Nasdaq CEO Supports Board Diversity Rule for Private Companies

Nasdaq Inc. CEO Adena Friedman said she’d support SEC efforts to include private companies in any new corporate board diversity rules.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is the only entity in the U.S. that could create board diversity requirements for private companies, Friedman said in recorded remarks released Wednesday. Every company—both publicly traded and privately held—should have a diverse board, she said.

Her comments came after Nasdaq in August secured SEC approval for its plan help get more women and minorities on the boards of public companies.

The new rules, which are facing a legal challenge, require Nasdaq-listed companies ...