Monsanto was recognized for the agricultural company's commitment to providing development opportunities for female employees in the form of leadership training programs, mentoring opportunities, a women's resource group and educational support. In addition, 30 percent of Monsanto's senior management roles are held by women.

The NAFE Top 50 Companies lead the nation in their commitment to female leadership, with women now making up 25 percent of corporate executives (up from 22 percent last year) vs.14 percent at the Fortune 500. The new report, conducted by the Working Mother Research Institute for NAFE, also finds that women now occupy 26 percent of all board of director seats at the NAFE Top 50 compared with 17 percent across the Fortune 500.

The NAFE Top 50 Companies lead corporate America in recruiting, retaining and advancing women. Some findings from this year's research include:

· Female CEO representation at the NAFE Top 50 Companies held steady at 10% vs. 4% for the Fortune 500.

· Women make up 26 percent of the leaders of billion-dollar divisions at the NAFE Top 50 Companies, up from 23 percent last year.

· The percentage of board seats occupied by women increased this year to 26 percent for NAFE Top 50 Companies (vs. 17 percent across the Fortune 500) after remaining steady for three years.

Carol Evans, CEO of NAFE and president of Working Mother Media, points out that "the NAFE Top 50 Companies aremajor employers committed to hiring, retaining and promoting executive women. They know that gender diversity at the top leads to a healthy bottom line. We are proud to honor companies who place women in leadership positions.

"Monsanto's success depends on our efforts to attract and develop strong leaders with broad experiences and backgrounds that bring different viewpoints to the discussion," said Monsanto vice-president of talent acquisition and diversity Melissa Harper. "We are proud to be recognized for our support of female leaders and remain committed to gender diversity and the role it plays in our ability to provide farmers with the best possible products and technology."

Our success depends on our strong ongoing efforts to attract, retain and develop a talent pool with broad experiences and backgrounds that bring new and innovative ideas and viewpoints to the discussion.

 "This year we see measurable progress for women at companies that have made their advancement a priority, a smart strategy given the growing research that correlates greater numbers of women in top positions with higher revenues," says NAFE President Betty Spence. "For women, these are the top companies to work for."

For a complete list of the 2013 NAFE Top 50 Companies for Executive Women and the Top 10 Nonprofit Companies, click these links. The complete report is published in the February/March issue of Working Mother.

Methodology:  The 2013 NAFE Top 50 Companies application includes more than 200 questions on female representation at all levels, but especially the corporate officer and leadership ranks. The application also tracks access and usage of programs and policies that promote the advancement of women, as well as the training and accountability of managers in relation to the number of women who advance. To be considered, companies must have a minimum of two women on their boards of directors as well as at least 1000 employees in the U.S.

About NAFE

The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), founded in 1972, serves 20,000 members nationwide with networking, tools and solutions to strengthen and grow their careers and businesses. Working Mother magazine publishes the annual NAFE Top 50 list.  NAFE.com provides up-to-date information, community for women in business and access to member benefits. NAFE is a division of Working Mother Media, owned by the Bonnier Corporation.

About Monsanto Company

Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to produce more from their land while conserving more of our world's natural resources such as water and energy. To learn more about our business and our commitments, please visit: www.monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter® at www.twitter.com/MonsantoCo, on Facebook® at www.facebook.com/MonsantoCo.

For further information: Andrea Kaplan, NAFE (917-836-2741) Kathleen Manning, Monsanto Public Affairs (314- 694-4554)

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