Board gender diversity at a 'tipping point'

By Taylee Lewis

— 1 minute read

08 March 2016

ASX-listed companies are embracing gender diversity, with women now accounting for 22 per cent of all ASX200 board members, says the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI).

According to ACSI, the number of ASX200 companies where women account for at least 30 per cent of the total number of directors exceeds that of boards with no women at all.

“This is a tipping point in board gender diversity, and follows the first anniversary of ACSI’s renewed push on the issue, when we called for 30 per cent women on all Australian boards by 2017,” ACSI chief executive Louise Davidson said.

ACSI found that women now comprise 22 per cent of all ASX200 board members, up from 19 per cent at the start of 2015. Further, women represent just over 50 per cent of all appointments announced for ASX200 companies so far in 2016.

"This rise illustrates the fact that, despite the tired old excuses, there’s no shortage of appropriately skilled, experienced and talented women for directorships,” said Ms Davidson.

ACSI pointed out that only two companies in the ASX100 still have no women on their boards.

"What’s also increasingly clear is that those companies without any women directors are not just out of touch with community expectations, they’re out of step with their business peers,” Ms Davidson said.

"Now that boards are getting the message, hopefully we will see a flow-through impact to executive teams accessing the best possible talents by recruiting and promoting people from more diverse backgrounds."

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