Welcome to the Malaysia Chapter

About 30% Club Malaysia

The 30% Club is a global business-led campaign founded in the UK to advocate for gender parity in boardrooms and senior leadership.

Launched by the Prime Minister in May 2015, the Malaysian Chapter works to catalyse real transformation in Corporate Malaysia through a culture of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI).

The 30% Club Malaysia’s primary focus has been to facilitate at least 30% women representation on the boards of companies listed on Bursa Malaysia, and also welcomes non-listed entities and global multinational companies to join as a Corporate Advocate.

Our aim

To support the achievement of a minimum of 30% Gender Balance at all senior decision-making tables across Malaysia, including Boards and c-Suite.

30% Club through its activities aims to activate the Chairs and CEOs to be visible in adopting diversity and inclusion best practices in their organisations; engage the wider stakeholders with market influence to champion the diversity agenda within their ecosystem and enable the development of a sustainable pipeline of future women leaders for boards and senior positions.

1

Activate

Activate senior leaders

The Activate pillar aims to support the 30% Club’s objective by building an ecosystem of corporations to accelerate the adoption of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) with a specific focus on gender.  To this end, we will engage with Chairs and CEOs and support their organisations’ DEI ambitions towards achieving gender parity.

2

Influence

Influence those with power to drive change

The Influence pillar serves as a bridge between the Investors’ Community and Government groups, regulators, and GLICs. By engaging with key influencers and thought leaders, our primary objective is to create a powerful network of advocates committed to advancing diversity, equality, and inclusion across workplaces and boardrooms.

3

Enable

Enabling future women leaders

The Enable pillar supports the development of talent pipeline through mentoring, executive education scholarships and board-ready initiatives.

"With the global allocation of capital towards quality, diverse and inclusive companies, Malaysia needs to be well-positioned to promote the investability of our leading listed companies. The case for inclusion and diversity on boards and senior management goes beyond financial returns. Today’s companies are faced with the pressure to transform, driven by technological disruption, environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations and rapidly changing consumer preferences. Diversity, especially at decision-making levels, makes room for the range of perspectives, experience and knowledge needed to differentiate themselves for long-term business sustainability.”

Nurul, A’in Abdul Latif Chair, 30% Club Malaysia

Chapter progress

Women representation on the top 100 public listed boards from 2015 onwards.  

Source: Securities Commission

2015 (%)

14

2016 (%)

16.6

2017 (%)

19.2

2018 (%)

24.4

2019 (%)

26.4

2020 (%)

25.4

2021 (%)

25.5

2022 (%)

29

2023 (%)

30.7

Members

The 30% Club Malaysia members comprise partners, public listed companies, multinational companies, regulators and professional bodies.  The list of companies is only updated once a month.

Filter by Chapter
Company Member name Job Title Chapter membership
abrdn Islamic Malaysia Sdn Bhd Datin Joanne Lopez Non-ED Malaysia
American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce Siobhan Das CEO Malaysia
Asia School of Business Prof Dr Sanjay Sarma CEO, President & Dean Malaysia
Axiata Digital Advertising Sdn Bhd Srinivas Gattamneni CEO Malaysia
Axiata Digital Services Sdn Bhd Mohd Khairil Abdullah CEO Malaysia
Axiata Group Bhd Vivek Sood Group CEO & MD Malaysia
Ayer Holdings Bhd Chua Seng Yong Group CEO Malaysia
Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd Mohd Muazzam Mohamed Group CEO Malaysia
Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Bhd Roni Abdulwahab Group CEO Malaysia
Berjaya Corporation Bhd Nerine Tan CEO Malaysia

Showing 1 to 10 of 60 people found

Advisory council

Anne Abraham

ADVISORY

Chair - LeadWomen

Dato’ Abdul Aziz Abu Bakar

ADVISORY

Director - ICDM

Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah

ADVISORY

Founder& Chairman Sunway Group

Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar

ADVISORY

Chair - ICDM

Steering committee

The 30% Club is run by a Steering Committee that is made up of senior men and women who volunteer their time and skills

Dato’ Abdul Aziz Abu Bakar

Executive Founding Co-Chair 30% Club Malaysia

Director- ICDM & Affin Bank Bhd

Nurul A’in Abdul Latif

Chair 30% Club Malaysia

Executive Chair and Assurance Partner , PwC Malaysia

Marzida Mohd Noor

Activate Pillar (MEMBERSHIP & ACTIVATION)

INED - Affin Bank

Frances Po

Activate Pillar (MEMBERSHIP & ACTIVATION)

INED, Sentral REIT Management

Raj Kumar Paramanathan

Enable Pillar (Talent Engagement)

Managing Partner - CnetG Asia

Geetha Kandiah

Enable Pillar (Talent Engagement)

CEO, KASS International

Pauline Ho

Enable Pillar (Board Mentoring)

Partner - PwC Malaysia

Norlela Baharudin

Enable Pillar (Board Mentoring)

ED, Berjaya Corporation & INED, Prokhas

Our work

To increase women’s participation in boards, the 30% Club Malaysia will continue to work alongside our regulators and build an ecosystem of corporations to accelerate diversity, equity and inclusion, driving sustainable corporate growth.

 

The 30% Club Malaysia will continue to activate the movement for Chairs/CEO to encourage and be seen to place women on boards, leadership positions and be an active participant of the 30% Club.

 

We will work to engage influencers to continuously demonstrate that women on boards and in leadership is good for business.

 

We will also enable the talent pipeline of candidates to seize opportunities that will place them in leadership/board positions

30% Club works with some amazing partner groups that help champion meaningful, sustainable change in the gender balance of boards and leadership.

   

 

MAIN AIMS

The Activate Pillar aims to support the 30% Club’s objective by building an ecosystem of corporations to accelerate the adoption of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) with a specific focus on gender.  To this end, we will engage with Chairs and CEOs and support their organisations’ DEI ambitions towards achieving gender parity.

Activate will collaborate with corporations and leverage on readily available resources from the members, partners and advocates.  We will provide platforms for corporations to network with peers across industries and share knowledge and best practices to advance the DEI agenda.

Activate will encourage interested corporations to become active proponents and endeavour to create avenues for participating organisations to be visible in leading the campaign to improve women’s economic participation and leadership in the Malaysian workforce.

CONTACT

For more information get in touch with Marzida Mohd Noor at marzida.30percentclubmalaysia@gmail.com or Frances Po at frances.30percentclubmalaysia@gmail.com

MAIN AIMS

The Influence pillar serves as a bridge between the Investors’ Community and Government groups, regulators, and GLICs. By engaging with key influencers and thought leaders, our primary objective is to create a powerful network of advocates committed to advancing diversity, equality, and inclusion across workplaces and boardrooms. These efforts are aligned with the overarching goals of the 30% Club Malaysia.

We actively collaborate with prominent entities such as the Securities Commission, Bursa Malaysia, Institutional Investors Council Malaysia (IIC), and Government Linked Investment Companies (GLICs). Through various platforms such as interviews, moderated panel discussions, and dialogue sessions, to initiate meaningful conversations on matters related to diversity, equality, and inclusion. Our aim is to foster a culture that embraces these values across the breadth of the capital markets.

Ultimately, our efforts aim to strengthen corporate governance practices across the markets, fostering a more inclusive and forward-looking business environment.

CONTACT

For more information get in touch with at ahila.30percentclubmalaysia@gmail.com

MAIN AIMS

The board mentoring scheme aims to accelerate the appointment of more women into board positions as well as enhancing diversity and inclusion in public-listed companies (PLCs). 

The scheme, which was launched in 2017, brings together experienced board directors as mentors and aspiring board-ready women under an umbrella with a focus on professional and personal development. 

The scheme helps to develop a broader pipeline of board-ready women candidates to be considered for board positions as well as raise their visibility and enhance their profiles among PLCs. Besides gaining clarity, building courage and confidence, participating in this scheme will lead to enhanced leadership capabilities to succeed in a diverse environment in their current workplace.

Through the mentors’ involvement in this scheme, it is our aim that mentors will advocate more gender-diverse boardrooms.

Since its inception, more than 80 experienced board members  have supported the board mentoring scheme and, many women candidates have become board directors at both listed and non listed companies.

How it works
The scheme runs for nine months.

To be part of this scheme, the candidate needs to be assessed as board ready by LeadWomen or The Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia (ICDM). Then, the mentee will be assigned to a mentor, who is a board member.

During this period, the mentee needs to initiate at least three meetings with their respective mentors with each meeting lasting between one to two hours. The respective mentors will share experience and provide guidance to the selected mentees in key areas that are necessary to succeed in board positions. Where the opportunity arise, the mentors may introduce the mentees to others board members with the aim of expanding the mentees’ network. 

The mentees also benefit from networking amongst themselves, share knowledge and learn from each other during the 9 month journey. At the conclusion of the 9 months, feedbacks are gathered from both the mentors and mentees to further improve the scheme. 

CONTACT

For more information get in touch with Shireen Iqbal at shireen.30percentclubmalaysia@gmail.com. Also do cc the email to Norlela Baharuddin (norlela30percentclubmalaysia@gmail.com) and Pauline Ho (pauline.ho@pwc.com).

MAIN AIMS

The Enable Pillar aims to enable organisations to build a culture of DEI, which will foster inclusion and empowerment of future women leaders, in line with our mission to boost the number of women in board seats and executive leadership of companies all over the world.  The role of the Talent Engagement team is to engage with corporate members and create programs that aim to build inclusive workplaces, create growth opportunities and remove barriers for career progression and help in building female executive pipelines. 

The Talent Engagement team works with professional bodies to identify female members who aspire to be board members and take them through an awareness program on board careers, responsibilities and qualification procedures.

The Talent Engagement team will be working closely with CEOs, HR Leaders, Universities, Women Empowerment groups, and Professional Associations.

CONTACT

For more information get in touch with Raj Kumar Paramanathan at rajk.30percentclubmalaysia@gmail.com and Geetha Kandiah at geetha.30percentclubmalaysia@gmail.com

MAIN AIMS

Communications & Marketing

The Communications & Marketing team aims to elevate the visibility and influence of the 30% Club through media and speaking engagements as well as on social media.

CONTACT

For more information and to invite our experts to speak, please get in touch with comms@30percentclubmalaysia.com

For updates, follow us at 30% Club Malaysia’s LinkedIn.

MAIN AIMS

The Secretariat is the point of contact for all queries relating to the 30% Club Malaysia as well as the primary liaison for other 30% Club chapters. The responsibilities include facilitating and administering the objectives and activities of the three pillars (ACTIVATE, INFLUENCE and ENABLE ) of the 30% Club Malaysia.

CONTACT

For more information get in touch with Mazlina at mazlina.30percentclubmalaysia@gmail.com

The 30% Club is a global business-led campaign founded in the UK to advocate for gender parity in boardrooms and senior leadership.

Launched by the Prime Minister in May 2015, the Malaysian Chapter works to catalyse real transformation in Corporate Malaysia through a culture of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI).

The 30% Club Malaysia’s primary focus has been to facilitate at least 30% women representation on the boards of companies listed on Bursa Malaysia, and also welcomes non-listed entities and global multinational companies to join as a Corporate Advocate.

A milestone, not an end goal, 30% is seen to be a sizeable enough representation and voice to influence change, and signals a tipping point towards gender balance. To make this a reality, we advocate for collective efforts to link DEI to business outcomes, and with that, to embed DEI in policies, processes and practices across the organisation, be it for managing talent and vendors.

Women are receiving higher education and entering the workforce in record numbers and are major consumers in their own right. Yet at senior levels in organisations, women representation tends to drop, often due to the difficulties in juggling family and career responsibilities, unconscious bias against women, and the “old-boys” club.

Organisations that are serious about attracting and retaining top talent must identify and address visible and invisible hurdles to advancement.

Studies show that companies with more diverse boards and leadership tend to outperform. They are also further ahead in achieving their climate action goals.

Diverse teams are less likely to be blindsided by risks. Members in inclusive teams feel valued and psychologically safe, and are therefore more productive. Equity is about promoting equitable opportunities for all employees regardless of their gender, ethnicity and socio-economic background.

In order to benefit from DEI, organisations could start with the following:

  • Understand their business case for DEI and changes.
  • Collect data to understand where and why diversity is lacking, and the implications.
  • Engage staff on their understanding about DEI, and what changes they would like to see to promote a more inclusive and productive workplace.

To achieve our milestones, the 30% Club works with Strategic Partners such as the Securities Commission and Bursa Malaysia, and through three key strategic pillars:

  • Activate corporate advocates to influence their internal and external ecosystems.
  • Influence stakeholders such as the regulators to facilitate policies that promote DEI.
  • Enable a pipeline of board-ready women through various initiatives such as masterclasses; the 30% Club Board Mentoring Scheme in collaboration with PwC Malaysia; and a Board Ready Women program with Deloitte Malaysia.