Watermark and BetterUp Partner to Advance the Representation of Women in Leadership

SAN FRANCISCO, April 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BetterUp, the first leadership development platform to connect coaching to sustainable behavior change, today announced a partnership with Watermark, Silicon Valley's leading community of senior and emerging women executives and entrepreneurs, to make executive coaching accessible to women at every stage in their careers.

Coaching is effective at accelerating the development of underrepresented groups by addressing issues that lead to attrition and slower promotion. However, only a small percentage of women today gain access to executive coaching, a solution typically reserved for the top levels of leadership, where women are significantly underrepresented. The inequality starts at the very first promotion and representation of women continues to decline at every step with women accounting for only 20% in the C-suite and a mere 3% of those being women of color, according to the Women in the Workplace 2017 study by LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Company. BetterUp and Watermark are working together to change this by making quality coaching accessible, starting much earlier in a woman's career.

"As part of our mission to increase the number of women in leadership positions, we're always eager to help our members further develop their skills and talents," said Marlene Williamson, CEO of Watermark. "BetterUp is a wonderful way to do exactly that. We're thrilled to be the only organization that provides access to BetterUp's expert coaches on an individual basis. We're confident that this partnership will result in yet more women reaching new heights in their careers."

"At BetterUp, inclusion is at the core of our coaching model, which is grounded in behavioral and organizational psychology. We focus on building inclusive leadership in every individual we coach, regardless of their role or gender, because the research shows that it drives an ability to inspire others to participate, contribute, and do their best work," said Alexi Robichaux, Co-Founder and CEO of BetterUp. "By partnering with Watermark, we can help accelerate the success of women by providing the personalized support to navigate a unique set of challenges and career decisions."

Through the partnership, Watermark will offer BetterUp coaching to its member and subscriber base at a discounted rate, and make memberships available for purchase through its online portal. Membership includes leveraging a specialized cohort of coaches, a self-service onboarding model, and:

• Weekly sessions with a professional coach
• Self-assessment using BetterUp's Whole Person Model
• Unlimited messaging with your coach in between sessions
• Activities and microlearning hand selected for you by your coach
• Reflection point assessment up to twice a year to measure your progress

To learn more about the partnership, or to sign up for a membership, please visit https://www.betterup.co/watermark/.

About BetterUp
Founded in 2013, BetterUp is a mobile-based leadership development platform used by Fortune 500 companies that brings personalized, expert coaching to employees at all levels. With a holistic, science-backed methodology, BetterUp develops new leadership behaviors and mindsets that enable high performance amid constant and accelerating change. Through on-demand, virtual coaching sessions -- powered by in-platform video and messaging capabilities -- users practice and reinforce new behaviors and skills. Individual growth is measured and tracked with in-depth dashboards. And hidden cultural and behavioral gaps are diagnosed and closed at the organization-level, connecting learning to measurable ROI. With a diverse range of customers including LinkedIn, Genentech and Logitech, BetterUp inspires employees to build the skills to thrive personally and professionally. To learn more, visit www.betterup.co.

About Watermark
Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, Watermark is the leading community of top women executives, emerging executives and entrepreneurs in the San Francisco Bay Area whose mission is to increase the number of women in leadership positions. The membership organization connects, develops and advocates for the advancement of women in the workplace by offering regular leadership development programs and networking opportunities and promoting gender diversity and equality initiatives. Watermark supports girls' leadership programs, as well, to help build a well-qualified workforce for the future. wearewatermark.org

SOURCE BetterUp