EQT Corp. was recently honored by the Women's Forum of New York at its Breakfast of Corporate Champions for achieving 50% female representation on its board of directors, the Pittsburgh-based company said in a release.

“We are honored to be among an amazing group of organizations who are leading the way on gender equity and changing the face of America’s boardrooms,” Lydia I. Beebe, chair of the EQT board who accepted the honor on behalf of the company, commented in the release on Nov. 12.

The Breakfast of Corporate Champions is a biennial event that honors those companies and individuals who are actively working to advance the number of women on corporate boards. This year’s event, which was held on Nov. 10, recognized 243 large public companies with at least 35% of board seats held by women.

EQT was one of 44 large public companies at the event with female board representation of 50% or more.

“We have seen firsthand the benefits of diversity within the boardroom as it pertains to collaboration, engagement, debate and innovative thinking,” Beebe noted in her comments.

In addition to achieving 50% female representation on its board of directors, EQT—the largest natural gas producer in the U.S.—increased the percentage of female hires by 15% and diverse hires by 5% in 2020. The company’s operations are focused in the cores of the Marcellus and Utica shales plays in the Appalachian Basin.

“We firmly believe that diversity of backgrounds, education and skillsets among our employees is critical to helping EQT advance its mission of becoming the operator of choice for all stakeholders,” EQT President and CEO Toby Z. Rice added in the release. “We are steadfast in our commitment to fostering an inclusive work environment that attracts and retains the best drivers of our business success.”