Category: Community

NEW: 30% Club Podcast – Episode 2 featuring Penny James & Nimesh Patel

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Coming Soon: 30% Club Podcast

Stay tuned for the new 30% Club podcast, exclusively hosted by Ann Cairns, Chair of 30% Club and Executive Vice Chair of Mastercard. She’ll be meeting some of the leading women.

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October 11, 2021 No Comments

The Power Of Intention: Board Diversity Best Practices Realized

Posted on by 30club-Canada

Canadian Western Bank and the 30% Club recently hosted a session with the Diversity Institute focused on The Power Of Intention: Board Diversity Best Practices Realized.

 

The conversation featured a welcome and presentation from Wendy Cukier, who leads the Diversity Institute which is an ecosystem partner supporting implementation of the The 50 – 30 Challenge. The Challenge focuses on advancing gender parity (50%) and increased diversity in boards and/or senior leadership. DI research has underscored the importance of the Challenge in addressing the continued underrepresentation of women and non binary people, Indigenous peoples, racialized  people, persons with disabilities and those who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ in Canada’s board rooms. 

 

Rahul Bhardwaj, Gay Mitchell, Dr. Marie Delorme, and Ian Reid.

 

The session highlighted the experience of Canadian Western Bank (CWB) which in early 200 made the decision to diversify their board representation. Rahul Bhardwaj, President and CEO of the Institute of Corporate Directors, moderated a fireside chat with CWB Board Directors to dive into the processes that they employed, advice for other boards and companies looking to be more inclusive, and the power of intention when adding diverse Board representation.

 

Gay Mitchell joined the CWB Board in 2019. While the CWB Board had nearly reached gender parity by that time, Mitchell recognized that it did not sufficiently mirror Canadian society. To realize their goal of being the best bank for business customers in Canada, the Board determined it needed to better reflect the diversity of its customers. For the first time ever, it engaged an external search firm to recruit new members.

 

“We looked around the table and we said, “We don’t know who we don’t know,” CWB Board Director Ian Reid explained. “We recognized that we had to look outside of our comfort and outside of our network to find people that looked like our target customers.”

 

Mitchell stressed that it was important to be very clear, thoughtful, and deliberate when defining the mandate for the search firm. The Board had a number of subsequent conversations with the search firm to ensure that their initial findings were representative of that mandate, part of which was to drive greater diversity.

 

Dr. Marie Delorme was recruited for the CWB Board through this process. For Dr. Delorme, CWB’s use of a search firm was notable, as that is best practice when looking to cast a wider net during recruitment.

 

Dr. Delorme was clear that she did not want to be the “diversity candidate.” Their concerns were alleviated by a recruitment and onboarding process that they found to be comprehensive, professional, respectful, and candid. Dr. Delorme was invited to attend two board meetings throughout the recruitment process, which allowed them to get a sense of the culture and get to know the people. Their onboarding was thorough, consisting of over a dozen orientation sessions with other Board members and senior leadership.

 

From the start, Dr. Delorme felt welcome and included—not only invited to the party but also asked to dance.

 

Learn more

 

If you were unable to attend this discussion live, you can watch it now on demand to hear more about Canadian Western Bank’s efforts to create a more representative board.

 

To stay apprised of the latest research and programming out of the Diversity Institute, subscribe to our newsletter, and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Advancing Organizational Diversity: The 50-30 Challenge

Posted on by 30club-Canada

 

A diverse workforce helps organizations tap into new markets, attract the best and the brightest talent and drive innovation and performance. Many of Canada’s entrepreneurs and businesses understand this and are striving to increase diversity within their organizations, but need help to do so. 

 

The Diversity Institute (DI) and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a presentation and panel discussion for entrepreneurs and small- and medium-sized enterprises to learn more about the no-cost and easy to use tools and initiatives that can help them implement equity, diversity and inclusion practices within their workplaces.

 

Wendy Cukier, founder of the DI and the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH), and Academic Research Lead for the Future Skills Centre, explained The 50 – 30 Challenge, a voluntary initiative that calls Canadian organizations to strive for gender parity (50%) and significant representation (30%) of individuals from equity-deserving groups on Canadian boards and/or in senior management. Equity deserving groups for the purposes of the Challenge include Indigenous peoples, racialized, Black and people of colour, persons with disabilities and those in the 2SLBTQ+ community. The 50-30 Challenge is grounded in the evidence that better representation can drive organizational performance including access to talent, access to markets and innovation. Along with Colleges and Institutes Canada, Global Compact Network Canada, Women’s Economic Council and Egale, the DIversity Institute is working to promote the 50-30 Challenge and support organizations, particularly SMEs, in improving representation in leadership.

 

“We need to move from good intentions to action. While representation in leadership is not the only thing that matters, it signals who belongs and can help an organization better respond to the changing world. it,” Cukier stated. “We have definitely made progress but it’s glacial. This year there were only four women among the 100 top paid CEOs in Canada. And DI research found that white women outnumber racialized women 12:1 on corporate boards in Toronto, where the population is evenly divided. Of 1,600 corporate board members across Canada, there were 9 Black men and 4 Black women. Improving representation in leadership requires action at many levels.”

 

Signatories of The 50 – 30 Challenge gain access to a variety of tools and expert guidance to reach these goals. KPMG has recently developed the What Works Toolkit which will be hosted by the Diversity Institute. The toolkit is an online suite of resources and best practices designed to help organizations meet their diversity and inclusion goals. To-date, more than 1,650 organizations have signed onto the Challenge, and publicly committed to increasing the representation and inclusion of diverse groups within their workplaces. 

 

The Diversity Institute is providing a range of training programs, including the Diversity Assessment Tool, best practices and access to specialized tools such as the Micropedia as well as a database of well-qualified women and diverse leaders. Along with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and Chambers across Canada, DI is building out supports tailored to the needs of SMEs.

 

Expert Panelists Share Their Tips to Meet the Challenge

 

 

A panel provided concrete ways organizations in Canada can rise to meet the Challenge.

 

Sanjana Vijayan, Manager of Diversity & Inclusion at the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, suggested that small actions can make a big impact. She recognizes that many organizations, particularly SMEs do not have the time or expertise to tackle everything at once. While developing an EDI strategy can be daunting, Vijayan explained that something as simple as learning about and recognizing important observances for different groups can signal to staff that they are recognized and valued and this in turn can promote an inclusive environment where all feel comfortable bringing their full selves to work. Adding language in job advertisements to signal diverse people are welcome to apply can also produce quick results.

 

Jennifer Laidlaw, Country Head of the 30% Club Canada, agreed noting that organizations that struggle with diversity in the workplace do not need to wait to get started with inclusion. The 30% club, which includes Canada’s largest corporations, was committed to ensuring women represent 30% of Board members. The data show that the voluntary code has produced concrete results—members have substantially more representation of women on boards than organizations traded on the TSX. Many now realize focusing on gender is not enough. An intersectional lens is needed to address other dimensions of diversity.

 

Nancy Mitchell, Program Manager at the Diversity Institute and has formerly worked with UNWomen, brought a perspective on global best practices. She explained some ways that organizations can advance diversity and inclusion through the hiring process, for example, rethinking job definitions and qualifications, providing bias-free and accessible job postings written in plain language and offering accessibility supports throughout the hiring process. Organizations can also reach a greater pool of applicants by taking advantage of a range of recruitment channels, Mitchell said. But EDI is more than HR practices, Mitchell stressed. It needs to be embedded in corporate strategy, through the entire value chain, whether we are talking about procurement, inclusive design of products and services, or marketing and sales. Bringing an EDI perspective can improve access to markets, drive innovation and fuel the bottom line.

 

Critically examining the words and phrases we use every day is a necessary part of creating inclusive workplaces. Nadine Spencer, President & CEO of BBPA and Founder of BrandEQ, talked about the importance of providing support for people who may not feel they belong at the table who may not understand the “unspoken rules” or norms that are second nature to people with privilege. Like the other panelists, she stressed the importance of creating inclusive environments and introduced the Micropedia of Microaggressions—a free online tool leaders can use to learn more about microaggressions and their impact. For instance, using the term “guys” to refer to entire groups, or asking someone, “Where are you really from?,” can further marginalize women and non-binary people, and individuals from equity-deserving groups.

 

Panelists agreed that a commitment to continuous learning is a big part of the EDI journey. While these transformations do not happen overnight, it all starts with taking the first step. 

 

Hear more from our expert speakers and panelists.

 

Learn More

 

 

Find out more about The 50 – 30 Challenge and how your organization can get involved.

 

Sign-up for the Diversity Institute newsletter and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn for more guidance, resources and research.

Interview with Hedwige Nuyens, Chair of European Women on Boards

Posted on by 30club-Poland

Różnorodność nie jest kwestią szczęścia czy zbiegu okoliczności. Zaczyna się od kultury różnorodności i włączenia.

Hedwige Nuyens, CEO of the International Banking Federation and Chair of European Women on Boards

Read the interview in English

Milena Olszewska-Miszuris: Hedwige, bardzo dziękuję za przyjęcie zaproszenia do wywiadu ESG 12on12! To zaszczyt rozmawiać z Tobą. W ostatnim czasie osiągnęłaś ogromny sukces – pomogłaś wprowadzić w życie dyrektywę Women on Boards. Dyrektywa zobowiązuje kraje członkowskie UE do ustanowienia kwot na określony procent kobiet na najwyższych stanowiskach. Dlaczego w XXI wieku potrzebujemy prawa, które gwarantuje równość kobiet i mężczyzn firmach?

 

Hedwige Nuyens: Bardzo dziękuję za zaproszenie. Bardzo się cieszę, że mogę podzielić się z Tobą moimi poglądami.

 

Jak powiedziała przewodnicząca Ursula von der Leyen w swoim styczniowym wystąpieniu, kiedy zmiany nie przychodzą naturalnie, potrzebne są regulacje. Widzimy, że liczba kobiet we władzach spółek jest bardzo zróżnicowana w poszczególnych krajach. We Francji mamy obecnie ponad 45%, w Estonii niewiele ponad 8%. Dzięki tej dyrektywie będziemy świadkami zmian w całej Europie, we wszystkich branżach.

 

Milena Olszewska-Miszuris: W 2012 roku zaproponowano dyrektywę w sprawie władz spółek giełdowych określającą cele dotyczące minimalnego 40% udziału kobiet. Dyrektywa została zatwierdzona przez Komisję Europejską i Parlament Europejski. Została jednak zablokowana przez Radę Europejską. Jaki był powód wyciszenia tak ważnej dyrektywy?

 

Hedwige Nuyens: To dobre pytanie, a odpowiedź może być zaskakująca. Niektóre kraje, takie jak Szwecja, wyrażały sprzeciw, nie dlatego, że nie wspierają kobiet. Wręcz przeciwnie, mają jedną z najwyższych reprezentacji kobiet we władzach spółek. Dla nich była to kwestia zasad, firmy powinny mieć prawo do samodzielnego decydowania o tym, kogo mianować, regulacje nie powinny się w to mieszać. Inne kraje, jak Holandia, długo były przekonane, że zmiany przyjdą automatycznie, z czasem, że nie potrzeba żadnych regulacji. W Niemczech istniał silny sprzeciw świata korporacyjnego wobec kwot. Tak wiele powodów, ale udało nam się przekonać kraje do zmiany zdania. A dyrektywa uzyskała poparcie prawie wszystkich krajów, 2 były przeciw (Polska i Szwecja).

 

Milena Olszewska-Miszuris: Jak zmieniła się sytuacja na przestrzeni dekady? Czy straciliśmy tyle lat, czy może różnorodność we władzach spółek wzrosła na przestrzeni lat?

 

Hedwige Nuyens: Tak, na szczęście różnorodność wzrosła, z prawie 20 do średnio 30% kobiet na najwyższych szczeblach hierarchii korporacyjnej. I mamy teraz 4,5 roku na przejście z 30 do 40%. Ten cel musi być zrealizowany do 30 czerwca 2026 roku.

 

Milena Olszewska-Miszuris: Jakie argumenty przekonały UE do powrotu do dyskusji na temat kwot? Jakie są kluczowe punkty dyrektywy Women in Boards? Jakich aspektów najwyższego szczebla hierarchii korporacyjnej dotyka dyrektywa?

 

Hedwige Nuyens: Jednym z głównych argumentów było właśnie to, że dyrektywa nie mówi już o kwotach, ale o celach. Każde przedsiębiorstwo będzie musiało wyznaczyć cel dotyczący liczby kobiet i będzie musiało wprowadzić plan działania oraz publikować informacje o poczynionych postępach. Innym argumentem, który pomógł, jest oczywisty postęp, jaki można było zaobserwować w krajach, które podjęły działania (kwoty pomagają najbardziej, ale nawet łagodniejsze działania mogą mieć znaczenie). Dzięki dyrektywie będziemy mieć silne ramy w 27 krajach. Jesteśmy bardzo dumne, jako European Women on Boards, że przyczyniłyśmy się do osiągnięcia porozumienia w sprawie tego tekstu. Pracowałyśmy niezwykle ciężko, dzień i noc, przez wiele miesięcy.

 

Milena Olszewska-Miszuris: Dyrektywa nakłada na kraje Unii Europejskiej obowiązek wyboru pomiędzy 40% kobiet jako dyrektorów niewykonawczych (członków rad nadzorczych) lub 33% kobiet we władzach (zarządach i radach nadzorczych). Dlaczego dano taki wybór? Rola dyrektorów niewykonawczych jest inna niż dyrektorów wykonawczych. Czy jeden wybór jest lepszy od drugiego? Jakie aspekty powinni brać pod uwagę politycy dokonując wyboru?

 

Hedwige Nuyens: To był wynik długiej debaty. Sytuacja może być różna w różnych krajach. Ład korporacyjny nie jest wszędzie taki sam. W świecie anglosaskim powszechne jest posiadanie tylko rady dyrektorów, z dyrektorami wykonawczymi i niewykonawczymi. Na kontynencie często mamy do czynienia z zarządami i radami nadzorczymi. W Holandii i Niemczech można mieć nawet 3 warstwy decyzyjne. Tak więc, w zależności od kraju, sensowne może być wyznaczenie celu tylko dla rady nadzorczej lub dla zarządu i rady nadzorczej łącznie. Oba systemy mogą działać i mieć znaczenie.

 

Milena Olszewska-Miszuris: Czy dyrektywa na pewno wejdzie w życie, czy też istnieje jeszcze ryzyko, że zostanie odłożona na półkę jak dekadę temu?

 

Hedwige Nuyens: Nie, mamy porozumienie polityczne oraz akceptację wszystkich stron. Tekst jest poddawany ostatecznym kontrolom prawnym, ale oczekujemy, że zostanie wkrótce opublikowany.

 

Milena Olszewska-Miszuris: UE składa się z krajów o zróżnicowanym poziomie kobiet na najwyższych stanowiskach. Np. Francja jest jednym z liderów różnorodności płci we władzach z kwotami obowiązującymi od lat. Polska jest po przeciwnej stronie z ograniczonym wsparciem dla różnorodności – mamy Dobre Praktyki Spółek Giełdowych 2021 z dwoma zasadami definiującymi zróżnicowany pod względem płci zarząd i radę nadzorczą jako takie, w których niedoreprezentowana płeć ma co najmniej 30% miejsc. Jak widzisz szanse na wdrożenie dyrektywy w tak wielu krajach o różnym stopniu różnorodności?

 

Hedwige Nuyens: Nie jest to pierwszy raz, kiedy dyrektywa jest głosowana. Kraje są więc do tego przyzwyczajone. W dyrektywie przewidziano ścisłą procedurę i harmonogram, które pomogą państwom wdrożyć zasady. Dużą zaletą pracy z dyrektywą jest to, że kraje mogą dostosować rozporządzenie do swoich potrzeb, tak aby lepiej pasowało do ram prawnych i ładu korporacyjnego obowiązujących w ich kraju. Obiecałyśmy Komisji Europejskiej, że jako European Women on Boards pomożemy we wdrażaniu dyrektywy.

 

Milena Olszewska-Miszuris: Prowadząc kampanie na rzecz różnorodności w 30% Club Poland często słyszymy, że najwyższe stanowiska powinny być obsadzane w oparciu o kompetencje i że po prostu nie ma wystarczającej liczby wykwalifikowanych i doświadczonych kobiet, które mogłyby obsadzić stanowiska w zarządach i radach nadzorczych. Jakie jest Twoje zdanie w tej sprawie?

 

Hedwige Nuyens: Najwyższe stanowiska powinny być oparte o kompetencje. Dyrektywa wyraźnie zajmuje takie stanowisko. Dlatego zachęca się firmy, by przejrzyście przedstawiały profil poszukiwanych dyrektorów wykonawczych i niewykonawczych i potrzebne kompetencje. Będą musiały uczynić proces rekrutacji bardziej przejrzystym i wyjaśnić, dlaczego wybrały tego, a nie innego kandydata. Tak więc celem jest posiadanie najlepszych osób we władzach spółek europejskich. Dziwne jest jednak to, że kiedy we władzach zasiadają wyłącznie mężczyźni, nikt nie zadaje pytania, czy są oni rzeczywiście najlepszymi możliwymi kandydatami.

 

Milena Olszewska-Miszuris: Jednym z elementów jest wprowadzenie Dyrektywy do prawa krajów członkowskich, drugim jej wykonanie. Jakich rad udzieliłabyś władzom spółek, aby zaczęły czynić swoją pulę talentów na najwyższych stanowiskach bardziej zróżnicowaną? Jakie rozwiązania okazują się skuteczne, a jakich należy unikać?

 

Hedwige Nuyens: Różnorodność nie jest kwestią szczęścia czy przypadku. Zaczyna się od kultury różnorodności i włączenia w firmie. Ale to wymaga czasu. Spółki giełdowe bardzo często korzystają z usług firm executive search w celu zaproponowania lub oceny kandydatów. Dobrym początkiem może być współpraca tylko z tymi firmami, które mają dobre referencje, jeśli chodzi o kandydatki. Można zapytać o ich osiągnięcia: ile kandydatek do władz mają w swojej puli talentów? Czy mogą zapewnić równą liczbę kobiet i mężczyzn na swojej długiej i krótkiej liście? Jaka jest liczba kobiet mianowanych przez nich w ostatnich 20 poszukiwaniach?

 

Milena Olszewska-Miszuris: Dotychczas omawialiśmy formalną część różnorodności we władzach. A co z częścią nieformalną? Czy jako kobiety naprawdę musimy naginać się do męskiego świata, aby zostać zaakceptowane? Jakie są prawdziwe bariery, na które napotykają kobiety we władzach?

 

Hedwige Nuyens: Naginanie się byłoby marnowaniem naszego talentu. Moje osobiste doświadczenie jest takie, że w miarę jak awansowałem w mojej karierze, moje miękkie umiejętności były coraz ważniejsze. Oczywiście, mam wiedzę z zakresu finansów, zarządzania i prawa. Ale moją główną siłą jest zdolność do słuchania, rozumienia różnych interesów, umiejętność doprowadzenia stron do kompromisu. To są tzw. cechy kobiece, ale bardzo pożądane na szczycie.

 

Milena Olszewska-Miszuris: Walka o prawa kobiet, czyli o prawa człowieka nie jest łatwa, przynajmniej dla mnie, ale jest niezwykle ważna. Zawsze, gdy widzę Cię na webinarach lub zdjęciach, masz uśmiech na twarzy i jesteś pełna entuzjazmu. Skąd bierzesz swoją energię?

 

Hedwige Nuyens: Chciałabym za to złożyć wyrazy uznania mojemu mężowi. Kilka razy w swojej karierze zmagałam się z problemami, wzloty i upadki są częścią życia. On zawsze zadawał to samo pytanie: Co chciałabyś robić? Mogłam robić co tylko chciałam, byleby widział, że jestem szczęśliwa. I za każdym razem szłam za jego radą.

 

Milena Olszewska-Miszuris: Pokolenia, które obecnie wkraczają na rynek pracy, są ważne dla zmian w kierunku równości płci. Jakich wskazówek udzieliłabyś młodym mężczyznom i kobietom wchodzącym do korporacji i instytucji? Czego powinni być świadomi?

 

Hedwige Nuyens: Wybierz środowisko, które nagradza twój talent, wybierz pracę, która cię spełnia. Życie jest zbyt krótkie, by robić coś, co czyni cię nieszczęśliwym. Istnieje tak zwana wojna o talenty. Bądź ciekawy/a, bądź odważny/a, poczuj strach i rób to mimo wszystko. To moja ulubiona dewiza. I – oczywiście – nie przestawaj się uśmiechać.

 

Rozmowa jest częścią serii wywiadów ESG 12on12 przeprowadzanych przez Milenę Olszewską-Miszuris. Oryginalny tekst dostępny poniżej:

Read the interview (English version)

Przeczytaj wywiad (wersja polska)

 

Where Diversity is the FACT, Inclusion is the ACT, why inclusion matters

Posted on by Admin
Cover image - Diversio press release (6)

By:  Diandra Soobiah, co-chair of the 30% Club UK investor group and head of responsible investment at NEST and Laura McGee, founder and CEO of Diversio.

New analysis by Diversio and the 30% Club makes one thing clear: it’s time to elevate inclusion in the conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). If we don’t, UK companies risk losing talent and fail to reach equal representation at the senior-most levels.

The 30% Club has a long-standing goal of driving gender diversity and has recently prioritised racial and ethnic diversity as well. The primary tactic has been advocating for more women and ethnic minorities on boards of directors, in part because these are quantifiable metric and, as the saying goes, “what gets measured gets done”.

With that said, the 30% Club has always emphasised the need for strong talent pipelines and company cultures where all employees have the opportunity to contribute and advance – in other words, equity and inclusion. Until recently, the concept of inclusion has been difficult to measure. But advances in artificial intelligence (in particular, natural language processing) have changed this, with startups like Diversio using AI to measure, track and compare organisational inclusion at scale.

Late last year, Diversio and the 30% Club’s UK Investor Group teamed up to analyse FTSE 100 companies on three DE&I-related metrics: Board and Executive diversity, DE&I programmes and policies, and the prevalence of 27 “inclusion barriers” – measured by applying artificial intelligence to employee reviews. Our goal was to identify top (and bottom) performers, uncover key drivers of bias and exclusion, and enrich the conversation about DE&I.

The results indicated that UK investors’ efforts to increase Board gender diversity appear to be working. But Board diversity is not an end in itself: the idea was always that diverse Boards would influence Executive teams and help create organizational diversity that would in turn improve performance.

Judging from our numbers, that has not occurred.

Read the press release here
Cover image - Diversio press release (2)

Firstly, representation at the very highest level has not trickled down. There have been great strides toward gender diversity at the board level, with an average of 40% of board seats held by women. In contrast, only 14% of board seats are held by visible minorities. Just one-quarter of Executive positions are held by women, and less than 13% are held by visible minorities.

One might argue that it will take time for a strong talent pipeline to result in promotions to senior executive roles. This assumes that workplaces are fair and unbiased with equal opportunities to advance. Unfortunately, judging from our research, this does not appear to be true of many FTSE 100 companies. We believe that an inclusive corporate culture reinforces both diversity and equity by facilitating an environment in which employees can bring their full self to work which, in turn, attracts more diverse talent as this culture becomes embedded across the organisation.

According to Diversio’s dataset, UK employees face meaningful inclusion challenges at work. Among critical employee reviews left about FTSE 100 companies, an astounding 79% cite an inclusion barrier. Too many UK employees face harassment, recourse, exclusion, and lack of mentorship at work. According to them, this is affecting their ability to do their best work and causing them to look elsewhere for employment. (If you need more evidence, this recent study by Deloitte found that 23% of employees have already left their company for a more inclusive one).

Overall, the most commonly cited inclusion barrier centered on inclusive leadership.  For example, employees complained of a “very old school management style which is male, middle-age dominated”, where “domineering/bullying management styles tolerated” and the organisation is “highly political and full of silos”.

Cover image - Diversio press release (7)

The next most prevalent barrier is adequate resourcing, for example: “Profit driven with constant cost cutting at the expense of everything”. Employees mentioned their race and gender affecting their ability to advocate for resources needed to do their jobs effectively.

The third is a lack of fairness in career development, with employees saying things like “[there are] limited promotional opportunities from within [and an] average pay Culture in upper management.” Many employees described an “old boys club” with advancement opportunities given based on who you know and what you look like.

All this begs the question – how should investors engage with companies on this topic, and where should corporate Executives begin?

The first step is to acknowledge inclusion as a material factor in the war for talent. Now more than ever, companies are struggling to retain talent with turnover at an all-time high and employees valuing culture more than ever. Companies that cultivate inclusion will have a significant advantage. Those that get it wrong face attrition and reputational harm.

The next step is to benchmark performance and measure progress. Though achieving gender and ethnic diversity at a Board level is important, if we are to make tangible progress on DE&I we must look to improve inclusivity in the work place. Inclusion can and should be measured. (Diversio has open-sourced its framework here.) Once a baseline is established, executives can start to prioritize interventions and hold leaders accountable for meeting specific targets.

Cover image - Diversio press release (13)

The third step is to continue to engage with non-government organizations and peer groups like the 30% Club and The Network of Networks. DE&I is an evolving and nuanced topic, and every company has some room for improvement. Sharing learnings will help all involved – not just what is working, but also what is not. This requires a healthy dose of humility and openness to learn.

In summary, our goal was to create a baseline for components of DE&I like racial and ethnic diversity, equity and inclusion. Our analysis provides a good foundation for improvement – if executives and investors seize the opportunity. We hope they do.

Workshop on Resume Writing

Posted on by 30club-Malaysia

“Very helpful in forming thoughts for drafting one’s board resume,” Savita Saigal.


“It was a very informative and interactive session, “Norliza Rasool Khan.


“Raj shared very useful tips on the Do’s and Don’ts on how to write a board profile,” Leong Sow Yoke. 


These were some of the extracts from the feedback we received from the participants/mentees of the Board Profile Writing Masterclass, which was held recently.


The workshop was conducted by CnetG Asia’s Managing Partner and 30% Club Malaysia Steering Committee member Raj Kumar Paramanathan. This is the second session that 30% Club Malaysia had partnered with CnetG Asia, a global executive search and leadership development firm.


It was the first face-to-face session for the mentees since the onset of the MCO more than two years ago.


At this half-day masterclass session, Raj Kumar shared tips on how to write a well-structured board profile and resume to our group of mentees of the Board Mentoring Scheme.


After the session, the participants/mentees networked with each other, exchanging ideas and information amongst them.


Scholarship for entrepreneurial woman

Posted on by 30club-Malaysia

The 30% Club Malaysia and Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University Business School are delighted to announce that for a fifth year, scholarship to attend the part-time MBA programme at the Heriot-Watt University Malaysia campus will be offered to an entrepreneurial woman.


The successful applicant will commence the two year programme in September 2022 or January 2023.

To be eligible to apply to the scholarship scheme, applicants should:


• Be female and of Malaysian nationality.

• Have been offered and accepted a place on the part-time MBA Programme.

• Complete the Edinburgh Business School Scholarship application form and submit it with two written references in support of the scholarship application. Ideally one should be from your current, or your most recent employer. If this is not possible, personal references are acceptable.

• Complete, online applications must be received by midnight 15th December 2022.


The successful applicant shall receive a scholarship to undertake the part-time MBA programme at the Malaysia Campus.


The scholarship covers the costs of study materials, teaching sessions and revision seminars for the nine MBA courses required to qualify for the MBA degree, plus and graduation fee. 


Study will commence in September 2022 or January 2023 and the successful applicant must attend all scheduled teaching sessions, revision seminars and sit examination at the prescribed exam sessions.


Breaking the glass ceiling

Posted on by 30club-Malaysia

The Chair of 30% Club Malaysia, and CEO of Maybank Investment Banking Group, Ami Moris spoke about breaking the glass ceiling. 


“Hard work is the minimum expectation in our industry, so that alone will not get you there. How did I overcome them? By being very intentional and deliberate about the way I approach networking. It’s not enough to simply be sociable if the goal is to have a seat in the room where it happens. 


Done right, it will allow us to identify role models, find mentors and sponsors, form a close inner circle, and expand opportunities.”



Happy International Women’s Day!

Posted on by 30club-Malaysia

To celebrate International Women’s Day month, the 30% Club Malaysia held its inaugural Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Conversation: Elevating Investability. 


The speakers and moderators were Albern Murty Digi Telecommunications, Jalil Rasheed Berjaya Corporation Berhad, Amar Gill BlackRock, Chitra Hepburn MSCI Inc., Shahril Azuar Jimin Maybank, Tunku Alina Alias, and Ami Moris Chair of 30% Club Malaysia. Here’s before we went live.


Let’s #BreakTheBias#InternationalWomensDay


Women in Leadership Scholarship Competition 2022

Posted on by Admin
Copy of COVER IMAGE - INVESTOR GROUP STATEMENT (3)

The Women in Leadership MBA scholarship is a collaboration between Henley, the 30% Club and Financial Times.

Now in its tenth year, the Women in Leadership scholarship is designed to offer practical support for the development of strong female talent and reflects the shared mission of the three partner institutions to encourage gender balance in leadership teams.

The competition is open to both women and men who have relevant experience in the workplace either in managing a team, running a project or planning strategy.

Entries need to answer, in no more than 800 words, the question:

“Would efforts to tackle climate change benefit from more women taking the lead?”

Entries must be submitted using the official application form, which can be downloaded at the bottom of this article. The winner will receive a fully-funded place worth up to £39,500 on our part-time Executive MBA – Global or Flexible Executive MBA programme starting in September/October 2022.

Deadline for entry: 23 May 2022 at 5pm.

Judging panel


  • Dr Anne Dibley, Head of Post-Experience and Apprenticeshipprogrammes at Henley

  • Laura Whitcombe, Global Campaign Manager, 30% Club

  • Harriet Arnold, Assistant Editor, Financial Times Special Reports

  • Plus additional judges to be confirmed.
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Judging criteria


It is important that participants draw not only on data, research and other evidence to support their arguments but also their own personal experience, which could include examples of initiatives they have worked on, or are in the process of designing.

We want submissions which make us think differently – challenge the status quo and demonstrate a real understanding of the dilemmas faced.

Up to 10 finalists will be shortlisted from all entries received by the deadline.

Participants do not need to apply for an MBA place before entering this competition, but are expected to check that they qualify for entry on to the programme. 

DOWNLOAD THE FORM

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