MALAYSIA is poised to achieve its target of having 30% women participation in various sectors of the industry.
The 30% Club co-founding chairperson Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar said more organisations have embraced gender diversity across the board, an integral part of good corporate governance.
“Statistics as at end of last year show women participation on the top 100 public listed companies (PLC) boards rose to 26.9%.
“The percentage is almost double of what it was in 2015, when the 30% Club was established,” she said, in a statement.
However, Zarinah said the percentage dipped to 25.4% this year, largely attributed to the change in the composition of the Top 100 companies.
Arduous task
She added that several PLC boards now have no women participation, adding it was just a temporary setback.
“But Malaysia remains in the leading position amongst our peers in Asean. In fact, Malaysia ranks second only to Australia in the Asia Pacific region,” said Zarinah.
Echoing Zarinah’s sentiments, PwC Malaysia partner Pauline Ho said the road to achieve the target was not easy and the 30% Club is doing all it can for women through the Board Mentoring Scheme.
“The club, through its Board Mentoring Scheme, has helped develop a broader pipeline of board-ready women candidates to be considered for top positions.
“It is part of our effort to address the gender imbalance at the top corporate structure,” said Ho, who is also the club’s steering committee member.- Nov 18, 2020.
