The National Association of Corporate Directors’ New Jersey Chapter named Turtle, a Linden-based electrical and industrial distributor, as Private Company Board of the Year at the organization’s 2023 Annual Director of the Year Awards.
A formal ceremony was held Monday at the Pleasantdale Chateau in West Orange, where public, private and nonprofit board leaders in the state were all recognized.
“Turtle is enormously proud to be recognized with this great honor. We are grateful for the professionalism, dedication and deep expertise that each of our board members brings to our company’s governance and strategy. Together, they are invaluable partners in anticipating the marketplace challenges ahead, and in fueling our bold innovations to seize opportunities in the decades to come,” Jayne Millard, executive chairman of the board, said.
A fourth-generation, family-owned company, Turtle has been led by women through three eras, including the present. Millard has been at Turtle for 32 years, rose to CEO in 2010, led as co-CEO with Kathleen Shanahan for three years and assumed her current position in 2020. Under her leadership, the company has implemented best-in-class governance practices and is well-regarded by governance professionals.
Shanahan, Turtle’s first CEO outside the family and a former Turtle board member, said, “It is a great opportunity to learn from the Turtle board members’ experience as we drive our customer service to the next level of excellence.”
Trish Oelrich, board chair of NACD New Jersey, said, “Turtle’s best-in-class governance practices are well-regarded by the director community, and we are delighted to honor the company as this year’s Private Company Board of the Year at NACD New Jersey’s Director of Year Awards.”
