Susan Wagner, experienced investment executive, joins Apple (AAPL) Board of Directors

A second woman has found her way onto Apple’s formerly all-male board of directors. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced today, marking the continued advance of a more inclusive workplace that focuses on talents and qualifications rather than matters of sex, gender, or race. Susan Wagner, one of the founders of BlackRock Investment, is to join the board as its longest serving member, Bill Campbell, retires, according to Apple Insider.

Ms. Wagner was the Vice Chairman of BlackRock Inc. from 2006 to 2012, with her salary peaking in 2011. In that year, her total compensation reached nearly $8 million. After she retired from the position of Vice Chairman, she remained on the Board of Directors, earning a much reduced total compensation of slightly less than $237,000 annually. She will remain a Director of BlackRock after she joins Apple (AAPL) in that capacity also.

One of an octet of experts who founded BlackRock in 1988, Ms. Wagner helped build an investment firm which is held in high regard by Wall Street and enjoys a robust reputation internationally also. The company emerged with both its resources and its honor intact following the economic collapse of 2008, and was in fact used to help normalize conditions as the U.S. began it difficult climb out of the financial slump.

Bill Campbell traces his connection to Apple back to 1983, when he was the company’s Vice President of Marketing. He did not join the Board of Directors until 1997, some 14 years later, and has spent the succeeding 17 years in that capacity. His tenure on the Board is exceeded in length only by those of Steve Jobs and Mike Markkula. His personal fortune amounts to some $200 million, and he is Chairman of Intuit, also.

Ms. Wagner is evidently wanted on the board for her experience with global business. Apple is seeking to aggressively expand its operations around the planet, including in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) and other nations such as Vietnam. The Cupertino electronics giant has been successful in these ventures so far, but Tim Cook likely wants to make that success lasting and stable, rather than a flash in the pan. And, of course, there is always room for improvement.

Ms. Wagner is clearly expected to help bring that improvement. Mr. Cook says that Apple’s executives are “excited to welcome her to Apple’s Board of Directors,” and asserts that “her strong experience … will be extremely valuable as Apple continues to grow around the world.”