Comparison · 14 material differences
Athena Alliance vs theBoardlist
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
Verified September 2026
Networking organization
Verified September 2026 Athena Alliance
Experienced, high-achieving women and non-binary executives, board directors, investors and founders pursuing board seats, portfolio careers or a career transition
Networking organization
theBoardlist
Women executives seeking private and public company board seats, and the chief executives, investors and boards searching for candidates
What the records say
- Role or title: Athena Alliance: No single job title is required; Athena states it assesses "the substance of your experience - scope of leadership, influence, and accomplishments" rather than matching a fixed list of titles; theBoardlist: No published role or title.
- Gender: Athena Alliance: "Individual Athena membership is only for women and non-binary people. Our enterprise offerings are for cohorts of both women and men."; theBoardlist: The candidate pool was for women; theBoardlist described itself as connecting "highly qualified women across industries with private and public board opportunities".
- Annual dues: Athena Alliance: $6,000 a year; theBoardlist: Not publicly disclosed.
Side by side
| Athena Alliance | theBoardlist | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Networking organization | Networking organization |
| Founded | Not documented | 2015 (Launched on 15 July 2015 as the first initiative of the #ChoosePossibility Project, founded by Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, per Wikipedia. theBoardlist's own site carried a "© 2018 theBoardlist" notice.) |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Geographic footprint | Predominantly virtual, with more than 100 in-person gatherings a year across the United States and seven rotating summits; the team is described as globally located and location is stated not to be a barrier to membership | An online marketplace, originally focused on the United States technology industry and later broadened across industries |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed. Athena publishes programme statistics - over 600 women supported to boards, 16,000+ salon participants, 3,000+ peer group participants - but no current member total. | 5,000as of June 2020 |
| Chapters | No chapters | No chapters; theBoardlist was a single online platform |
| Primary audience | Experienced, high-achieving women and non-binary executives, board directors, investors and founders pursuing board seats, portfolio careers or a career transition | Women executives seeking private and public company board seats, and the chief executives, investors and boards searching for candidates |
| Typical member | "Athena members are experienced, high-achieving women who are actively exploring and pursuing their next chapter - whether that means taking on a board seat, shifting industries, starting something new, or leveling up their current work." Most have significant leadership experience; Athena states no single job title is required and that it assesses scope of leadership, influence and accomplishments instead. Average member tenure is 3.4 years. | Senior women executives nominated by chief executives, investors and other business leaders for board service. Candidates did not self-nominate: entry to the talent pool came through peer endorsement by a recommender in theBoardlist's community. |
| Qualification | ||
| Role or title | No single job title is required; Athena states it assesses "the substance of your experience - scope of leadership, influence, and accomplishments" rather than matching a fixed list of titlesMembers in career transition are explicitly welcomedverified September 2026 · source ↗ | No published role or title |
| Gender | "Individual Athena membership is only for women and non-binary people. Our enterprise offerings are for cohorts of both women and men."verified September 2026 · source ↗ | The candidate pool was for women; theBoardlist described itself as connecting "highly qualified women across industries with private and public board opportunities"Recommenders and searching companies were not restricted by genderverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | No | Yes |
| Sponsor required | No | Yes |
| Application process | Three steps: complete a brief application, schedule a consultation with a Membership Consultant, then receive a personalised membership invitation. Prospective members can explore Athena beforehand through the free Portfolio of Impact assessment or by attending selected public virtual salon sessions. | Women entered the candidate pool by being nominated by a recommender from theBoardlist's community of chief executives, investors and senior leaders. Nominated candidates were then encouraged to complete a profile and connect their LinkedIn account so that searching companies could find them. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed. Athena describes an application and consultation process leading to a membership invitation, but publishes no acceptance rate. | Not publicly disclosed as a rate. theBoardlist reported that more than 1,400 executives had nominated more than 2,100 women by November 2017 and that it had influenced more than 100 board placements. |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | $6,000 a year"Athena membership costs $6,000 annually. It includes access to virtual salons and peer groups, in-person summits and gatherings, a full content library, Athena Academy courses, and a dedicated Member Engagement Advisor." The term runs twelve months from activation and renews automatically using the payment method on file, with reminders sent in advance.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed |
| Programme fee | Additional Academy courses and coaching sessions with Athena's Expert Strategists can be purchased beyond what membership covers; prices are not published.verified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed |
| Membership term | Twelve months from activation, renewing automatically | Not documented |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | Monthly salons and peer groups, more than 100 in-person gatherings a year and seven rotating summits | No published meeting programme; theBoardlist listed events but its core function was the online marketplace |
| Peer forums | Peer groups and peer networking circles alongside virtual salons; each member also works with a dedicated Member Engagement Advisor | No forums |
| Confidentiality | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Virtual, Cohort-based, Event-focused | Virtual |
| Confidential peer forums | Yes | No |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | Yes | Yes |
| Online community | Yes | Partial |
| Member directory | Yes | Yes |
| Events | Yes | Partial |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Yes | Partial |
| Leadership development | Yes | Partial |
| Retreats | Partial | No |
| Travel | No | No |
| Family programming | No | No |
| Spouse and partner programming | No | No |
| Next-generation programming | Partial | No |
| Investment discussions | Partial | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | No | No |
| Networking emphasis | High | Medium |
| Social emphasis | Medium | Low |
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Last verified: not yet reviewed
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: Athena Alliance · theBoardlist