The National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) has selected Jayne Millard to receive the organization’s 2020 Women in Industry Trailblazer Award.
The annual award recognizes one exemplary female leader, and this year honors Millard for her outstanding service and commitment to NAED, the Women in Industry group, and the electrical distribution industry at large. Millard has been a leading voice for diversity and inclusion within the industry and in the broader community. Increasing the number of women and other underrepresented groups is a goal she advocates for and has demonstrated in tangible ways: bringing gender parity to her board of directors, appointing a female Co-CEO in Kathleen Shanahan, exceeding national averages for women in the industry, mentoring women professionals, and supporting philanthropic opportunities for young people.
Millard is inspired by a legacy of family leadership. Turtle & Hughes is a fourth-generation, family-owned business co-founded by Millard’s great-grandfather in 1923. It has a long history of management by women—beginning with Millard’s great-grandmother and then her mother before her.
Growing up in the family business and working from the ground up, Millard formally joined Turtle & Hughes in 1991 and was named vice president of marketing in 1999. She became CEO in 2010, and Chairman in 2016. She has served on its Board of Directors since 1986. Under her leadership, the company has achieved transformational growth, doubling in size, and advanced innovations in electrical and power distribution and integrated supply chain solutions. She has led geographically strategic acquisitions, solidified new partnerships, and added adjacent product lines to its traditional focus. As evidence of her commitment to create a collaborative culture for her employees, Turtle & Hughes is the 2020 recipient of a Best Place to Work Award by NJ BIZ. She received the 2012 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year™ Award in New Jersey, and since served as a National Judge in this prestigious event.
Millard is a graduate of the Harvard University Owner/President Management Program (OPM). She received an M.B.A. from Dominican University of California and is a graduate of the Eugene Lang School of the Arts. She is a member of the board of The Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, Make-A-Wish International and National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED). She is also a member of the Women’s Presidents Organization and the Committee of 200, renowned for fostering, celebrating and advancing women's leadership in business.
ABOUT TURTLE & HUGHES
Turtle & Hughes is one of the largest independent electrical and industrial distributors in the United States. With more than 900 employees, it services the industrial, construction, commercial, electrical contracting, export and utility markets. Turtle & Hughes Integrated Supply division (THIS), services Fortune 100 companies operating nationwide, and in Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Turtle & Hughes is a WBENC-Certified Women’s Business Enterprise.