Women now make up 10 per cent of the directors of Australia’s top listed companies, the latest figures released by the Australian Institute of Company Directors reveal.
The appointment today of Sam Mostyn to the board of Virgin Blue Limited pushed the percentage of women on ASX 200 boards into double figures for the first time, from 8.3 per cent at the beginning of this year.
So far in 2010, 36 women have been appointed to ASX 200 boards, compared to only ten for the whole of last year. This means 27 per cent of appointees this year have been female, compared to just 5 per cent in 2009 and 8 per cent in 2007 and 2008.
Since the Australian Institute of Company Directors last released figures on 10 August, the following five women have been appointed to ASX 200 boards.
| 1 |
Woolworths Limited |
Jane Hrdlicka |
Non Executive Director |
| 2 |
OneSteel Limited |
Rosemary Warnock |
Non Executive Director |
| 3 |
Boral Limited |
Catherine Brenner |
Non Executive Director |
| 4 |
UGL Limited |
Kathryn Spargo |
Non Executive Director |
| 5 |
Virgin Blue Limited |
Sam Mostyn |
Non Executive Director |
The figures, which are updated daily, have been collated by the Australian Institute of Company Directors based on analysis of Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) data.
The index used in compiling the figures is consistent with that used by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA), whose latest census for 2008 showed the proportion of women on ASX 200 boards at 8.3 per cent.
“The number of women on ASX 200 boards hitting 10 per cent represents an important landmark in the drive to achieve greater board diversity in Australia,” said the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, John Colvin.
“While we still have a long way to go, the initiatives in this area taken by the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the ASX Corporate Governance Council - which recently issued new recommendations relating to diversity - and other organisations are starting to have an effect.”
“The fact that almost four times the number of women have been appointed in the first eight months of 2010 than in the whole of 2009, and that more than a quarter of ASX 200 board appointments this year have been women, shows that real change is occurring.”
“We hope this improvement continues as more and more boards recognise the value of diversity and actively seek to identify female talent.”
“Certainly, more progress needs to be made, as there are still 95 ASX 200 boards without any women.”
The Australian Institute Company Directors has announced a range of initiatives to address the issue of board diversity, including the ASX 200 Chairmen’s Mentoring Program and a new scholarship program, funded jointly with the Federal Government, which will offer 70 scholarships for women from a variety of backgrounds to undertake one of our flagship director education courses.
It has also published a booklet to assist listed companies with the changes to the ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Principles and Recommendations relating to diversity.
Media Contacts:
Steve Burrell, General Manager Communications and Public Affairs, (02) 8248 6627 or 0407 708 485
The Australian Institute of Company Directors provides education, information and advocacy for company directors Australia wide, with offices in each state to cater for 26,600 members. Our members work in diverse corporations such as small-to-medium enterprises, the ASX200 corporations, public sector organisations, not-for-profit companies, large private companies and smaller private family concerns.