30% Club Malaysia Empowers Women through Board Mentoring

Malaysian 30% Club has called on corporate leaders to go past the issue of making gender diverse boards, and instead ensure that women play an influential part in the strategic conversations and decisions of corporations. Currently, there are women in 34.4% of board positions in Malaysia’s 100 largest publicly listed companies, meaning women make headway in the corporate sphere ensuring their inclusion into decision-making processes.

The issues were highlighted during the annual Board Mentoring Celebration organised by the organization. The 30% Club Malaysia insists on such important actions as professional sponsoring of women, inclusive leadership and elimination of unconscious biases in the business environment. The programme also marked the graduation of 15 individuals from the 11th intake of the Board Mentoring Scheme (BMS) and the induction of 24 women into the 12th intake. The nine-month mentoring programme was founded by PWCM Malaysia in collaboration with the Malaysian Corporate Governance Institute in 2017.

Key Highlights:

• Women hold 34.4% of board seats in Malaysia’s top 100 listed companies
• Board Mentoring Scheme supports women leaders, with 47% securing board appointments
• 30% Club Malaysia promotes inclusive leadership, sponsorship and male allyship

The objective of the mentoring program is to train senior women leaders in preparation for board level roles through development of their leadership skills and enhancing their knowledge of corporate governance. The programme has helped more than 179 senior women leaders, where 47% of the mentees have been appointed to board seats at publicly listed companies, SMEs and trade associations.

In a keynote speech, Nurul A’in Abdul Latif, chair of 30% Club Malaysia and executive chair of PwC Malaysia, stressed the significance of helping aspiring female directors get more exposure to networks and sponsorships that will give them more chances to be invited to the boards. Additionally, she mentioned the important part of men in advocating gender-balanced leadership as the advancement of women needs a joint effort from the side of leaders.

Among the topics discussed during the event were unconscious bias, leadership appointments and the Men Allies for Parity program. It is designed to recognize men who do something to make it easier for women to join the leadership team.

The organization made it very clear that they were dedicated to ensuring that women’s views are taken into consideration and valued in the decision-making process of the corporation. 30% Club Malaysia chapter was set up in May 2015, and is an international movement with the goal of promoting Diversity, Equality & Inclusion (DEI) in the corporate sector with an emphasis on gender parity.