involving concerns of bias and discriminatory treatment. The firm designs a thorough yet streamlined approach to investigations and conducts each interview in a thoughtful, respectful, and balanced manner. Yasmin Cader of Cader Adams LLP is a former staff attorney with the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and has advised businesses and non-profit organizations on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion for over 25 years. The Women Deliver Board of Directors selected Cader Adams LLP because of the breadth of Ms. Cader's experiences and the unique perspective she and her firm bring.
Through the investigation, it is the aim of the Board to contribute to ensuring that Women Deliver is an organization in which all staff are respected, equitably included, and able to contribute to their fullest extent – and with which Young Leaders and partners can feel rightfully proud to be associated. While individual testimonies prompted this review, it will not solely focus on those statements. The Board expects that the investigation will help Women Deliver better understand the extent of its problems and, along with other initiatives for diversity, equity, and inclusion, help guide a path forward for transformational change. The terms of reference for the investigation can be found here.
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
Kristin Hetle (Chair)
30 June 2020
